The Contact occurrence is located approximately 3 kilometres west of the former Cassiar (MINFILE 104P 005) asbestos mine and approximately 100 kilometres north of the community of Dease Lake.
Regionally, the area is underlain by a north to north-northwest–trending series of sedimentary rocks, dipping approximately 70 to 80 degrees to the northeast, and comprised of undivided sedimentary rocks of the Neoproterozoic Stelkuz Formation (Ingenika Group), quartz arenite sedimentary rocks of the Lower Cambrian Boya Formation (Atan Group), calcareous sedimentary rocks of the Lower Cambrian Rosella Formation (Atan Group), limestone, slate, siltstone and argillite of the Cambrian to Ordovician Kechika Group and Ordovician to Silurian Road River Group, quartz arenite sedimentary rocks of the Silurian to Lower Devonian Ramhorn Group and calcareous sedimentary rocks of the Devonian McDame Group. Granitic rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Cassiar Batholith are exposed to the west.
A north-trending, moderately east-dipping unit of Upper Proterozoic Ingenika Group (Stelkuz Formation) marble and hornfels lies between Late Cretaceous Contact quartz monzonite and Cassiar stock quartz feldspar porphyry and quartz monzonite. Two 070- to 080-degree–striking fissure veins, up to 1.2 metres in width, crosscut the marbles. Manganiferous magnetite, galena, sphalerite, and pyrite are the dominant minerals present. Molybdenite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, albandite, bismuthinite, dyscrasite, native silver and bismuth occur as accessory minerals. Gangue consists of calcite, quartz and rhodonite.
Quartz veins also occur in Contact stock intrusive rocks. They strike southeast and dip to the northeast at low angles and contain pyrite, molybdenite, bismuthinite, scheelite and cosalite. A small pyrrhotite lens with minor chalcopyrite occurs in garnet-scapolite skarn in marble, approximately 30 metres from the Cassiar stock. Late aplite dikes cut the intrusive rocks.
In 1956, the mine produced 10451 grams of silver, 25 kilograms of copper and 1947 kilograms of lead from 25 tonnes of ore (Mineral Policy Branch).
In 1993, a chip sample (ADR93 032) from quartz vein hosting pyrite, arsenopyrite and bismuthinite(?) assayed 30.6 grams per tonne silver and 0.226 per cent bismuth over 1.00 metre (Assessment Report 23234).
In 1998, a chip sample (98/07/07-2) assayed 2.09 per cent lead, 6.35 per cent zinc and 165.5 grams per tonne silver over 1.33 metres (Assessment Report 25860).
In 2011, two chip samples (KU11AR-51 and -52) yielded 1750 and 1100 grams per tonne silver, 10.70 and 15.75 per cent zinc, 0.91 and 1.13 per cent antimony and greater than 20.00 per cent lead, each, over 0.40 and 0.38 metres, respectively (Assessment Report 32573).
Work History
The first claims in the area were reportedly staked by a prospector known as Rattle Snake Bill. In 1951, G. Davis of McDame Lake and W. Puritch of Grand Forks staked claims over the Contact showing. In 1953, Harvest Queen Mill and Elevator Company of Plainview, Texas optioned the claims and completed a small-scale diamond drilling program in the summer of 1954. Diamond drill holes in sulphide-bearing talus 152 metres below the lower vein gave no information on the vein’s continuity. In 1955, a group called Telmac Mines optioned some of the claims and in 1955 and 1956 they recovered 25 short tons of lead-zinc-silver ore and shipped it to the Asarco smelter in Helena, Montana. The Telmac operation was abandoned in 1957 due to harsh storms that wrecked their camp, in addition to internal corporate difficulties.
In 1961, Reliance Minerals carried out a program of surface trenching and bulk sampling on the Contact occurrence. In 1968, Cassiar Asbestos explored the area using airborne magnetometer surveys. In 1978, the area was restaked and optioned to Shell Canada Resources who explored for tungsten and molybdenum between 1979 and 1982, conducting mapping, geochemical surveys, geophysics, trenching and diamond drilling. Shell outlined significant tungsten-bearing skarn deposits (Kuhn [MINFILE 104P 071] and Dead Goat [MINFILE 104P 079]).
In 1991, the Contact 1-4 claims were staked for Kokanee Explorations Ltd. and in 1992 and 1993, rock and soil samples were collected in addition to prospecting. In 1997, Eveready Resources Corp. staked the open ground covering the Contact showing and in 1998 a program of reconnaissance mapping and sampling was completed in which more than 40 samples were submitted for geochemical analysis. Also in 1997, a program of prospecting and sampling was completed on the area immediately south of the occurrence as the Rattler claim.
In 2010 and 2011, Fundamental Resources Corp. completed programs of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and ground magnetic surveys on the area as the Kuhn property.
