The Copper Star prospect is located west of Chisholm Lake, on an irregular southern slope draining into the Morice River, approximately 42 kilometres southwest of Stewart.
The property lies within the Stikine Terrance and is underlain mainly by volcanic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation and sediments of the Lower Cretaceous Skeena Group. The bulk of the property is underlain by the Telkwa Formation, while the Skeena Group underlies a small portion of the property to the east. The majority of the central region of the property consists of medium grained pink to grey granodiorite.
The Copper Star property occurs in an area with very little outcrop, and therefore, details of the geology are still largely unknown. Government mapping indicates that the property is underlain by Lower Cretaceous Skeena Group volcanic and sedimentary rocks, in faulted contact with volcanics of the Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation (Hazelton Group). To the north, plugs of the Early Jurassic Topley Suite are noted.
In 1998, Imperial Metals optioned the Star claims near Chisholm Lake 45 kilometres southwest of Houston from prospectors Ed and Gerry Westgarde and then staked a block of 200 units as the CL claims. Disseminated and stockwork chalcopyrite, with very little pyrite, occurs in relatively fresh, angular granodiorite boulders on a new logging road. Texturally and mineralogically the boulders appear similar to rocks of the Late Cretaceous Bulkley intrusive suite. Work on the property in 1998 identified a previously unmapped quartz monzonite stock of unknown dimension and similar in nature to the mineralized boulders. The eastern edge of the stock was observed in a recent road cut, but it could not be followed to the north, south or east due to overburden cover. Subsequent shallow drilling identified a dimension of at least one-kilometre to the intrusive stock.
Alteration observed in the volcanics east of the intrusive includes moderately strong hornfelsing, with patches of sericite-clay alteration. Float boulders of this rock-type are commonly found with up to 5 per cent disseminated pyrite content. Intrusive rocks, both mineralized and un-mineralized, appear relatively fresh with only minor degradation of feldspar minerals to clay. Copper and copper/molybdenum mineralization is observed as both disseminated and fracture related sulfides, hosted in quartz monzonite. Molybdenite is only observed to date, as fracture related mineralization.
The ‘Discovery’ showing is exposed in a road cut but potential extensions of the zone are covered by overburden. A shallow percussion drilling program conducted by Imperial Metals in 1998 traced the intrusion for more than one kilometre in an east-west direction (Assessment Report 25922). Alteration of the volcanics west of the intrusive is moderate hornfels with patchy sericite-clay alteration and up to 5 per cent pyrite. The intrusive rocks appear fresh with minor degradation of feldspar minerals to clay in both the mineralized and non-mineralized areas. Copper and copper/molybdenum is present as disseminated and fracture-related sulphides within the host stock. Molybdenite is observed as fracture-related mineralization (Assessment Report 25922).
The 1998, 2 kilometre fence of percussion holes were drilled in an area of subdued relief with mineralized boulders and sparse outcrop. Highest grade copper intersections were obtained 900 metres west of the original discovery, suggesting the mineralized boulders may have been glacially transported from a nearby source (P. McAndless, pers. comm.). The drilling results were considered encouraging at the time. Sulphide mineralization, albeit sparse (best intercept returned 0.49 per cent copper over 1.8 metres), was encountered in at least three holes (Assessment Report 25922). Given the grade (in excess of 0.5 per cent copper) and extent of mineralized boulders, the question remained as to the whereabouts and extent of the source of that mineralization. Imperial elected to drop their option in 1999.
Ed and Gerry Westgard later found another bedrock copper occurrence 1.5 kilometres from the area targeted by Imperial Metals that prompted Hunter Dickinson Group to acquire the claims and expand the search area (D. Johnson, pers. comm.).
Misty Mountain Gold (a Hunter Dickenson group company) advanced the prospect during 2000 by the establishment of 67 line-kilometres of survey grid and subsequent induced polarization geophysics together with the collection of 817 soil samples. Five large induced polarization anomalies (one kilometre or more in length) have been defined which demonstrate chargeability values that are typical of porphyry mineralized systems and indicate widespread sulphide mineralization outward from extremely limited bedrock exposures, all of which are copper bearing. Results of soil sampling also indicate a broad distribution of copper mineralization. The limited outcrops of bedrock that occur on the property all contain copper mineralization with a wide range of values.
Chalcopyrite is the dominant copper sulphide with minor bornite and chalcocite noted. Revelation Exploration Limited conducted an induced polarization geophysical survey in late 2000. The survey yielded eight anomalies, including two consistent with porphyry-style sulphide mineralization (Assessment Report 26626).
In August 2001, it was announced that Doublestar Resources and Gold-Ore Resources were entering into an earn-in agreement with Misty Mountain Gold on the Copper Star porphyry copper discovery. Under the agreement, Doublestar and Gold-Ore would conduct 3000 metres of diamond drilling to earn 25 per cent each in the prospect. That year, Doublestar Resources completed nine drillholes, totalling 1581.53 metres. Only one of the nine holes returned significant copper results. In 2004, the claim owners, E. and G. Westgard, completed an exploration program consisting of one drillhole on the border of the CL 2 and Star 20 claims, totalling 45.72 metres. The hole was not sent for assay, but two core samples were sent for analysis. Attempts to drill a second hole were abandoned due to excessive overburden. In 2008, the property was acquired by Lowprofile Ventures Limited and the name was changed to the West & Thompson property. That year a limited exploration program consisting of geological mapping and sampling was carried out to evaluate the mineralized zones and assess the geological potential of the property.
In 2001, one drillhole assayed 122.88 metres averaging 0.26 per cent copper including 3.09 metres of 1.17 per cent copper (Assessment Report 26893). Two samples from the 2004 drilling returned anomalous concentrations of several elements, including 27 parts per million molybdenum, greater than 10,000 parts per million copper, 13.4 parts per million silver, 0.3 part per million gold, 2.59 per cent potassium, and 12 parts per million tungsten (Assessment Report 27625).
In 2004, one 45.7 metre diamond drill hole was completed by the Westgardes.
In 2008, Geological mapping and sampling program completed by Allnorth Consultants Ltd for Lowprofile Ventures Ltd. of Houston, BC.
In 2011, Lowprofile Ventures Ltd engaged Cal Data Ltd (Ward Kirby, PGeo) to provide an in-depth analysis ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection) and Landsat imaging of the property area.
In 2012 a total of 79 soil samples and 8 silt samples were taken on the property by Prospector Dwayne Lund and Lowprofile owner Gary Thompson. A further 47 soil samples were collected in the fall. The samples taken during the 2012 fall exploration program targeted the northern magnetic anomaly. This anomaly appears coincident with the regionally mapped Late Cretaceous intrusive rocks. The soil samples taken during the summer of 2012 exhibit a north-south preferred copper soil anomaly immediately east of the main road showing discovered in 1998.
