A northwest trending steeply dipping quartz vein cuts through a greenstone-granite sill complex and overlying phyllitic tuffs of the Lower Jurassic Hazelton Group, Telkwa Formation. The thick section of greenstone intruded by leucogranitic lenses is atypical of the Hazelton Group and is believed to be older, perhaps Triassic (Fieldwork, 1988).
The vein ranges up to 0.9 metre wide and extends for 500 metres, and contains pyrite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite and galena. Samples collected in 1986 contain pyrite with minor amounts of sphalerite and arsenopyrite. Mercury concentrations are also anomalous.
__________________________________________________________ FIELDWORK 1986, p. 213 TABLE 14 - MOUNT MCKENDRICK VEIN ANALYSES (all values in parts per million) Au Ag Cu Zn Mo Hg As Sb 23-1 3.03 123 470 13100 4 2.15 960 335 23-3 1.09 78 600 30400 <2 2.54 13600 170 __________________________________________________________ |
Note: 23-1, 23-3 are quartz vein samples with pyrite and minor sphalerite from Mt. McKendrick.
WORK HISTORY
Gold-silver mineralization was first reported on Mount McKendrick in 1911 at what was later known as the Pioneer showing. By 1934, at least two short adits and several open cuts and pits had traced these veins for upwards of 600 metres. In addition, numerous lead-zinc-copper showings (referred to as the Ascot occurrences) were investigated for stratabound sulfide mineralization between 1966 and 1969 by Texas Gulf Sulphur Co. These occurrences are located approximately five kilometres south of the Pioneer. Work included three diamond drill holes, totalling 300 meters, at least one of which intersected low grade mineralization over a width of about 15 metres.
No further records are available on the Pioneer until recently, when this showing was staked on the Emily and Harold claims in 1982 by A. L'Orsa. The claims were later optioned to Noranda Exploration Co. Ltd. who staked the Tony 1 and Byron 1 and 2 claims.
In 1984, Noranda Exploration Company conducted a program of geological mapping, mineralization sampling, soil sampling, and VLF-EM and magnetic surveying over the McKendrick (Pioneer) vein. The Mckendrick Vein is open to the SW and was not sampled at depth. Two adits reported to be short are collapsed and were not entered.
Canadian United Minerals Ltd. acquired the ground from Noranda as part of their Dome Mountain agreement. In 1986, the McKendrick Group area was covered as part of a regional reconnaissance soil program conducted in the Mount McKendrick-Dome Mountain area for Canadian United Minerals Ltd. A total of 1449 samples were collected from on or about the McKendrick Group claims. A number of anomalous and strongly anomalous values were obtained from the 1985 and 1986 sample data.
The McKen claims were staked in 1985 to cover potential exploration targets in the Dome Mountain-Mount McKendrick area. The Pioneer showing is 200 metres outside the McKen group property. The claims covered the ground immediately west and southwest of the Pioneer and Ascot occurrences. The second, smaller block of claims is located northeast of Mount McKendrick and within 200 metres of the Pioneer showing. The third claim block is situated on the eastern flank of the Dome Mountain-Mount McKendrick highland area, in the immediate vicinity of a little known copper-silver occurrence referred to as the Tina prospect. In 1986, an agreement was made with Leif Ostensoe to conduct work on the claims. A reconnaissance soil geochemistry program was conducted by Leif Ostensoe and Canadian United Minerals Inc. in the Mount McKendrick-Dome Mountain region in 1986. Approximately 3664 samples were collected in the vicinity of the McKen Groups as part of this program (Assessment Report 15391). Results show numerous but generally dispersed anomalous and strongly anomalous values for copper, lead, zinc, silver and arsenic.
In 1991, a quartz vein associated with an alaskite dyke swarm in Lower Jurassic andesitic rocks on Mount McKendrick was tested by Habsburg Resources who drilled 140.82 metres in three diamond drill holes. Analyses of the drill core yielded anomalous amounts of arsenic, silver, gold, copper, lead, zinc and other metals Assessment Report.