The Iron Cop occurrence is located on a ridge separating the northwestern head waters of the Nasparti River and the eastern head waters of East Creek.
The area is underlain by basaltic lava, tuffs and breccia of the Upper Triassic Vancouver Group, Karmutsen Formation. The Nimpkish batholith, consisting mainly of granodiorite intrudes the Karmutsen volcanics (Geological Survey of Canada Map 4-1974). The batholith is part of the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite. Upper Triassic Parson Bay carbonaceous limestone is reported in the showing area.
The Iron Cop occurrence is located in generally northwest trending dark green basalts of the Karmutsen Formation near a 1.0 kilometre wide quartz diorite stock related to the Island Plutonic Suite. Minor pods of limestone are present.
The showings are reported to be quartz veins and shear zones with high grade copper along with gold and silver values. Narrow stringers of chalcopyrite and pyrite occur in discontinuous lenses in shears associated with regional northeast trending faults. The mineralized shears occur within hornblende basalts, located about 60 metres from an andesite contact. The basalts exhibit quartz, sericite, calcite, chlorite and epidote alteration. Isolated areas with disseminated chalcopyrite are present. The mineralization occurs over an area of 330 by 120 metres.
In 1964, a 2.1 metre trench sample assayed 5.14 per cent copper, 3 grams per tonne gold and 18 grams per tonne silver; while a drill hole (IC-1), drilled at 45 degrees under the trench, yielded an average of 0.65 per cent copper over 7.95 metres (Assessment Report 20723).
In 1984, a 2.5 metre chip sample from Trench 1 assayed 12.2 per cent copper, 4.4 grams per tonne gold and 43.6 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 20723).
In 1987, a chip sample from Trench 1 assayed 3.25 per cent copper, 14.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.825 grams per tonne gold (Gonzales, 1987, page 14). The same source reports narrow widths of cobalt mineralization, 1 kilometre to the southwest.
In 1990, re-sampling of previous drilled core from 1984 yielded:
----------------------------------------------Hole No. Width Copper Gold (m) (per cent) (ppb) IC 84-1 11.27 0.558 185 IC 84-2 25.41 0.341 150 IC 84-4 20.86 0.305 191 IC 84-5 11.34 0.349 153 IC 84-7 2.13 0.132 15 ---------------------------------------------- |
(Assessment Report 20723)
In 1991, sampling of Trench 3 yielded up to 7.01 per cent copper and 15.8 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21659).
Work History
Copper-magnetite mineralization was discovered on the Wilf property (092L 265) by Wilf Tremblay in 1960. In 1962, Riocanex optioned the property and others nearby. They carried out geological mapping, trenching and surface sampling in 1963. In 1964, they drilled two shallow holes near a well-mineralized trench (Assessment Report 21966, page 3). Riocanex also carried out mapping, geochemical surveys and self-potential surveys on the Iron Cop occurrence during this period. They trenched several occurrences and drilled 3 holes for a total of 161 metres. The property lapsed in 1969 and was restaked by Kaisar who were reported to be searching for copper-magnetite skarns. No work was filed by them on the Iron Cop. Vanco Explorations Ltd. was reported to have held the Iron Cop property in 1974 but the work was not filed. The Fang claims (Wilf showings) were held by Imperial Oil Limited in 1974. They diamond drilled one hole and conducted a 4.2-kilometre induced polarization and magnetic survey. Soil and rocks sampling also occurred. From 1973 to 1983, the Iron Cop was controlled by various individuals that attempted to form companies. In 1984, the Iron Cop was consolidated with several nearby showings and optioned to Brinco Mining. In 1983 and 1984, Brinco carried out geological mapping, geochemical surveys, magnetic surveying and the diamond-drilling of 7 holes totalling 505 metres. From 1986 to 1989, the Iron Cop property was explored by Jim McDonald who carried out trenching and sampling. Defiant Minerals held an option on the property briefly in 1987. In 1990, several claims were sold to Petra Gem Explorations of Canada Ltd. and several others to Omax Resources Ltd. In 1990, Petra Gem carried out a program of re-examining the Brinco core. At the same time, Omax carried out magnetic and VLF-EM geophysical surveys and soil sampling on a grid over the Wilf showing area. In 1991, Omax carried out an induced polarization survey (6.7 kilometres), a magnetic survey (3.6 kilometres) and a VLF survey (0.8 kilometres) in the Iron Cop area. In the same year, Omax resampled the Wilf showing trenches. During 2010 through 2012, Compliance Energy completed programs of geological mapping and rock, soil and silt sampling and 470 kilometres of airborne magnetic, electromagnetic and radiometric geophysical surveys on the area as the Nic Property. In 2019, First Geolas Consulting completed a minor program of prospecting and rock sampling on the area as the Nic property.
