The Megabuck prospect of the Woodjam property is underlain predominantly by Tertiary volcaniclastic rocks. A large part of this area is covered by a thick mantle of till and outcrops of bedrock are rare. The property is located approximately 50 kilometres east of Williams Lake and 10 kilometres south of the village of Horsefly. Year round access by road via Horsefly is gained by travelling south on the Starlike Lake - Woodjam Creek logging road. Logging roads access most of the property and new logging access roads are currently being developed into the area to the east of the Megabuck zone (an area which until recently has been difficult to access).
In the Discovery zone, mineralization is hosted by silicified and partially propylitized hornblende-feldspar porphyry flows and flow breccias of the Eocene Kamloops Group. These rocks are very similar in appearance to those seen in the Toodoggone area. Eocene purple and tan lapilli tuffs are also present. The gold-copper mineralization at Woodjam is also reported to be associated with a subvolcanic quartz monzonite intrusion, part of the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Takomkane batholith, in proximity to intermediate flows of the Middle to Upper Triassic Nicola Group.
An intrusion of medium grained hornblende granodiorite occurs at the south end of the property past a central cover of Miocene olivine flood basalt. This is possibly an extension of the Triassic to Jurassic Takomkane batholith. Locally the granodiorite has been extensively tourmalinized with minor pyrite mineralization. The tourmaline is black, iron rich and occurs as small radiating masses. The granodiorite appears vuggy in the zone of tourmalinization.
The Discovery zone is intensely silicified, and contains blebs and pods of epidote and thin stringer veins of quartz, magnetite and chalcopyrite. The gold is associated with disseminated and microvein chalcopyrite.
Sulphide mineralization occurs as chalcopyrite and lesser bornite within quartz veinlets, fractures and as disseminations outside of quartz veinlets. Pyrite is relatively common as disseminations, especially peripheral to the zones of copper-gold mineralization and in apparently younger zones of argillic alteration. Gold is believed to occur as tiny blebs within the chalcopyrite. Magnetite is usually present in concentrations of 1-3% throughout the rock, and calcite veinlets are common.
A near-surface resource of 725,000 tonnes grading 1.3 grams per tonne gold is surrounded by an additional 1.36 million tonnes grading 0.7 gram per tonne gold (Property File - Prospectus, Big Rock Gold Ltd., G.R. Peatfield, December 1986).
A small hand trench on the northern slope of the small knoll hosting the Megabuck Zone is the earliest testament to work in the area covered by the current claims. This work appears to predate the earliest documented work on the property that started in 1966. From 1966 to 1967 Helicon Exploration Ltd and Magnum Consolidated Mining Company conducted geology and induced polarization surveys on the Megabuck Zone. In the period 1973 to 1977, Exploram Minerals Ltd (Exploram) completed induced polarization and magnetometer surveys, soil sampling, and 1,056 metres of diamond drilling in parts of the current property referred to as the Megabuck and Takom zones.
In 1983, Placer Development Company (Placer) took an option on a claim covering the Megabuck Zone, the core area of the current property. After completing surface geological, geochemical and geophysical surveys, Placer drilled 1,266 metres in 15 holes (some of them very shallow and never reaching bedrock). Concurrently, Archer Cathro and Associates Ltd (AC&A) staked the Ravioli Claims, peripheral to claims covering the Megabuck and Takom Zones, and completed a program of soil sampling to the west and south of the Megabuck showing. In 1984, following Placer's withdrawal from the project, AC&A optioned their Ravioli Claims to Rockridge Mining Corporation (Rockridge). Records are incomplete withrespect to further endeavors by Rockridge, however Rockridge did retain AC&A to complete a soil and rock sampling program.
In 1986 Big Rock Gold Ltd (Big Rock) optioned the claims previously held by Rockridge as well as the ground in the Takom Zone with excluded ground in the vicinity of the southern portion of the Megabuck Zone. Big Rock contracted AC&A to excavate and sample 692 metres of overburden to bedrock in two trenches in the Megabuck Zone and 3 trenches in the Takom Zone. The two Megabuck trenches, situated approximately 50 metres apart, returning widths in excess of 57 metres of greater than 1 gram per tonne gold.
In 1990 Auspex Gold Ltd completed a limited soil geochemistry program over the Takom Zone anomaly on their 2-claim property. The survey area duplicated previous soil sampling results and no new mineralization was discovered. In 1991, Noranda Exploration Company Ltd. (Noranda) reassembled the claims via several option agreements. In 1992, Noranda completed an airborne geophysical survey, reconnaissance mapping and excavator test pitting in the area including and extending between the Megabuck and Takom zones. Later that year Noranda closed its BC office and the claim options were terminated.
