The Ben East occurrence, comprising the Hooter, Shawn, and Creek showings, is located about 5 kilometres north of Tatelkuz Mountain.
Middle Jurassic Hazelton Group intermediate flows, related pyroclastics and tuffaceous siltstones are the oldest rocks exposed in the area and host the Ben occurrence. These rocks are intruded by an Eocene stock of biotite hornblende granodiorite. A northwest trending, steeply southwest dipping foliation cuts the older rocks, but is not observed in the Eocene intrusion. Hazelton Group rocks are commonly hornfelsed near contacts with the intrusions and contain up to several per cent biotite, which gives the rock a brown to purplish cast.
Precious and base metal mineralization occurs along a north-facing slope within foliated rocks 200 to 300 metres south of the contact with Eocene granodiorite. The showings, the Hooter, Shawn, and Creek showings, crop out along a trend of about 150 degrees. The showings outcrop out over a strike length of 180 to 200 metres and from 3 to 9 metres in width within a zone of quartz-biotite-altered felsic tuff. Mineralization appears to parallel the foliation at 140 to 150 degrees. Disseminated to locally semi-massive quartz-sulphide veins or seams contain arsenopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite and traces of chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite. Molybdenum occurs in trace amounts throughout the altered monzonite, as disseminations and coatings on fractures. It is commonly accompanied by traces of pyrite, pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite.
In 1991, two 3-metre chip samples (91BENRO-25 and -26) of arsenopyrite-bearing hornfelsed volcanics from the Hooter zone assayed 0.52 and 0.85 gram per tonne gold, 89.0 and 101.0 grams per tonne silver with 0.18 and 0.25 per cent lead, respectively, whereas a 3.5-metre chip sample (91BENRO-22) of similar mineralization from the Creek zone assayed 0.37 gram per tonne gold, 65.6 grams per tonne silver, 0.18 per cent lead and 0.22 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 22059).
In 1992, a sampling of the Creek, Shaun and Hooter zones yielded values of up to 1.10, 0.61 and 4.90 grams per tonne gold, 102.0, 60.4 and 133.5 grams per tonne silver, 0.07, 0.05 and 8.37 per cent zinc, 0.25, 0.14 and 0.50 per cent lead and 0.06, 0.03 and 0.22 per cent copper, respectively, whereas other samples (NWR-21 through -24), taken southwest of the Hooter zone, yielded values up to 0.98 gram per tonne gold and 47.8 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 22727).
In 2007, Paget Minerals collected 23 rock chip samples from the East zone (Ben East 093F 059), yielding values up to 1.04 grams per tonne gold, 80 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 29592). The better gold values occur in quartz biotite hornfels with disseminated arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite. Paget described the East zone as being mineralized over a 225 by 200 metres area.
Work History
In 1982, BP Minerals Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping and geochemical (silt and soil) sampling on the area immediately south of the occurrence as the Tate 1-6 claims. Quartz carbonate veins with minor chalcopyrite and pyrite mineralization were identified on the Tate 5 claim.
In 1991, BHP-Utah Mines Ltd completed a program of prospecting and sampling. The work done was 13.2 line-kilometres of flagged line grid, 241 soil samples, 40 rock samples, 4 stream sediment samples and 14 man-days of geological mapping at a scale of 1:10,000. The work outlined sulphide mineralization in various rock types, both volcanic and intrusive, and silver and arsenic soil geochemistry outlined areas of interest for follow-up work.
In 1992, a follow-up program was competed by BHP Minerals Canada Ltd. This program included expanding the flagged line grid (46.6 line-kilometres) with the collection of 47 rock samples and 359 soil samples and further detailed geological mapping and prospecting. In addition, geophysical surveys were completed on the grid, 51.875 line-kilometres of Total Field Magnetics, 45.3 line-kilometres of VLF-EM and 1 line-kilometres of induced Polarization (IP). Three showings were delineated, the "Creek", "Shaun" and "Hooter", which together make up the Ben.
In 2007, Paget Mineral Corp completed a work program that consisted of mapping, prospecting, and rock chip sampling. A total of 78 rock chip samples were collected from the project area.
In 2010, on a total of 2254 soil samples were collected from 114.85 line-kilometres of grid. Sampling covered the Ben East and Ben West zones. In 2010 a drill program was designed by TTM Resources to test soil geochemical anomalies from the 2010 soil geochemical program that outlined a multi-element anomaly associated with the intrusive unit on the previously known West zone of Paget (now referred to as the Ben West zone in MINFILE). Three holes were drilled from one set up and a fourth hole was completed 140 metres to the south-southwest to test a geochemical anomaly and favourable surface geology. The four holes totalled 721.42 metres of NQ-size core.
In 2016, Charles J. Greig completed a program of soil sampling on the area as the R2R and R2R2 claims.
