The Tower occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1450 metres on the south-facing slope of Shovelnose Mountain, approximately 4.2 kilometres north-northeast of the community of Brookmere.
The area is underlain by Nicola Group intermediate volcanics and minor intrusives, Spences Bridge Group andesite flows, volcaniclastics, crystal lithic tuffs and rhyolite flows, and Princeton Group basalt flows. Cretaceous rhyolite flows form a cover sequence. Normal faulting along the north to northeast- and northwest-trending structures offset the Nicola and Spences Bridge Group rocks.
Locally, gold mineralization is spatially associated with north-northeast and northwest–trending normal faults and hosted by south-southwest–trending, shallowly west-dipping quartz veins. Gold bearing veins are preferentially hosted within Cretaceous felsic heterolithic crystal lithic tuffs.
The Tower zone at surface covers a 100-metre-wide area of intense clay and silica alteration in rhyolite tuff with gold grades. Drilling has identified a 45-metre thick, near-surface, flat-lying zone of intensely silicified rhyolite tuffs with pyritized grey chalcedonic quartz flooding. Multiple phases of silicification are evident and gold mineralization appears most pronounced in a later phase of epithermal activity located in the southern portion of the Tower zone, typified as zones of brecciation with dark-grey to black, very fine-grained pyritiferous silica matrix. The zone is reported to average approximately 0.2 gram per tonne gold and 1.5 grams per tonne silver over 41 metres (Assessment Report 36726).
The Mik zone is located approximately 400 metres west-southwest of the Tower zone and is defined by a 200-metre-wide zone of quartz veining with associated gold mineralization. The quartz veins at the Mik zone are hosted in heterolithic, matrix-supported, unsorted crystal lithic tuff. Clasts are composed of felsic fragments that represent massive to flow-banded rhyolite and siliceous sinter material; clay-, limonite-, sericite- and chlorite-altered fragments and rare wood fragments. The matrix has been altered predominantly to sericite-clay-silica. Mineralization is also represented by south- to southwest-striking, shallow- to moderately dipping veins. Vein textures are massive to weak colloform banding; where the veins are wider, they exhibit local cockscomb texture with calcite pseudomorphs of quartz. The quartz veins range from approximately 1 to 20 centimetres in width but are most commonly in the 1- to 10-centimetre range. The veins are stacked or occur as thin sheets but are not evenly spaced. Veining appears to decrease in abundance and width to the east.
The Alpine zone is located approximately 300 to 400 metres east-southeast of the Tower zone and is reported to comprise similar mineralization.
The South zone is located immediately south of the Alpine zone, centred approximately 800 metres south-southeast of the Tower zone, and may represent an extension of the Alpine zone. The zone is underlain by rhyolite crystal lithic tuffs and rhyolite flows at surface, which are underlain by mafic and heterolithic tuffs to a basement of basalts, andesites and gabbros. Drilling has identified three high-grade (Bonanza) gold zones, dipping west from 40 to 65 degrees southwest, concentrated at an elevation of approximately 1200 metres in a 200-metre-wide envelope of colloform and crustiform-banded quartz veining containing adularia bands and selvages, bladed quartz after calcite, ginguro and electrum. Gold occurs as gold-silver tellurides (selenites). Gold pathfinder elements associated with gold and silver mineralization include arsenic (pyrite, marcasite), molybdenum (ginguro, pyrite, marcasite), selenium (naumannite - silver selenide) and copper (chalcopyrite). The no. 1 vein or zone has been traced by drilling over a strike length of 1.2 kilometres and a vertical range of 350 metres along a northwest-striking, steep southwest-dipping fault. The no. 2 vein or zone is located approximately 100 to 150 metres northeast of the no. 1 vein/zone and has been traced over a 1-kilometre strike length with a vertical range of approximately 400 metres. The no. 3 vein or zone is a splay of the no. 2 vein/zone and is located approximately 50 to 100 metres northeast of the no. 2 vein/zone. The no. 3 zone has been traced over a strike length of approximately 200 metres and over a vertical range of 130 metres. The South zone is reported to be open in all directions.
