The ART claims are located about 14 kilometres north of the east end of Canim Lake. Volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Triassic to Jurassic Nicola Group are mineralized with bornite, chalcopyrite and pyrite in chlorite-epidote-saussurite altered zones.
The western side of the Art property is underlain by porphyritic augite andesite flows interbedded with black phyllite and shale. These are cut by andesitic to basaltic dikes and a quartz dioritic to granodioritic stock. The centre of the claim is underlain by light grey-blue, fine-grained rhyodacite. Most of the mineralization on the property occurs in outcrops of the rhyodacite at the central legal corner post of the four claims. In addition to minor chalcopyrite, bornite and pyrite, traces of arsenopyrite and specularite were observed (Assessment Report 25800). The phyllite also carries rare sulphides and siderite in quartz veins that crosscut bedding.
Shear zones contain up to 10 per cent sulphides. Diamond drill hole ART01-1 returned 0.35 per cent arsenic with 0.17 grams per tonne gold over 12 metres and grab samples from nearby outcrops contain up to 1.27 grams per tonne gold. Several other positive gold and arsenic soil and rock geochemical anomalies occur to the north of this area, and much of the property remains unexplored (www.happycreekminerals.com).
In 2018, the Crane zone, 2.5 kilometres north-northeast of the Art showing, returned values of 0.62 gram per tonne gold, 0.09 per cent lead, 0.04 per cent copper in a 2.0 metre chip sample across chalcopyrite and galena mineralized shear zones (Sample Hen 18BK-33). A sample of angular float (Hen 18DR-9) 20 metres north of the outcrop assayed 7.6 grams per tonne gold, 2.08 per cent lead, 4.02 per cent zinc, 0.16 per cent copper and anomalous arsenic and antimony (Assessment Report 38253).
WORK HISTORY
The Art property was staked by David Ridley, and rock sampling and some mapping was done in 1997. Mandalay Resources Corporation conducted a geological, geophysical and geochemical exploration program on the property in 1998. In 2001, Mandalay drilled 210.91 metres in three holes in the Art showing area, resulting in strongly anomalous gold-arsenic values over 12 metres of continuous core length in DDH01-02 (Assessment Report 26821).
Between 2005 and 2010, Happy Creek Minerals Ltd. conducted systematic prospecting, rock, stream sediment and soil geochemical surveys and geological mapping. Soil geochemical surveys and rock sampling have outlined multiple areas containing positive anomalies of silver and gold over a 2-kilometre distance. Five drillholes were completed by Happy Creek in 2010 that tested several geochemical anomalies, including beneath the DL adit. The drilling did not intersect significant gold values and the orientation and extent of the large gold-bearing quartz vein in the adit remains unknown. To the south of the adit, one drillhole returned 72.5 metres of 4 grams per tonne silver including 20 metres of 8.5 grams per tonne silver and up to 0.28 gram per tonne gold that is of exploration interest and that remains open in extent. Several positive anomalies of up to 1.8 grams per tonne gold in soil require further investigation, and much of the property remains unexplored.
In 2011, Happy Creek Minerals performed prospecting and rock, stream sediment and systematic soil geochemical surveys that expanded previous surveys covering portions of the Hen and Art-DL properties. In total, 708 soil, 20 stream sediment (silt) and 21 rock samples were collected. Rock samples contained from less than 0.01 to 1.04 grams per tonne gold, less than 0.01 to 17.7 grams per tonne silver and 0.00028 to 0.13 per cent copper. Soil samples returned values from trace to 0.1 gram per tonne gold, 2.1 grams per tonne silver, 0.048 per cent copper, 0.00169 per cent molybdenum and 0.0627 per cent zinc. Silt samples returned from trace to 0.03 gram per tonne gold, 0.6 gram per tonne silver, 0.0193 per cent copper, 0.00116 per cent molybdenum and 0.018 per cent zinc (V STOCKWATCH, February 13, 2012).
The 2018, 2019 and 2021 exploration programs over the Hen-Art DL properties by Happy Creek Minerals consisted of prospecting, silt sampling, rock sampling and geological mapping. A new zone (Crane) was identified in 2018, 2.5 kilometres north-northeast of the Art showing and 3.5 kilometres south of McNeil Lake. In 2022, Happy Creek Minerals ran a program of prospecting, rock sampling and stream sediment sampling over their Fox, Hen and Silverboss claims (Assessment Report 40847) and in 2023, a similar program was conducted over the Fox, Hen and Art-DL properties (Assessment Report 41811).
