The Taylor Mountain (Mad Major) porphyry copper occurrence is located in the southeastern headwaters of the Taseko R, on the western flanks of Porteau Mountain, approximately 5.7 kilometres southwest of Mount Warner. The occurrence is 146 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, B.C.

The area lies is within Upper Cretaceous hornblende–biotite quartz diorite of the Coast Plutonic Complex. Undivided volcanic rocks of the Upper Cretaceous Powell Creek Formation are exposed to the east. Upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the Powell Creek Formation at Wilson Ridge consist of andesitic and subordinate dacitic flows, tuffs and epiclastics.

Locally, Upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks are intruded by limited areas of younger intrusive rocks, which include potentially Upper Cretaceous biotite granite, possibly Eocene fine-grained quartz diorite and minor rhyolite dikes as well as post-mineral hornblende-plagioclase-phyric mafic dikes.

Mineralization comprises pyrite, chalcopyrite, and molybdenite in quartz veins within fractured quartz diorite. Pyrite and chalcopyrite also occur as disseminations within the quartz diorite. Malachite occurs locally with the chalcopyrite. Chlorite-epidote alteration is common within the zone of mineralization. Carbonate alteration is reported to occur locally. Vein mineralogy to the north of the porphyry-style mineralized zone is observed to be similar to that of the Taylor-Windfall (MINFILE 092O 028) occurrence and comprises corundum (sapphire)-andalusite-quartz.

Brittle shear zone structures trend dominantly northeast and have effectively localized the post-mineral dikes and quartz-sericite altered zones. Widespread tourmaline is distributed across Wilson Ridge and is closely associated with the contact zone.

Assays on grab samples, reported in the Minister of Mines Annual Report for 1919, range up to 2 per cent copper with trace gold and silver.

In 2008, a drillhole (08TSK-10) yielded 0.23 per cent copper, 0.015 per cent molybdenum and 1.2 grams per tonne silver over 12.00 metres (Rebagliati, C.M., Titley, E. [2020-05-29]: Technical Report Summarizing Exploration Work on the IKE Cu-Mo-Au-Ag Project, British Columbia, Canada).

Work History

In 1963 Phelps Dodge completed a soil sampling program on the Wilson Ridge area that identified a copper-soil anomaly over a 900- by 500-metre area. In 1968, ASARCO completed five percussion drill holes, totalling 250.0 metres, on the anomalous area.

In 1980, E&B completed a soil sampling program on the Wilson Ridge area and confirmed the presence of a large soil anomaly.

In 1991, Noranda Exploration staked the area as the Wil claim group and completed a further soil sampling program confirming the historical results.

In 2008, Galore Resources completed a single diamond drill hole, totalling 250.0 metres, on the occurrence area.

During 2014 through 2019, Amarc Resources Ltd. completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical (talus fines, rock chip and stream sediment) sampling, 163.6 line-kilometres of induced polarization surveys, 1069 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic surveys and 18 157 metres of diamond drilling on the area as part of the IKE project. The majority of the drilling (15 455.34 metres in 26 holes) was completed on the IKE (MINFILE 092O 025) occurrence. Geological mapping around the TAYLOR MOUNTAIN occurrence was conducted in 2014 (Assessment Report 35307), followed up by eight wild-cat exploration drill holes in 2017, and more mapping and geophysical assessment in 2018. One hole (MM17005) near the Taylor Mountain occurrence returned values of 0.573 per cent copper, 0.046 per cent molybdenum and 3 grams per tonne silver over a 9 m interval in a dike-like intrusive body (Assessment Report 37517).