The Blue Jay occurrence is a copper prospect in the historical Aspen Grove copper camp, between Merritt and Princeton, where exploration dates back to the turn of the twentieth century. This prospect is located approximately 800 metres east of Highway 5A, 1.5 kilometres north-northwest of the northern end of Tule Lake and 5 kilometres north of the community of Aspen Grove. The Tab occurrence (MINFILE 092HNE052) is located approximately 500 metres to the south.
The occurrence is hosted in the Upper Triassic Nicola Group, which regionally consists of alkalic and calc-alkalic volcanics and intrusions of island arc origin and which is the principal component of the Quesnel terrane in southern British Columbia (Geological Survey of Canada Maps 41-1989, 1713A).
The Blue Jay occurrence is one of many in the Aspen Grove area. It lies in the Central Belt or facies of the Nicola Group (after Preto, Bulletin 69). These rocks mainly include subaerial and submarine, red or purple to green augite plagioclase porphyritic andesitic and basaltic flows, volcanic breccia and tuff, and minor argillite and limestone. Locally the strata strike north to northwest and dip southwest. The volcanics are intruded by a north-trending body of comagmatic Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic diorite to monzonite, approximately 500 metres wide. The area is characterized by long-lived, primarily north-striking faults and related fracturing, which originally controlled intrusion emplacement. East-striking faults are subordinate, and commonly offset intrusive contacts.
The area of the Blue Jay occurrence is underlain by fine-grained porphyritic basaltic and andesitic volcanics and equivalent volcaniclastics, and minor sedimentary rocks, and a composite body of fine-, medium- and coarse-grained diorite and porphyritic monzonite. Hybrid volcanic-intrusive characteristics in some rocks in the contact area support a comagmatic origin. Most rocks contain fracture-related and disseminated pyrite, up to 8 per cent, and magnetite. Patterns of induced polarization response correlate well with the concentration of pyrite. The best copper mineralization occurs in rocks with little or no pyrite, that is, on the flanks of the induced polarization conductors (Assessment Report 7122).
Hydrothermal alteration and mineralization are strongest in a zone measuring at least 1100 by 120 metres that straddles the volcanics to the west and the fine-grained margin of the dioritic intrusion to the east (Assessment Reports 6260, 7122). The Blue Jay occurrence is near the northern end of this zone (the Tab occurrence is near the southern end). This zone is also characterized by strong fracturing, brecciation in the diorite and above-average pyrite. The alteration is propylitic and carbonatitic, there being widespread epidote (especially along fractures), calcite, chlorite, albite, quartz, biotite, hematite and secondary potassium feldspar, although some of these minerals may represent metamorphic recrystallization (Assessment Report 7122).
Mineralization is exposed in numerous trenches over a 300- by 200-metre area in this volcanic-intrusive contact zone, which has also been explored by percussion and diamond drilling (Bulletin 69; Preliminary Maps 10, 15; Assessment Report 9386). One prominent zone of mineralization, up to 30 metres wide, has been traced northward for 230 metres. Malachite is quite common on fracture surfaces; minor chalcopyrite, bornite, and chalcocite are diffusively disseminated in rusty weathering carbonate-pyrite zones. Native copper is present locally in fine-grained diorite and volcanics as fine disseminated specks; it and the chalcocite are probably primary and not of supergene origin (Assessment Report 7122).
Copper values are low grade, erratic and are generally proportional to the degree of alteration and fracturing, although the primary control appears to be the contact zone of the dioritic intrusion. Precious metal values are low, but anomalous, and do not necessarily correlate with high copper values.
In the 1960s(?), two percussion holes drilled in the area of the trenches, are reported to have assayed at least 0.1 per cent copper over 15 metres or more (Assessment Report 9386, Map SF-81-2).
In 1978, samples taken from boulders along the bottom of a trench located near the bank of the creek and southwest of the main copper zone assayed 0.29 per cent copper over 45 metres, whereas other trenches to the northeast and on the main copper zone yielded up to 0.19 per cent copper over 1.8 metres (Assessment Report 7122, page 3). One percussion drill hole contained hydrocarbons of unknown origin (Assessment Report 7122).
