The Stein occurrence is located along the shores of Agamemnon Bay of the Agamemnon Channel, at the northwestern end of the Sechelt Peninsula.
Regionally, the area is underlain by a series of northwest-trending volcanic and sedimentary rocks comprised of basaltic volcanic rocks of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen and Quatsino formations (Vancouver Group); argillite, greywacke, wacke and conglomerate turbidites of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Bowen Island Group and volcanic and marine sedimentary rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Gambier Group, which form roof pendants that have been intruded by diorite and quartz diorite of the Jurassic to Cretaceous Coast Plutonic Complex.
At the Stein occurrence, an adit exposes a quartz healed rhyodacitic chert breccia within a roof pendant of volcanics and sediments of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group). The roof pendant is hosted in the Jurassic to Cretaceous Coast Plutonic Complex. The breccia zone trends 120 to 130 degrees, similar to the trend of the roof pendant.
The quartz is mineralized with pyrite and marcasite.
In 1982, a grab sample of pyritic material taken 2 metres from the portal of the adit assayed 40.11 grams per tonne gold and 17.8 grams per tonne silver (Sample Ton; Assessment Report 11129).
In 1983, a chip sample (WR19) from the Stein adit yielded 0.7 gram per tonne gold over 0.75 metre of pyrite-quartz breccia (Assessment Report 11333).
In 1991, a rock sample (B-2) from a sheared mafic volcanic hosting narrow, crosscutting quartz veins located in the area of the adit yielded 0.31 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21709).
Work History
The earliest record of exploration in the area was in 1913, when R. Durnsford Jr. drove the Stein tunnel. The occurrence was explored by a 21-metre long adit in 1913.
In 1937, work was recorded on the Cambrian Chieftain occurrence (MINFILE 092GNW011). Additional mineralization was discovered at the Skookum (Chalice, MINFILE 092GNW008), along the shoreline of Agamemnon Channel. Other showings, some containing massive sulphides, are reported along the shores of Agamemnon Channel.
In 1982, Chalice Mining Inc. staked the area as the Chalice claims and conducted a program of rock sampling and geological mapping. In 1983, Chalice Mining Inc. conducted a program of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and a 3.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Bacon and Wally claim groups. In 1984, a further program of geological mapping and geochemical sampling was conducted on the Chalice claims.
In late 1987 and early 1988, Blue Chip Resources Inc. conducted a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and a 7.7 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the Chalice 1, Stein and Wally 2-3 claims of the Egmont property. In 1991, Blue Chip Resources Inc. completed a program of geological mapping, minor rock sampling and a 3.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the Stein claim.
In 1996, four diamond drill holes, totalling 725.6 metres, were completed by Charles R. Boitard on the area as the Ruby 3 claim. The following year, a further four diamond drill holes, totalling 527.6 metres, were completed on the Ruby 1-3 claims. No significant intercepts were reported in either drill programs.
During 2018 through 2021, Ama Gold Exploration Ltd. conducted programs of prospecting, geological mapping, rock sampling and a remote sensing survey on the area as the Dancer/Chalice project.
