The Snowflake 6 occurrence is a small area of minor copper mineralization in part of the historical Aspen Grove copper camp between Merritt and Princeton, where exploration dates back to the turn of the twentieth century. It is centred on a small cluster of old workings 1 kilometre south of Courtney Lake, 500 metres east of Highway 5A, 6 kilometres north of the community of Aspen Grove (Assessment Report 3555).
The occurrence is hosted in the Upper Triassic Nicola Group, which regionally consists of alkalic and calcalkalic 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). This belt has been of major economic interest because of its potential for porphyry copper-gold mineralization.
The Snowflake 6 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). This belt mainly consists of subaerial and submarine, red or purple to green augite plagioclase porphyritic andesitic and basaltic flows, volcanic breccia and tuff, and minor argillite and limestone. The volcanics are locally intruded by bodies of comagmatic diorite to monzonite of Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic age.
The region is characterized by long-lived, primarily north-striking faults and related fracturing, which originally controlled intrusion emplacement. Two important fault systems in the Aspen Grove area, the Kentucky-Alleyne fault and a splay of the Allison fault, converge just south of Courtney Lake, in the vicinity of the Snowflake 6 occurrence.
The occurrence is hosted in red and green, augite and/or plagioclase porphyritic flows, breccias, tuffs and laharic deposits of andesitic to basaltic composition (Bulletin 69; Assessment Report 3555). The strata strike northwest and dip southwest. Alteration is generally present, mainly represented by epidote, particularly in fractures, shears and veins. Epidote may be accompanied by calcite, quartz and chlorite.
Several small pits and at least one adit at the Snowflake 6 occurrence lie close to a minor, east-striking fault (Assessment Report 3555). The pits expose fractures mineralized with chalcopyrite, bornite, chalcocite, malachite and azurite, and locally minor native copper.
In 1984, two rock samples analyzed 0.6 to 0.7 gram per tonne silver and 0.005 to 0.015 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 13714, Drawing 2, samples 211, 212).
Work History
A historic adit and several pits, likely dating to the early 1900s, are reported to have been developed on the occurrence.
In 1968 and 1971, Ashland Oil and Refining Company and Rio Tinto Canadian Exploration Ltd. geologically and magnetically surveyed the area.
In 1978, Cominco Ltd. completed a lone drill hole, totalling 91.5 metres, on the Snowflake 6 claim to investigate a previously identified induced polarization anomaly. No significant mineralization was intercepted.
In 1984, Laramide Resources Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, rock sampling and ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys on the area as the Snowflake, Tule and Pot claim groups. In 1986, Lornex Mining Corp. Ltd. completed an induced polarization survey and six diamond drillholes, totalling 576.7 metres, on the Snowflake property.
In 2001, the Douglas Lake Cattle Co. staked the area and completed a limited program of geological mapping and geochemical sampling in 2002. 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 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 property.
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. The following year, an airborne photo geological survey was completed on the area.
