The Anita (Chip) occurrence is located along Chipman Creek, approximately 3.7 kilometres southwest of Coronation Mountain. The Lara (MINFILE 092B 129) occurrence is located approximately 4.5 kilometres to the southeast.
The occurrence lies within the Cowichan uplift, in which the Paleozoic Sicker and Buttle Lake groups are exposed. The occurrence is underlain by felsic and mafic volcanics of the Upper Devonian McLaughlin Ridge Formation (Sicker Group) that trend northwest and dip steeply. The volcanic rocks are flanked on the north side by the Mississippian to Pennsylvanian Fourth Lake Formation, Buttle Lake Group (formerly the Sediment-Sill unit of Muller). These rocks are intruded by gabbro bodies (informally known as the Mount Hall Gabbro), varying from 1 to 300 metres thick, that are coeval with the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group). To the south, the Sicker Group rocks are unconformably overlain by the Upper Cretaceous Nanaimo Group sediments.
The original Anita showing, which occurs along the Anita Horizon, consists of quartz lenses in schist traceable for at least 60 metres to the east. The ‘vein’ is up to 4.5 metres wide and carries chalcopyrite and pyrite. A sample assayed 10.28 grams per tonne silver and 3.3 per cent copper (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1917, page 270).
The Anita Active Tuff is a pyritic and quartz phyric felsic ash and lapilli tuff that occurs along the southern edge of a sericitic felsic tuff package with an outcropping exposure width of 400 to 1300 metres. A major thrust fault that is probably a splay of the Fulford fault occurs immediately north of the Anita Active Tuff. Drilling in 1987 to 1990 revealed polymetallic sulphide mineralization within 10 metres of a felsic-mafic contact within the Anita Active Tuff. The southern contact of the Anita Active Tuff with mafic tuffs is called the Anita Horizon. The Anita Horizon has been traced discontinuously by drilling over a length of 3.5 kilometres. From its western end, where it is terminated by a fault, the horizon trends southeast for 1.4 kilometres, after which the remaining 2.1 kilometres are occupied by the Anita Gabbro. This gabbro is a sill to dike-like body that is also present to the west, where it is adjacent to the 1.4 kilometre length of the horizon.
Mineralization consists of pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite occurring as sparse veinlets, stringers and as polymetallic bands. The best drill intersections to date tested a strike length of 300 metres.
The western end of the Coronation zone of the Lara deposit (MINFILE 092B 129) occurs approximately 1.5 kilometres southeast (120 degrees) of the eastern end of the Anita Horizon. The two deposits are almost along strike from each other but significant differences in their settings suggest that the horizons are not identical.
Work History
In 1915, a 15-metre shaft was excavated on the Anita occurrence.
In 1978, Union Miniere Exploration and Mining Corp. Ltd. conducted a soil sampling program on the area as the Mouse, Bear, Dear, Elk and Pika claims.
In 1983, Esso Resources Canada Limited conducted a program of soil sampling and ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys on the area as the Chip claims. In 1985, Kidd Creek Mines Ltd. completed a 40.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic and electromagnetic survey and a 50.0 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the Chip claims.
In 1986, Kidd Creek Mines Ltd., on behalf of Esso Resources Canada Ltd., conducted 72.0 line-kilometres of combined ground magnetic, electromagnetic and induced polarization surveys on the Chip, Holyoak 1-3 and Brent claims. Later that year, six diamond drill holes, totalling 1845.4 metres, were completed on the Chip claims; four of these holes are reported to have intersected significant sulphides. Drillhole CH86-18 is reported to have yielded 1.6 per cent copper, 8.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.2 gram per tonne gold over 4.8 metres true width (Assessment Report 41227). The Anita shaft area was trenched and mapped at this time.
In 1987, Kidd Creek Mines completed 18 diamond drill holes, totalling 6753.7 metres, on the Chip claims. Drillhole CH87-37 intersected 2.5 metres of pyritic felsic tuff yielded 2.37 per cent copper, 0.73 per cent lead, 2.74 per cent zinc, 41.8 grams per tonne silver, 0.7 gram per tonne gold and 0.95 per cent barium (Assessment Report 18293).
