The Jay 11 (Rateria – Zone 1) occurrence is located in the Highland Valley, approximately 40 kilometres northwest of Merritt and 10 kilometres southeast of the Valley Copper mine (MINFILE 092ISW012). See Assessment Report 30067 for detailed property history.

The area lies is on the southeastern flank of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Guichon Creek Batholith in an area underlain by Skeena variety medium-grained granodiorite and biotite quartz diorite. Less than 200 metres west of the showing, the Skeena rocks are in contact with the younger Bethsaida phase of the batholith. The Bethsaida rocks are quartz monzonite, quartz diorite, and granodiorite in composition and include slightly younger quartz-feldspar porphyry dikes and plugs (Assessment Report 30067). To the east, a north-striking contact occurs between the Skeena rocks and medium- to coarse-grained Chataway variety granodiorite. The Skeena rocks have been intensely altered and fractured for distances of up to 15 metres from the Skeena-Bethsaida contact.

Outcrop accounts for less than 5 per cent of the occurrence area, and so much of the geology is interpreted through drilling. Diamond drilling indicates that the Skeena granodiorite contains spotty to pervasive chloritization with seams of white carbonate cementing brecciated rock. Irregular patches of hematite, limonite, and some heulandite on fracture planes and sections of intense sericite-kaolinite alteration are also evident. Surface mineralization consists of sparse amounts of malachite with chalcocite. Minor chalcopyrite is associated with very fine-grained magnetite.

In 1968, two grab samples from historical trenches assayed 0.60 and 0.14 per cent copper, respectively (Assessment Report 1790).

In 1971, a percussion drill hole (D-83) is reported to have yielded up to 0.192 per cent copper over an unknown length (Assessment Report 4050). Later reports indicated that drillhole D-8c yielded 0.57 per cent copper over the final 9 metres of the hole (Assessment Report 27785).

Recent work (starting in 2006) identified a mineralized zone referred to as the Rateria (Zone 1) occurrence. The zone has been traced by drilling to over a length of 1.2 kilometres, a width of 50 to 200 metres and to depth of at least 450 metres. The zone is located near the contact between Bethsaida and Skeena phase aplite to feldspar porphyry dikes. Bethlehem phase rocks may occur but have not been confirmed. Fractures are filled by quartz and sericite/muscovite, forming veins, veinlets, stringers, and local stockwork, and locally, breccia textures occur. Mineralization comprises dominantly bornite and chalcocite. Chalcocite in part replaces bornite, which in part replaces chalcopyrite to over 350 metres depth in Zone 1. Relatively more chalcopyrite occurs at depth and adjacent the bornite-chalcocite zone.

Work History

In 1964, Chataway Exploration Co. Ltd. completed a 5.0 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey and a 16.7 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the area as the Rob, Ros, Rum and Tom claims of the Chataway property.

In 1968, King Resources Co. completed a program of geological mapping on the area as the Ant, In, Jay, Len, Rex, Rob, Sho, T.D.M., Moon and Wiz-Dot claims of the Chataway property.

In 1972, International Mogul Mines Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, a 53.0 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and four diamond drill holes, totalling 355.7 metres, on the area as Bob, Moon, Sho and Val claims of the Chataway property.

In 1979, Lawrence Mining Corp. completed a 102.8 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the Nova claims.

During 1991 through 1993, Aucumo Resources and Hudson Bay Exploration completed programs of geological mapping, soil and stream sediment sampling and an induced polarization survey on the area immediately west of the occurrence as the CVS property.

In 2000, Cominco Ltd. completed a 19.0 line-kilometre induced polarization and resistivity survey on the area as the Rateria property to explore for indications of a large tonnage porphyry deposit, based partly on copper occurrences on Jay 11 and nearby properties. Results of the surveys were not considered anomalous, though they did suggest the presence of a strong throughgoing structural feature (Assessment Report 26409).

In 2004 and 2005, Happy Creek Minerals completed program of geological and GPS surveying and minor stream sediment sampling on the Rateria property. Sample 05R-8 returned 644 parts per million copper and 60 parts per million molybdenum, and sample 05R-4 returned 1519 parts per million copper and 57 parts per million molybdenum (Assessment Report 27785). Later in 2005, a program of two diamond drillholes (totalling 341 metres), 13.5 kilometres of cut line and induced polarization survey, prospecting, geological mapping, and 20 rock samples (10 assayed) was conducted on the property. Drill results include 2.5 metres of 0.13 per cent copper and 13.8 metres of 0.07 per cent copper (Assessment Report 28094).

In 2006, Happy Creek Minerals Ltd. drilled 14 NQ drillholes, totalling 2400 metres, to explore part of an induced polarization anomaly discovered in 2005 near the Jay 11 occurrence. Drillhole R06-08 returned 32.0 metres of 0.24 per cent copper, and drillhole R06-14 returned 94.0 metres of 0.15 per cent copper, including 1.0 metre containing 3.88 per cent copper and 126.0 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 28878). Both drillholes may occur in proximity to an approximately 200-metre wide north-trending mineralized fault, subparallel to the Lornex fault.

In 2007, Happy Creek Minerals Ltd. completed a program of diamond drilling, totalling 3082 metres, in 14 holes on the Rateria property. Drillhole R07-13 intersected 0.22 per cent copper over 189 metres. This mineralization was traced north along strike for approximately 600 metres, with five holes yielding intercepts of greater than 50 metres of 0.22 per cent copper, including local higher grades of up to 0.581 per cent copper over 37 metres in hole R07-11. Trace to 5 per cent local bornite, chalcocite, and lesser chalcopyrite are associated with quartz veins and moderate to strong quartz-sericite-kaolinite alteration. Late hematite occurs as coatings on fractures and replaces magnetite as granular specularite. Geology and analytical results suggest a strong association between copper mineralization and a north-trending structure on the property (Assessment Report 30067).

During 2008 through 2012, Happy Creek Minerals Ltd. completed further programs of diamond drilling, geological mapping, geochemical sampling and geophysical surveys on the Rateria property. In 2011, Happy Creek Minerals announced drill results from zone 1 including mineralized zones of 95 to 250 metres in length, with copper values ranging from 0.25 to 0.67 per cent. 0.11 gram per tonne rhenium was located in a 102.5 metre extent of drillhole R11-11 (Press Release May 4, 2012).

During 2013 through 2019, Happy Creek Minerals Ltd. completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling, a 32.3 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and re-interpretation of historical airborne geophysical data on the area as part of the Rateria-West Valley property.