Work History
In 2001 and 2002, Almaden Minerals Ltd. completed regional-scaled prospecting and reconnaissance geochemical sampling programs which targeted the Spences Bridge Group and included the Shovelnose property. The results of this work prompted Strongbow Exploration Inc. to stake the Shovelnose property in 2005. Exploration, from 2006 to 2009, exposed four zones of gold mineralization on the property: Mik, Line 6 (MINFILE 092HNE308), Tower and Brookmere.
During 2006 through 2008, Almaden Minerals Ltd. completed a program of prospecting, geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling and minor trenching on the area immediately south of the occurrence as the Brookmere property.
In 2007, Strongbow Exploration Inc. conducted regional and detail-scaled soil and rock sampling, prospecting and airborne geophysical surveys.
In 2008, Strongbow Exploration Inc. completed a program of soil and rock sampling, prospecting and bedrock mapping. A sample from the Mik zone returned 119.37 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 30621).
In 2009, Strongbow Exploration Inc. conducted trenching, prospecting and mapping. Trenching returned 2.72 grams per tonne gold over 2.9 metres at the Mik showing (Assessment Report 31356).
In 2010, Strongbow Exploration Inc. focused on expanding the surface extent of the Mik and Line 6 showings through surface and auger soil sampling, prospecting and ground magnetometer surveys. Sampling of a quartz subcrop returned 0.4169 gram per tonne gold at the Mik showing, and returned assays grading up to 0.505 gram per tonne at the Tower showing. (Assessment Report 32109).
In 2011, Westhaven Ventures Inc. optioned the property from Strongbow Exploration Inc. and completed a program including soil and rock sampling, mechanical trenching and diamond drilling. Highlights of this drill program include drillhole 11-SH-003, which returned 4.1 metres grading 1.19 grams per tonne gold at the Mik showing, and drillhole 11-SH-007, which returned 55.8 metres grading 0.21 grams per tonne gold at the Tower showing (Assessment Report 32921).
In 2012, Westhaven Ventures Inc. conducted IP and ground magnetic surveys and five diamond drill holes, totalling 778.4 metres, focused on the Tower showing. Highlights of the drill program include drillhole SN12-04, which returned 50.42 metres grading 0.54 gram per tonne gold and 4.77 grams per tonne silver (Press Release, Westhaven Ventures Inc., January 9, 2013).
In 2013, Westhaven Gold Corp. completed a program of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, 3.7 line-kilometres of ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys and eight diamond drill holes, totalling 1043.0 metres, on the Shovelnose property. Drilling focused on the Tower zone and yielded up to 0.226 gram per tonne gold with 2.2 grams per tonne silver over 54.0 metres (54.0 to 108.0 metres down hole) in hole SN-13-06 (Assessment Report 34434).
In 2014, Westhaven Ventures Inc. and Strongbow Exploration Inc. completed six diamond drill holes, totalling 662.5 metres, on the Shovel 8 claim of the Shovelnose property. Five holes were completed on the Tower and zone and single hole was completed on the Mik zone. Drilling on the Tower zone yielded up to 0.210 gram per tonne gold and 4.1 grams per tonne silver over 50 metres (74.0 to 124.0 metres down hole) in hole SN-14-09, whereas the lone drillhole (SN-14-12) on the Mik zone yielded 0.262 gram per tonne gold over 6.0 metres (18.0 to 24.0 metres down-hole; Assessment Report 35258).
During 2011 through 2014, Vatic Ventures Corp. completed programs of geological mapping and geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling programs on the area immediately south of the occurrence as the BM property.
In 2015, Westhaven Ventures Inc. completed five diamond drill holes, totalling 1408.0 metres, a 54.9 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey, a 23.4 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey and an airborne induced polarization, VLF-EM and LiDAR survey on the Shovelnose property. Drilling on the Tower zone yielded up to 0.110 gram per tonne gold and 6.5 grams per tonne silver over 54.7 metres in hole SN15-05, whereas drilling on the newly identified Alpine zone yielded 0.226 gram per tonne gold over 43.6 metres (24.5 to 68.1 metres down hole) of siliceous crystal lithic tuff, similar to the upper levels intersected in the Tower zone (hole SN15-01; Assessment Report 35833).