Other diamond drilling yielded intercepts including 0.59 per cent copper, 1.36 per cent lead, 134 grams per tonne silver and 4.77 grams per tonne gold over 0.4 metre (249.6 to 250.0 metres down hole) in a altered felsic ash tuff hosting microfractures of pyrite, chalcopyrite and galena in hole CH87-31; 1.62 per cent copper over 0.5 metre (206.9 to 207.4 metres down hole) of felsic quartz-feldspar crystal tuff hosting quartz veins with blebs and bands of chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite in hole CH87-32 and 0.89 per cent copper over 0.8 metre (107.0 to 107.8 metres down hole) of pyritic quartz eye bearing felsic tuff hosting pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite (Assessment Report 16710). These holes were located approximately 1.2 to 1.4 kilometres southeast of the plotted location of the Anita occurrence and could represent the southeast extension of the Anita Horizon or the northwest extension of the Coronation zone of the Lara (MINFILE 092B 129) occurrence.
In 1988, Falconbridge and Esso Resources Canada completed a program of geological mapping, 2270 metres of trenching, 112 line-kilometres of ground geophysical surveys and 46 diamond drill holes, totalling 13578.1 metres, on the Chip claims. Drilling intercepts on the Anita Horizon are reported to have yielded values of up to 2.30 per cent copper, 0.49 per cent lead, 3.66 per cent zinc, 73.4 grams per tonne silver and 1.90 grams per tonne gold over 4.8 metres true width in hole CH88-49 (Assessment Report 41227). Also at this time, drillhole CH88-82, located approximately 500 metres east of the Anita occurrence, yielded 0.33 per cent zinc, 0.25 per cent barium, 3.2 grams per tonne silver and 0.13 gram per tonne gold over 1.3 metres (124.9 to 126.2 metres down hole) from a felsic lapilli tuff hosting sphalerite (Assessment Report 18293).
In 1989, Falconbridge completed 31 diamond drill holes, totalling 10853.7 metres, on the Chip claims.
In 1990, Falconbridge completed a program of geological mapping, 53.4 line-kilometres of ground geophysical surveys and 23 diamond drill holes, totalling 7201.8 metres, on the Chip claims. Drilling highlights from the Anita Horizon and tuff included 0.17 and 0.14 per cent copper with 0.63 and 0.46 per cent zinc over 9.65 and 0.72 metres (441.70 to 451.35 and 456.30 to 457.02 metres down hole), respectively, in hole CH90-132, and 1.01 and 1.00 per cent copper, unreported and 1.64 per cent zinc, unreported and 0.32 per cent lead, 5.6 and 18.5 grams per tonne silver with 0.07 and 1.61 grams per tonne gold over 0.80 and 0.10 metre (491.85 to 492.65 and 500.90 to 501.00 metres down hole), respectively, in hole CH90-133 (Assessment Report 20954).
Other drilling intercepts included: 0.16 per cent copper, 27.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.25 gram per tonne gold over 0.50 metre (74.38 to 74.88 metres down hole) in hole CH90-115 and 0.44 per cent copper, 0.14 per cent zinc, 5.1 grams per tonne silver with 0.40 gram per tonne gold over 4.36 metres (70.34 to 74.70 metres down hole) in hole CH90-131 (Assessment Report 20955).
In 2006 and 2007, Laramide Resources, for Treasury Metals Inc., completed a program of comprehensive data compilation, airborne geophysical surveys, totalling 500.1-line kilometres, and drillcore resampling on the Lara property. In 2009, Treasury Metals completed a program of structural mapping and whole rock geochemical sampling on the Lara property. In 2014, Treasury Metals completed a further program of structural mapping, whole rock geochemical sampling and environmental baseline studies on the Lara property. In 2014, Treasury Metals completed a further program of structural mapping, whole rock geochemical sampling and environmental baseline studies on the Lara property. In 2018, Treasury Metals conducted an airborne LiDAR survey covering 6388.0 hectares on the Lara property.
In 2022, David Nelles conducted a minor program of prospecting and rock sampling on the Anita property. Two samples (B0026970 and B0026971) of sulphide-bearing, silica-rich boulders, located southeast of the Anita shaft, yielded values of up to 0.306 per cent zinc, 0.238 per cent lead, 2520 grams per tonne silver and 10.1 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 41127).
In 2024, David Nelles completed a minor program of soil gas sampling on the Anita property.
