This Elusive Creek (North) occurrence is on the west side of the Elusive Creek valley, approximately 4 kilometres northwest of the creek's confluence with Siwash Creek.
The Elusive Creek occurrence is hosted andesitic volcanics of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group (Eastern volcanic facies), approximately 250 metres west of the Middle Jurassic Osprey Lake Batholith.
Trenching immediately west of Elusive Creek, over an east-west distance of 230 metres, has uncovered a zone of granite and quartz monzonite dikes striking east-northeast, cutting porphyritic andesite. The dikes are silicified and show moderate epidote and potassic alteration. Andesitic dikes are also present. Anomalous precious metal values have been detected in the granitic dikes. Best results have come from quartz veined or hematite-stained granite. Quartz veins are infrequent. Most strike southeast and average 2 centimetres thick.
In 1987, a sample (78R) of microdiorite with minor disseminated pyrite yielded 0.295 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 16644).
In 1988, a chip sample taken across 0.8 metre of granite with a 1-centimetre-wide quartz vein assayed 1.29 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 18511, page 25). A second sample taken across a small quartz mass in granite assayed 5.90 grams per tonne gold over 0.5 metre (Assessment Report 18511, page 17). Elevated gold values are also present where the granite is strongly fractured and locally argillic altered. A sample of such granite assayed 2.83 grams per tonne gold over 1.0 metre (Assessment Report 18511, page 24). Generally low gold values are present in the surrounding andesite. A sample of chlorite-altered andesite with trace chalcopyrite and magnetite assayed 0.93 gram per tonne gold over 0.5 metre (Assessment Report 18511, page 25).
In 1989, chip sampling of the previous year’s trenches yielded up to 2.40 grams per tonne gold over 1.0 metre of fractured granite in trench EC88-1 and 1.87 grams per tonne gold over 3.0 metres in trench EC88-3, located 200 metres east of the previous trench (Assessment Report 19489).
Another zone of anomalous mineralization, referred to as the Elusive Creek (South) zone, is located on a steep cliff west of Elusive Creek and approximately 1.1 kilometres southeast of the main trenched area and comprises an oxidized basalt with sulphide veins and/or veinlets. In 1987, a rock sample (31R) from this zone yielded 0.149 gram per tonne gold and 6.6 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 16644).
Work History
The area has been historically explored in conjunction with the nearby Elk (MINFILE 092HNE096) occurrence and a complete exploration history of the area can be found there.
The showing was initially trenched by Fairfield Minerals Ltd. in 1988 after detecting a gold soil anomaly over the occurrence in 1987. The trenches were resampled by Placer Dome Inc. in 1989.
During 1991 through 2000, Fairfield Minerals completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, trenching and geochemical sampling on the area as part of the Elk property. During 2002 through 2012, Almaden Minerals completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical sampling, ground geophysical surveys and trenching on the area as part of the Elk property.
