The Ski occurrence is exposed along the east bank of Quilchena Creek, approximately 2.6 kilometres north-northwest of Pothole Lake and 6 kilometres northeast of the community of Aspen Grove.
The area is underlain by 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 Ski 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 of rocks mainly consists of subaerial and submarine, red or purple to green augite plagioclase porphyritic andesitic and basaltic flows, volcanic breccia and tuff, and minor argillites and limestone. The volcanics are intruded by bodies of comagmatic diorite to monzonite of Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic age. 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.
Mineralization is hosted in hydrothermally altered latite/ andesite porphyry and adjacent weakly skarn altered, thinly bedded andesitic tuffs. The porphyry exhibits argillic, chlorite and sericitic alteration. The tuffs contain epidote, chlorite and minor orthoclase. All units are intensely faulted and fractured. The porphyry is traversed by closely-spaced fractures in several dominant sets, producing a sheeted appearance in outcrop. Narrow quartz veins occupy many of the fractures, which are likely related to the north-striking Kentucky-Alleyne fault, nearby to the west.
Mineralization consists of chalcopyrite, pyrite and minor molybdenite, primarily in quartz veins and along fractures. Minor disseminated chalcopyrite occurs through the latite. Limonite, malachite and azurite accompany the sulphides in intensely weathered surface exposures. Hematite and magnetite are also reported. Trenching has exposed this copper mineralization over a north-south distance of at least 370 metres.
In 1984, three rock samples (923, 924 and 925) from the trenches analysed 0.4 to 2.5 grams per tonne silver and 0.015 to 0.140 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 13714, Drawing No. 2).
Work History
This occurrence was first explored by Chataway Exploration Co. Ltd. The company conducted geological mapping, soil sampling geophysical surveying, trenching and 302 metres of diamond drilling in two holes in 1966 and 1968.
An additional three holes totalling 90 metres were drilled by Ballinderry Explorations Ltd. in 1973. In 1975, Newconex Canadian Exploration Ltd. completed a program of prospecting and an 8.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Quil claims. Extensive trenching is reported to have been completed on the area by this time. In 1979, Cominco Ltd. completed a 26.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic and induced polarization survey on the area immediately west of the occurrence as the Snowflake and Tule claim groups of the Grove property.
Snowflake Mining Company Ltd. examined the occurrence area in 1981. In 1984, Laramide Resources Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, rock sampling and ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys on the area.
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 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 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. The following year, a photo-geological structural (lineament) analysis was completed on the area. In 2016, Victory Resources Corp. completed a program of photo-geological structural (lineament) analysis and a 2.5 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area immediately east of the occurrence. In 2017, Cazador Explorations Ltd. completed a 145.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic survey on the property.
