The Hiller 4-5 occurrence is located in the northeastern headwaters of Kaouk River, approximately 12.5 kilometres north of the community of Zeballos.
Regionally, the area lies within a broad northwest-trending sequence of interbedded sediments and volcanics of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Parson Bay Formation (Bonanza Group) and Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group). This assemblage lies on the northeastern flank of the extensive granodiorite Zeballos intrusion phase of the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite.
The area lies within a belt of mineralization comprising nine or more similar occurrences that extend from the Zeballos River for approximately 10 kilometres in a north-northwest direction. The mineralization occurs at or near the conformable contact between the Upper Triassic Vancouver Group—comprising Quatsino Formation crystalline limestone and overlying highly altered and folded Parson Bay Formation volcanic and sedimentary rocks—and the Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group.
Locally, at the Hiller 4 and 5 zones, the area is underlain by Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group andesite, andesite tuff and minor interbedded limestone. Diorite and granodiorite of the Early to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite lie immediately south of the occurrence. Major faults are also evident in the area. Mineralization consists of erratically distributed pods of magnetite-garnet-epidote-actinolite skarn in the Bonanza Group rocks. The zone containing the mineralization is steeply dipping (90 degrees), strikes northwest (315 degrees) and has been traced for 240 metres along strike with a maximum width of 60 to 75 metres and a vertical extent of 150 metres.
Three other zones of magnetite mineralization, referred to (from east to west) as the No. 3, 7 and 6 zones, are located on the southeast side of the valley, approximately 0.5 to 1 kilometre to the southeast of the Hiller 4 and 5 zones. The No. 3 and 7 zones may relate to the Hangingwall zone of the Artlish 3-6 (MINFILE 092L 068) occurrence.
In 1965, diamond drilling yielded intercepts of 54.25 per cent iron and 0.34 per cent sulphur over 24.0 metres in hole H-17; 37.77 and 43.54 per cent iron with 0.70 and 0.57 per cent sulphur over 78.0 and 33.0 metres, respectively, in hole H-18; 36.42 per cent iron with 1.11 per cent sulphur over 42.0 metres in hole H-19; 38.97 and 44.00 per cent iron with 1.11 and 1.25 per cent sulphur over 27.0 and 42.0 metres, respectively, in hole H-20; 48.23 per cent iron with 0.62 per cent sulphur over 21.0 metres in hole H-21; 50.88 per cent iron with 1.32 per cent sulphur over 12.0 metres in hole H-22; 42.19 per cent iron with 1.06 per cent sulphur over 38.1 metres in hole H-23 and 54.44 per cent iron with 0.58 per cent sulphur over 53.4 metres in hole H-24 (Property File - R.N. Saukko [1966-02-10]: Report on Hiller-Churchill Deposit 1965).
In 1966, diamond drilling yielded intercepts of 44.43 per cent iron over 27.0 metres in hole H-26; 42.16 per cent iron over 84.0 metres in hole H-29; 37.36 per cent iron over 24.0 metres in hole H-30; 43.17 per cent iron over 36.0 metres in hole H-31; 39.09 per cent iron over 60.0 metres in hole H-32; 37.04 per cent iron over 93.0 metres in hole H-33; 51.87 per cent iron over 16.5 metres in hole H-35; 45.44 per cent iron over 27.0 metres in hole H-37; 43.97 per cent iron over 75.0 metres in hole H-38; 44.41 per cent iron over 48.0 metres in hole H-41; 41.28 per cent iron over 54.0 metres in hole H-42 and 45.99 per cent iron over 30.0 metres in hole H-44 (Property File - R.N. Saukko (1967-03-15): Report on Hiller-Churchill Properties 1966).
Also, at this time diamond drilling indicated reserves of 3 338 000 tonnes grading 35.9 per cent iron, 0.66 per cent sulphur and less than 0.02 per cent copper from the 3000 to 3400 levels (Property File - R.N. Saukko (1967-03-15): Report on Hiller-Churchill Properties 1966).
Work History
During the early 1960s, Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd. completed programs of ground and airborne geophysical surveys and staked the Hiller claims. In 1961 and 1962, 16 drillholes, totalling 330 metres, were completed on the Hiller No. 4 zone. In 1965, a program of further geological mapping, geophysical surveys and diamond drilling, totalling 740.7 metres, was completed on the Hiller No. 4 zone. In 1966, a further program of geological mapping, geophysical surveys and 3 310.5 metres of diamond drilling was completed on the Hiller No. 4 zone.
In 1985, Falconbridge Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, trenching, ground magnetic surveys and diamond drilling on the Churchill 2 and Hiller 25-26. In 1986, Falconbridge Ltd. completed an airborne geophysical survey on the Hiller and surrounding Zeb claims. In 1988, Footwall Explorations Ltd. completed 900 metres of drilling on the Hiller-Churchill property.
In 2018, R.J. Billingsley completed a program of photo-geological and airborne geophysical interpretation on the area as the Hiller property. Additional work was done in 2020.
