The Copper Canyon prospect is located on the eastern slopes of Mimenuh Mountain at the headwaters of Nuaitch Creek, 15.2 kilometres northwest of Canford. It is 500 metres north of Copper Creek Canyon and at an elevation of 1576 metres (Assessment Report 20912).
Regionally, the area is underlain by a succession of Paleozoic to Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks that have been intruded by Triassic to Jurassic granodiorite intrusions. The oldest rocks in the area are chert, argillite, altered volcanic rocks and limestone of the Permian Cache Creek Group. The Upper Triassic Nicola Group consists of felsic to mafic volcaniclastics, mafic flows, argillite, chert, greywacke and limestone that has been contact metamorphosed by the Guichon Batholith. The Cretaceous Spences Bridge Group consists predominantly of andesite, dacite and rhyolite flows; local volcaniclastics and minor sandstone. The Pimainus and Spius Creek formations are subdivisions of the Spences Bridge Group, and are made up of locally amygdaloidal basaltic and andesitic flows. Intrusions range in age from Triassic to Early Cretaceous and in composition from granite to diorite, averaging granodiorite. The Eocene Kamloops Group consists of basalt, andesite, dacite and rhyolite flows with minor tuffs and sediments. The Guichon Creek and Mount Lytton batholiths comprise the bulk of intrusive rocks in the area.
Locally, the Copper Canyon Creek prospect is underlain by Middle and Upper Cretaceous Kingsvale Group mafic volcanics (redefined to the Spius Creek Formation of the Spences Bridge Group; Geological Survey of Canada Map 42-1989). Occasional outliers of the Eocene Kamloops Group within the Spences Bridge Group comprise volcanic flows, breccias and porphyritic rhyolites. The Kamloops Group consists predominantly of massive, fine-grained basalt, amygdaloidal basalt flows and flow breccias. Amygdules are commonly filled with chalcedony, rimmed with what may be celadonite. Fine- to medium-grained biotite feldspar porphyry material is exposed in four main areas and is interpreted as feeder dikes and/or sills of the overlying Kamloops Group volcanics. A fault is inferred along Copper Canyon Creek. This fault and related fractures were conduits for quartz veins and mineralization hosted in biotite feldspar porphyry.
The Main showing, located along drill road No. 2, is a sheeted shear zone, 3 to 4 metres wide, hosting a quartz vein stockwork with disseminated chalcopyrite, pyrite and magnetite with minor malachite and azurite. Mineralization occurs in the centre of the veins and is enveloped by silicification and pyritization up to 10 centimetres wide. The veins themselves vary in width. Volcanics close to the stockwork show weak propylitic alteration of the groundmass.
Vein density in places approaches 80 to 90 per cent of the rock. The dominant vein orientation is 170 degrees with a dip of 85 degrees though variable vein orientations are present. The banded veins in porphyry have been traced by pits and trenches for at least 75 metres north, 60 metres south and 75 metres southwest of the road cut exposing the main zone.
Drilling, in 2017, identified two porphyry bodies, referred to as the East and West porphyries, approximately 100 metres across or in diameter, separated by a 100 to 120 metre wide interval of Spences Bridge Group volcanics. The sheeted vein mineralization is reported to occur near the west side of the East and West porphyries, respectively.
Significant drillhole intersections from the Hurley River Gold Mines drill program in 1962 and 1963 were as follows (Assessment Report 20912):
------------------------------------------ Hole # Intersection Interval Copper (metres) (metres) (per cent) 1 0.00 - 80.77 80.77 0.22 2 74.68 - 126.49 51.82 0.55 3 6.10 - 29.87 23.77 0.60 4 8.53 - 66.45 57.91 0.63 6 18.29 - 51.82 33.53 0.61 ------------------------------------------- |
Several rock samples taken in 1990 yielded anomalous results. From the main showing area, grab sample MR-5 yielded greater than 1 per cent copper, 3.2 grams per tonne silver and 0.345 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 20912). Grab sample MR-5B yielded 0.55 per cent copper, 6.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.28 gram per tonne gold. The best chip sample (Sample MIM90-A20R) across 3.3 metres yielded 0.09 per cent copper. Sample MR-9, taken 200 metres northeast of Mimenuh Mountain, yielded 0.1 per cent copper, 50 grams per tonne silver and 0.08 gram per tonne gold. Four copper soil anomalies were outlined in the drill road area surrounding the main showing.
Two rock samples taken in 2002 assayed 560 parts per billion gold, 9.4 parts per million silver and 6685 parts per million copper (D-R-01) and 75 parts per billion gold, 136 parts per million silver and 5554 parts per million copper (D-R-02; Assessment Report 26958). Sample D-R-01 was a 1 metre chip sample across the strongest area of mineralization at the Duke copper showing. Rock sample D-R-02 was a composite float sample taken from the roadbed along the northeast side of Mimenuh Mountain (Assessment Report 26958). This sample was located immediately adjacent to a roadside outcrop of dark, fine-grained basalts.
In 2017, diamond drilling yielded up to 0.296 per cent copper over 4 metres in hole CC17-03 within basalt and breccia cut by sheeted quartz-chalcopyrite veins. (Assessment Report 36813).
Work History
The mining history of the region has focused on the Highland Valley camp, 32 kilometres to the north-northeast. The Copper Canyon claims were initially staked in the early 1960s by L. Fournier. The claims were optioned to Amalgamated Resources and later to Hurley River Gold Mines in 1962. Between 1962 and 1963, Hurley River Gold Mines drilled 12 holes, totalling approximately 1524 metres, around Copper Canyon Creek. Geological mapping, soil sampling and magnetic and electromagnetic surveys were also completed. In 1964, a magnetic geophysical survey was carried out. In 1965, it is reported that a comprehensive review and diamond drill program were carried out.
In 1969, New Cinch Uranium Mines Ltd. conducted a geochemical soil and magnetometer survey.
In 1979, the ground was re-staked as the Duke claims by T.D. Lewis. Noranda Exploration Co. Ltd. performed geological mapping, soil geochemistry, electromagnetic and magnetic geophysical surveys in 1980.
In 1990, United Mineral Services Limited conducted geological mapping, rock sampling, soil sampling and stream sediment sampling on the property area.
In 2002, Southern Rio Resources Limited collected two rock samples, eight silt samples, and 31 soil samples on the area as the Duke property. In 2004, two diamond drill holes, totalling 75.9 metres, were completed on the Duke property.
In 2006, Freegold Ventures Ltd., on the behalf of Silver Quest Resources Ltd., completed a 13.6 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and two diamond drill holes, totalling 272.4 metres, on the Duke property.
In 2016, Seven Devils Exploration Ltd. examined the area as part of a regional reconnaissance program. The following year three drill holes, totalling 1105.8 metres, were completed on a zone of quartz-magnetite-chalcopyrite veining hosted in a small dacite porphyry body.
In 2019, Goldblock Capital Inc. completed a program of geochemical (soil and rock) sampling and a 11 line-kilometre magnetometer and electromagnetic (VLF) survey on the area as the Copper Canyon property.
