The FERGUSON CREEK chromite, bentonite and pozzolan occurrences are located near the headwaters of Ferguson Creek, about 15.5 kilometres north of Cache Creek and 3 kilometres east of Highway 97. The chromite showings are in and near a prominent bluff on the northwest side of the creek. These showings are about 5 kilometres south of the Scottie Creek chromite showings (092INW001).
The host rock for the Ferguson Creek chromite prospect is an Upper Paleozoic serpentinite wedge in the eastern facies of the Carboniferous to Jurassic Cache Creek Complex. This consists of a Late Triassic accretionary prism/subduction complex associated with the Nicola volcanic arc. The melange contains Pennsylvanian and Early Permian limestones, chert, basalt and ultramafic rocks in a matrix of Permo-Jurassic chert and argillite. Older rock types are unconformably overlain by volcanic flows and breccias of the Kamloops Group.
Serpentinized dunite and harzburgite are exposed in outcrop and workings but the prospect is largely covered by a thick mantle of till and alluvium. The serpentinized dunite is massive and often appears to have a granular texture. The dunite, which trends north and has a steep eastward dip, has been traced across the creek and is projected to continue further north and south. This rock type is exposed across 61 metres and is bounded by serpentinized and extensively fractured harzburgite with a flaky texture and abundant bastite.
Numerous veinlets of silica occur in a porous and earthy material which is presumably largely magnesite but for which the chemistry indicates low magnesia and high silica plus other insolubles. The material is divided into a stony variety which analyzed 17 per cent MgO, 11 per cent CaO, 6.9 per cent Fe2O3 and 38.5 per cent insolubles. The porous and earthy variety analyzed 8 per cent MgO, 9.3 per cent CaO, 8.3 per cent Fe2O3 and 58.5 per cent insolubles (Property File - correspondence from M.S. Hedley, 1941).
Chromite occurs as parallel layers of grains in the dunitic rock. Two showings in open-cuts are lenticular pods consisting of closely-packed grains and stringers of chromitite. These pods measure 4.5 by 1.2 by 0.3 metres and 7.6 by 0.6 metres. A chip sample by Stevenson (1941) yielded 17.9 per cent Cr2O3 across 0.3 metre. A selected sample of cleaned chromite from this assay site yielded 28.2 per cent Cr2O3. A third exposure, in the exploration adit in the bluff, is 30 by 0.6 by 0.1 metres of stringer type chromite. These are the only reported showings at the site.
In 1998, a 46.32 metre drill hole was successful in proving that the pozzolan deposit exposed in trenches continues north under light overburden. A 17.68 metre intersection sampled, indicated that the pozzolan deposit complies with the chemical and physical requirements of ASTM C618-96 for use as mineral admixture in concrete. In 2010, most of Tilava's exploration efforts were focused on industrial minerals pozzolan and bentonite. The Ferguson Creek bentonite is classified as a calcium-type with unique swelling capabilities.
Chromite showings on Scottie Creek, 5 kilometres to the north, were discovered in 1901 (see Scottie Creek, 092INW001), however, there is no report of activity on Ferguson Creek until the 1920s. In 1927, The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Limited optioned two claims (Bear group?) on Ferguson Creek and one on Scottie Creek, and staked extra ground. Exploration work, confined to the northeast showing, included trenching and 51 metres of crosscut and drift in one adit. Operations ceased in 1931 and the claims were allowed to lapse. The Joe Henry and Henry Joe claims were staked in 1939 by Joe Burr of Ashcroft and owned jointly by Burr and Henry Cargyle, also of Ashcroft. During World War II, the Ferguson Creek deposits were covered by four claims held by D.B. Sterrett of Kamloops, and Henry Cargyle and Joe Burr. It was intended to option the Scottie Creek deposits from the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company and to operate both deposits. However, nothing materialized and no work was done. H.M.A. Rice of the Geological Survey of Canada examined the Ferguson Creek deposits in 1942. He concluded that although they contained no ore of direct shipping grade, there were 18,142 tonnes of 15 per cent Cr2O3 reasonably assured, with an excellent chance of finding additional lenses to the extent of another 18,142 tonnes; the material would require concentration.
In 1977, St. Joseph Explorations Limited held ground in this vicinity as the Tik 1 claim; work included a ground magnetometer survey over 14.5 line kilometres. The claims were allowed to lapse. The ground was staked by R. Lodmell as Chrome Hawk in 1983 and was sold to Qume Resources Ltd. Qume cut a short grid over the showing with intention to conduct an induced polarization survey and, rock sampling of the showing was performed by J.D. Blanchflower; the induced polarization survey was not conducted. In 1986, the ground was restaked by Equinox Resources Ltd. A soil geochemical survey was completed but results were not encouraging. In 1987, the ground was restaked by R.J. Nethery as the Ferg claim who geologically mapped and sampled the area. The ground was held in 1991-92 by Michael Dickens as Lil 1; no work was recorded.
In 1993, the ground was restaked as WK Chrome by Tilava Mining Corp. who conducted programs of grid establishment, mapping, hand trenching, rock and soil sampling and minor drilling throughout the 1990's and up to 2010, targeting chromite resources as well as bentonite and pozzolan opportunities on the property. In 2019, both chromite and pozzolan deposits on the Ferguson Creek property were prospected and soil and rock sampled by A. Kikauka. Results confirmed chromite and pozzolan values previously identified by Tilava.
