The Carmen occurrence is located on the north side of a small hill, approximately 3 kilometres northwest of the west end of Hatdudatehl Lake.
The area is underlain by volcaniclastic rocks (andesitic tuffs), augite porphyritic flows and argillites of the Upper Triassic Takla Group which have been invaded by coeval monzonite plutons.
Mineralization is largely restricted to the volcanic rocks and consists of 1-5 per cent finely disseminated pyrite and pyrrhotite with a trace of chalcopyrite locally. Sparse quartz veins cutting the monzonite may contain traces of molybdenite. Magnetite is finely disseminated throughout the monzonite and is locally present in the volcanic rocks.
Work History
The area was first staked as the Tez claims in 1989 by Rio Algom were reported to have conducted an airborne magnetic survey though this was not filed for assessment. In 1990 Rio Algom explored by mapping and a grid soil geochemical survey totalling 2,191 samples.
The SAS 1 claim was prospected in 1995 by Don Johnson who collected 28 rock and 15 soil samples. An ‘auriferous carbonate sample’ (4-H-42) reported to be of ‘altered bedrock’ yielded 2.49 grams per tonne gold, 13.6 grams per tonne silver and 0.4 per cent zinc, whereas two other samples (SAS 4-62 and 1-H-47) from the area yielded values up to 0.39 gram per tonne gold, 32.5 grams per tonne silver, 0.21 per cent lead and 0.16 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 24451). Some question remains as to whether the source of the material was from bedrock. In 1996, Johnson collected 17 rock samples and in 1997 he collected a further 24 soil and 11 rock samples (PAP RPT 1996-33; 1997-10).
In 2005, Uwe Schmidt prospected his Carmen claims which were staked to cover the lapsed Tez claims of Rio Algom and some of the lapsed SAS claims of Johnson. A total of 11 rock samples, 1 deep till sample and 1 soil sample were collected in 2005. Schmidt collected samples taken of sulphide-bearing and altered rocks in the vicinity of the sample sites shown on Johnson's sketch map but failed to duplicate his high gold and silver results.
In 2008, Strongbow Exploration Inc. completed a program of rock, silt, and soil sampling on the area as the Inza property. The following year, a program of rock sampling, geological mapping and 22.0 line-kilometres of induced polarization and magnetic surveys were completed on the property.
In 2011, Xstrata Canada Corp. completed a program of prospecting, geological mapping, soil sampling, an induced polarization survey and nine diamond drill holes, totalling 1946.3 metres, on two magnetic anomalies on the Inza property.
In 2018, John B. Kreft completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the area as the Tez property.
