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File Created: 27-Feb-1989 by Wim S. Vanderpoll (WV)
Last Edit:  07-Jan-2020 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

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NMI 092L2 Au30
Name KING MIDAS COPPER, BIG BEN 3 (L.1677), EHATSET Mining Division Alberni, Nanaimo
BCGS Map 092L007
Status Showing NTS Map 092L02W
Latitude 050º 03' 44'' UTM 09 (NAD 83)
Longitude 126º 47' 47'' Northing 5547875
Easting 657716
Commodities Copper Deposit Types
Tectonic Belt Insular Terrane Wrangell
Capsule Geology

The King Midas copper occurrence is located approximately 250 metres north of Fault Creek on the west side of the Zeballos River.

Regionally, the area is underlain by Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group basaltic to rhyolitic volcanic rocks. Conformably underlying the Bonanza volcanic rocks are limestones and limy clastics of the Triassic to Lower Jurassic Parson Bay Formation (Bonanza Group) and Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group), and the tholeiitic basalts of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group). Dioritic to granodioritic plutons of the Zeballos intrusion phase of the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite have intruded all older rocks. The Zeballos stock, a quartz diorite phase of the Eocene to Oligocene Mount Washington Plutonic Suite, is spatially related to gold-quartz veining in the area. Bedded rocks are predominantly northwest-striking, southwest-dipping and anticlinally folded about a northwest axis. A north-south–striking fault occurs along the Zeballos River valley, north of the rivers junction with the Nomash River.

Locally, disseminated chalcopyrite mineralization occurs in chloritized andesitic flows and fragmental rocks intruded by feldspar porphyry dikes. The mineralization is accompanied by quartz, epidote, pyrite and pyrrhotite. Disseminated mineralization extends for approximately 750 metres north of Fault , with better mineralization centred approximately 250 metres north of Fault Creek and extending over an area of 30 by 60 metres.

Similar mineralization occurs south of Fault Creek, and some skarn mineralization is reported east of Zeballos River in Quatsino limestone.

In 1931, the area was explored as the Ehatset claims. In 1938, the King Midas Mining Co. Ltd. was operating on the property. In 1979, Esperanza Explorations completed a program of regional silt sampling and prospecting on the area. In 1999, the area was prospected by the Zeballos Mining Company as the Zeb Au claim. In 2009, Global Silver Producers Ltd. and A25 Gold Producers Corp. prospected the area.

Bibliography
EMPR ASS RPT 26082, 31273
EMPR BULL 20-V, p. 16; *27, p. 117
EMPR FIELDWORK 1982, p. 290; 1983, p. 219
EMPR PF (*C.C. Starr (1938-05-03): Report on the King Midas Mine; C.C. Starr (1938-05-04): Map of North Half of Claims Showing Locations of Veins and Contacts; C.C. Starr (1938-05-04): Workings on North Fork of Zeballos River - King Midas Mining Co. Ltd.; C.C. Starr (1938-05-14): Re: Further work on the King Midas property)
GSC EC GEOL 1-1947
GSC MAP 4-1974; 255A; 1028A
GSC MEM 204; 272
GSC OF 9; 170; 463
GSC P 38-5; 40-12; 69-1A; 70-1A; 72-44; 74-8; 79-30
GSC SUM RPT 1929A; *1932AII, p. 42
N MINER Apr., 1938, pp. 39-45
CIM TRANS Vol. 42, 1939, pp. 225-237; 1948, pp. 78-85; 72,
pp. 116-125
Carson, D.J.T., (1968): Metallogenic Study of Vancouver Island with
emphasis on the Relationship of Plutonic Rocks to Mineral Deposits,
Ph.D. Thesis, Carleton University, Ottawa
Stevenson, J.S., (1938): Lode Gold Deposits of the Zeballos Area
EMPR PFD 12271, 12272, 12273

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