In 2016, Westhaven Ventures Inc. completed nine diamond drill holes, totalling 1902.0 metres, on the Shovelnose property. Two holes were completed on the Tower zone and yielded up to 0.24 gram per tonne gold over 47.0 metres in hole SN16-01, whereas drillhole SN16-05, collared on the Mik zone, yielded 0.12 gram per tonne gold over 39.0 metres, including 0.41 gram per tonne gold over 6.0 metres (Assessment Report 36726). Eight holes were completed on the Alpine zone and yielded up to 0.27 gram per tonne gold over 119.4 metres, including 16.70 grams per tonne gold and 29.9 grams per tonne silver over 0.5 metres, in hole SN16-02 and 0.23 gram per tonne gold over 161.1 metres, including 3.58 grams per tonne gold and 24.5 grams per tonne silver over 2.0 metres, in hole SN16-07 (Assessment Report 36726).
In 2017, Westhaven Ventures Inc. completed a program of geological mapping, rock sampling, a 11.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey and seven diamond drill holes, totalling 3269.0 metres, on the Shovelnose property. Drilling on the Tower zone yielded 0.170 and 0.184 gram per tonne over 33.0 and 29.0 metres (3.0 to 36.0 and 267.0 to 296.0 metres down hole), respectively, in hole SN17-01 and 0.231 gram per tonne gold over 60.0 metres (9.0 to 69.0 metres down hole) in hole SN17-02, whereas drilling on the Alpine zone yielded 0.520 gram per tonne gold over 85.0 metres (141.0 to 226.0 metres down hole) in hole SN17-06 and 0.294 gram per tonne gold over 101.0 metres (146.0 to 247.0 metres down hole) in hole SN17-07 (Assessment Report 37530).
In 2018, Westhaven Ventures Inc. completed a program of 22 diamond drill holes, totalling 8512.0 metres, a 31.8 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey and a 2376.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic and radiometric survey on the Shovelnose property. Drilling on the newly identified South zone yielded intercepts of 0.745 gram per tonne gold and 2.1 grams per tonne silver over 175.0 metres (125.35 to 302.00 metres down hole), including 175.00 and 14.47 grams per tonne gold with 249.6 and 10.9 grams per tonne silver over 1.65 and 4.00 metres (125.35 to 127.00 and 284.00 to 288.00 metres down hole), respectively, in hole SN18-12; 23.02 grams per tonne gold and 102.7 grams per tonne silver over 19.00 metres (209.0 to 228.0 metres down hole), including 50.76 grams per tonne gold and 203.5 grams per tonne silver over 6.78 metres (218.00 to 224.78 metres down hole) in hole SN18-14; 8.95 grams per tonne gold and 65.5 grams per tonne silver over 46.20 metres (189.8 to 236.0 metres down hole) in hole SN18-15; 12.11 grams per tonne gold with 94.31 grams per tonne silver over 12.90 metres in hole SN18-21 and 0.662 gram per tonne gold over 56.0 metres (242.0 to 298.0 metres down hole) in hole SN18-22 (Assessment Report 38217).
In 2019, Westhaven Ventures Inc. completed a program if geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, a 326.9 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey and 49 diamond drill holes, totalling 21849.3 metres, on the Shovelnose property. Drilling highlights on the South zone included 6.17 grams per tonne gold and 22.5 grams per tonne silver over a true thickness of 85.1 metres (89.0 to 180.0 metres down hole) in hole SN19-01, 1.55 grams per tonne gold and 5.6 grams per tonne silver over a true width of 235.9 metres (70.0 to 332.0 metres down hole) in hole SN19-10 and 9.09 grams per tonne gold with 10.0 grams per tonne silver over a true width of 62.5 metres (89.0 to 155.5 metres down hole) in hole SN19-11 (Assessment Report 39065). A complete list of drilling intercepts can be found in Assessment Report 39065.
