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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  23-May-1991 by Dorthe E. Jakobsen (DEJ)

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NMI 082F6 Pb1
Name BEN HASSEN (L.3663), JUNE 5 Mining Division Nelson
BCGS Map 082F024
Status Showing NTS Map 082F06W
Latitude 049º 15' 57'' UTM 11 (NAD 83)
Longitude 117º 21' 54'' Northing 5457072
Easting 473445
Commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Gold, Copper Deposit Types I05 : Polymetallic veins Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au
Tectonic Belt Omineca Terrane Quesnel, Plutonic Rocks
Capsule Geology

The Ben Hassen showing is located on the west side of Erie Creek, about 11 kilometres southwest of Ymir. This showing, along with the Copper King (082FSW213), the Arnold (082FSW301) and the Hattie (082FSW226) showings, occur on the Erie Creek property.

The area is underlain by Archibald Formation sediments and Elise Formation volcanics, both of the Lower Jurassic Rossland Group. The Rossland Group rocks are intruded by granodiorite and quartz monzonite of the Middle to Late Jurassic Nelson Intrusions, locally known as the Erie stock. The Erie stock is comprised of a light grey quartz monzonite with associated aplitic and feldspar porphyry dykes. Biotite hornfels is apparently a contact metamorphic effect related to both the Nelson batholith and the Erie Creek dyke swarm. Hornfels is mainly developed in argillite and siltstone. Chlorite occurs mainly on fractures and in shear veins in augite andesite and hornfels.

Mineralization on the property occurs roughly in four concentric zones. An inner quartz-molybdenum plus scheelite zone followed by a chalcopyrite zone, a pyrite-pyrrhotite zone and an outer sphalerite- galena zone. The inner zone is approximately 600 metres in diameter and is centered on the east side of Erie Creek (Hattie). The host rocks are quartz monzonite dykes, stocks and white rhyolite. The chalcopyrite zone occurs over an area of 1.5 to 2 kilometres and occurs in quartz and sulphide veinlets as fracture coatings and in shear veins with pyrite, pyrrhotite and minor amounts of scheelite. The best copper values obtained, up to 1.3 per cent, were from vein an dump samples mainly from old workings on the west side of Erie Creek (Drum Lummon, Cooper King, Dora, Homestake). Pyrite and pyrrhotite, in an area about 1.5 by 2.5 kilometres, occur finely disseminated and as fracture coatings. Sphalerite and galena with some gold occur in shear veins beyond the inner zone, such as the Arnold and Ben Hassen showings. Slate, near the contact with granodiorite, hosts pyrite, galena and minor chalcopyrite. The mineralization occurs as disseminations and stringers in a zone 4 to 5 metres wide. In 1987, sphalerite and galena were found in shear veins on the Ben Hassen Reverted Crown Grant. Quartz vein material with galena, pyrite and chalcopyrite taken from the south shaft on the claim assayed 223.9 grams per tonne silver and 1.68 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 15510). A sample from a 2.0-centimetre wide quartz vein from the north shaft assayed 259.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.305 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 15510).

The mineralization is believed to be part of a zoned porphyry type deposit which has a central quartz vein stockwork zone containing molybdenum-copper-tungsten mineralization and a peripheral zone with veins containing copper-lead-zinc-silver mineralization. This showing is interpreted as occurring in the outer zone.

The claim is located at the 1524 metre elevation about 1.6 kilometres east of Erie Creek, opposite Grassy Creek, some 24 kilometres southsoutheast of Nelson.

Early work on the claim, dating from 1896 or earlier, includes a 7-metre shaft and 3-metre drift. The Ben Hassen claim (Lot 3663) was Crown-granted in 1900 to The New North Fork Mining Company, Limited. The Epoch, Titanic and Young Grouse claims (Lots 2328, 2455 and 2456 respectively) were Crown-granted in 1898 to F. Riffle. These claims are located about 1.6 kilometres south of the Ben Hassen on the east side of Young Grouse Creek, a tributary of Burnt Creek.

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1896-75; 1900-981; 1949-158
EMPR ASS RPT 1603, 6301, 7573, 7754, 8570, *15510, 18478
EMPR BULL 41; 109
EMPR EXPL 1976-E36; 1979-60,61; 1980-62,63; 1987-C40
EMPR FIELDWORK 1980, pp. 149-158; 1981, pp. 28-32, pp. 176-186; 1987, pp. 19-30; 1988, pp. 33-43; 1989, pp. 247-249; 1990, pp. 291-300
EMPR MAP 7685G; RGS 1977; 8480G
EMPR OF 1988-1; *1989-11; 1991-16
EMPR PF (Kootenay King Resources Inc., Prospectus, Sept. 16, 1987)
GSC MAP 1090A; 1144A
GSC MEM 308
GSC OF 1195
GSC P 49-22; 52-13
Andrew, K.P.E. and Hoy, T. (1990): Structural Models for Precious Metal Deposits in Jurassic Arc Volcanic rocks of the Rossland Group, southeastern B.C.; abstract with program, G.A.C. - M.A.C. Annual Meeting, Vancouver, B.C., p. A3
Hoy, T. and Andrew, K.P.E. (1988): Geology, geochemistry and mineral deposits of the Lower Jurassic Rossland Group, southeastern British Columbia; abstract in Twelfth District 6 Meeting, Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Fernie, B.C., pp. 11-12

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