In 1998, Wildrose Resources Ltd. (Wildrose) re-staked ground as the prior claims (originating in the 1970s and 1980s) began to expire. The final claim to complete the consolidation of the core area was staked in November 1998. In 1999, Wildrose optioned the now Woodjam claims to Phelps Dodge Corporation of Canada, Limited. In February 1999, Phelps Dodge undertook additional staking to produce the current claim group and initiated a field program including reconnaissance mapping and prospecting and the drilling of 4 diamond drill holes totaling 198 metres. Fjordland completed a total of 23 line kilometres of IP and mag surveys on the Woodjam property in 2001. The IP survey encompassed the area north, east and west of the Megabuck Zone. The survey defined a large, 1650 x 780 metre chargeability anomaly extending northeast from the Megabuck Zone. Known areas of mineralization at the Megabuck Zone occur on the edge (gradient) of the anomaly southwest of the chargeability high. The chargeability high corresponds with a moderate to low resistivity feature.
In 2001, Fjordland Exploration Inc. acquired an option on the Woodjam property from Wildrose Resources. In 2002, Fjordland diamond drill tested possible extensions of gold-copper mineralization to the north, northeast and southwest of the Megabuck zone. In 2003, Fjordland completed three diamond-drill holes on the property.
In 2004, Fjordland drilled about 3500 metres and in 2005 they drilled 907 metres in 10 reverse circulation holes and 2018 metres in 6 diamond-drill holes. Diamond-drill hole 04-32 tested the depth extent of gold-copper mineralization on the Megabuck zone and intersected 361.2 metres grading 0.84 gram per tonne gold and 0.12 per cent copper (including 274.9 metres grading 1.03 grams per tonne gold and 0.14 per cent copper) (Exploration and Mining in BC 2004, pages 47).
Fjordland's 2006 diamond drilling program consisted of drilling 21 holes (7654.7 metres) into the Megabuck zone, 1 hole (136.3 metres) into the Megabuck East zone, and 1 hole (526.4 metres) into the Takom zone. Potentially economic gold-copper grades have been intersected by diamond drilling over considerable widths in the Megabuck zone. Drilling has delineated mineralization occurring in the Megabuck zone as a large, irregular and complex tabular-shaped gold-copper zone approximately 175 metres thick (true thickness) trending northeast and dipping approximately 45 degrees to the southeast. Drilling at the Takom zone confirmed the potential for a separate very large copper-gold system.
A 2005 core hole (05-48) returned 0.10 gram per tonne gold and 0.12 per cent copper over 82.6 metres and ended in mineralization that appeared to be strengthening. A hole (06-71) was drilled perpendicular to hole 05-48 delineating a mineralized envelope grading 0.033 gram per tonne gold and 0.06 per cent copper over 464.0 metres containing higher grading sections within it. At this time the potential for a copper-gold system is open laterally and to depth (Assessment Report 28823).
In 2007, Fjordland and Cariboo Rose carried out induced polarization and ground magnetic geophysical surveys, expanding the existing grids to the south and outlining a large induced polarization chargeability anomaly. Drill testing of the anomaly led to the identification of the Southeast zone mineralization on the Woodjam South property. Four drillholes were completed on the Southeast zone, totalling 1157.07 metres, in addition to one drillhole (370.9 metres) on the Megabuck zone and three drillholes (859.9 metres) on the Takom zone. In 2008, work continued with induced polarization and ground magnetic geophysical surveys and a three-phase diamond drill program of 20 drillholes totalling 7574.6 metres. Four drillholes totalling 1176.6 metres were completed in the Takom, Deerhorn and Megabuck East zones on the Woodjam North property.
In 2009, the Woodjam property was divided into the Woodjam North and Woodjam South properties. Gold Fields Horsefly Corp. optioned the Woodjam North property, followed by the Woodjam South property in 2010. The property is now jointly held by Gold Fields and Woodjam Copper Corporation, an amalgamation of the Woodjam interests held by Fjordland Exploration and Cariboo Rose Resources Limited. A two-phase exploration program was carried out in 2009. Phase one consisted of geological mapping, prospecting, 9859 line kilometres of airborne magnetic survey, silt sampling (42 samples) and, within the core area around the Megabuck zone, ground geophysical surveys, soil sampling (4216 samples), re-logging of Megabuck core, petrographic work and environmental and archaeological studies. Phase two of exploration consisted of 14 diamond drill holes totalling 4538.29 metres. Results from the drill program expanded the known extent of mineralization in the Takom and Deerhorn zones. In 2010, exploration consisted of geological mapping and prospecting, induced polarization/resistivity and ground magnetic geophysical surveys, a surface geology mapping survey over the core area of the Woodjam North property and the Southeast zone of the Woodjam South property, the collection of 200 rock samples, 532 soil samples and 19 silt samples, and the completion of 55 diamond drill holes totalling 14 613.41 metres.
Exploration in 2011 consisted of ground magnetic, airborne magnetic and gravity geophysical surveys and a 57 hole drill program totalling 17,195,57 metres. A 42 hole infill diamond drill program focused on the mineralization in the Southeast zone. Results from the drilling confirmed the presence of continuous copper-molybdenum±gold mineralization and enabled the completion of a geological model and an estimation of inferred mineral resources. Additional exploration on the property included three unsuccessful reverse circulation drillholes and 12 diamond drill holes located around and to the south of Cossack Lake. An airborne magnetic survey was flown over parts of the Woodjam South property and a gravity geophysical survey was completed over the Woodjam North and Woodjam South properties.