In 1979, a rock sample (8134) from a trench located approximately 20 metres south of the main native copper occurrence yielded 0.063 per cent copper and 0.104 gram per tonne gold, whereas a sample from a trench to the southeast and near the bank of a creek, yielded 0.206 per cent copper and 0.145 gram per tonne gold over 15 metres (Assessment Report 9386). Also at this time, a drillhole (G79-15) is reported to have yielded 0.16 per cent copper over 76 metres (Assessment Report 22148).
In 1984, rock sampling yielded gold values of 0.135 to 0.595 gram per tonne and silver values of up to 1.8 grams per tonne (Assessment Report 13714, page 9).
In 1991, a diamond drill hole (91-1), located near the historical G79-15 drillhole, intercepted fine, patchy disseminated pyrite, chalcopyrite and minor bornite in sheared and propylitic-altered andesite yielding 0.19 per cent copper and 0.204 gram per tonne gold over 97.6 metres (14.0 to 111.6 metres down hole), whereas another drillhole (91-2), located approximately 200 metres to the north and near the north bank of Tinmilsh Creek, yielded anomalous results including 0.241 per cent copper over 10.0 metres (282.0 to 292.0 metres down hole), including 0.34 gram per tonne gold over 2.0 metres (Assessment Report 22148, page 22). Also at this time, surface sampling of the main trenched area yielded values of up to 0.44 per cent copper and 1.67 grams per tonne gold, whereas grab samples from trenches located several hundred metres to the southwest and northwest of the main trenched area yielded 0.200 and 0.145 per cent copper with 0.92 and 0.02 gram per tonne gold, respectively (Assessment Report 22148, page 18).
In 2002, a grab sample (701-45) of malachite-rich float from the southwest trench yielded 1.64 gram per tonne gold, whereas re-sampling of core from drillhole 91-1 yielded values of up to 0.310 gram per tonne gold, 0.039 gram per tonne platinum and 0.108 gram per tonne palladium over 2.0 metre intervals (Assessment Report 27001).
Work History
The Blue Jay prospect has been explored by various operators, beginning with Granby Mining, Smelting and Power Company Ltd. in 1958, which completed a 70.8 line-kilometre ground magnetometer survey over the occurrence area as the K.M. group of claims.
Valnica Copper Mines Ltd. drilled six holes, totalling 600 metres, in 1967. The following year, Ashland Oil and Refining Company completed a 28.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic and induced polarization survey on the area.
In 1971, Rio Tinto Canadian Exploration Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping and ground magnetic survey on the Blue Jay claims. In 1973, Craigmont Mines Ltd. completed at least five percussion holes, totalling 375.0 metres, on the claims. In 1975 and 1976, Robert York-Hardy and Fred Gingell completed programs of geological mapping, soil sampling and a ground electromagnetic survey on the area as the Snowflake claims. Cominco Ltd. completed further percussion drilling in 1978 and 1979, totalling at least 1280.2 metres in 14 holes. Also in 1979, Cominco Ltd. completed a 26.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic and induced polarization survey on the area as the Snowflake and Tule claim groups of the Grove property.
Snowflake Mining Company Ltd. and Laramide Resources Ltd. completed programs of geological mapping, rock sampling and ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys in 1981 and 1984. In 1986, Lornex Mining Corp. Ltd. completed an induced polarization survey and six diamond drill holes, totalling 576.7 metres, on the Snowflake property.
In 1991, Quilchena Resources Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, rock sampling, a 4.5 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and three diamond drill holes, totalling 710.2 metres, on the Snowflake property.
In 2001, the Douglas Lake Cattle Co. staked the area as the Blue Jay 1-7 claims and completed a limited program of geological mapping and rock sampling the following year. The claims were re-staked in 2005 and 2006 by R. Billingsley, G. Richards and G. Diakow. In 2007, Etna Resources Inc. completed a 366 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the area as the Aspen Grove property. In 2008, Christopher James Gold Corp. completed a 1113.5 line-kilometre airborne magnetic-radiometric survey on the Big Kidd property. In 2009, a further program of geological mapping, soil sampling and 48.8 line-kilometres of ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys were completed on the Aspen Grove property.
In 2012, Richard Billingsley completed a photogeological structural (lineament) analysis on the area. In 2013, New Chris Minerals Ltd., on the behalf of Richard Billingsley, completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the area as the Aspen Grove property. In 2017, Cazador Explorations Ltd. completed a 145.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic survey on the property.
