The Klawli occurrence lies on a west-flowing tributary creek on the east side of the Klawli River about 100 kilometres north of the community of Fort St. James.
The region is underlain by maroon and green plagioclase ±hornblende porphyritic volcanic flows of the Lower Jurassic Chuchi Lake Formation of the Middle Triassic to Lower Jurassic Takla Group. Early Jurassic rocks of the Hogem Intrusive Complex outcrop to the south and west. The volcanics are variably bleached and altered; areas of carbonate ±quartz and propylitic alteration occur. In the trenches, the host volcanics are intensely altered and have zones containing disseminated pyrite, chalcopyrite, malachite, and azurite. Although the rocks appear sheared and fractured, discrete shear zones and fabrics are not recognized.
The Klawli high-grade mineralization exposed in trenches and adits occurs as pyrite-chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite blebs and fillings in narrow quartz-carbonate veins, likely with lesser sphalerite and galena as suggested by the assay results for zinc and lead (ca. 2013). The mineralization has been interpreted as a series of high-grade base metal/precious metal veins related to a buried porphyry system (Assessment Report 22099). Native gold has been identified in the –100 and +200 fraction of samples. Alteration minerals are reported to include quartz, sericite, carbonate, chlorite, magnetite, and epidote.
Work in the early 1990s indicated the occurrence comprises a 5- to 15-metre wide shear zone in andesites that have been altered to chloritic and talcose schists hosting quartz-carbonate veins with chalcopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, malachite, and azurite.
Another zone of anomalous mineralization is reported to have been identified in subcrop on a ridge and west-facing slope, approximately 1 kilometre east of the main Klawli zone, and comprises propylitic- (chlorite-epidote-carbonate) altered andesite porphyry with disseminated pyrite and minor chalcopyrite.
In 1983, rock sampling yielded significant results including 2.03 per cent copper, 190.5 grams per tonne silver and 2.7 grams per tonne gold from a grab sample (12677) of sulphide-rich rock from a dump pile near the East shaft; 9.30 per cent copper, 1040 grams per tonne silver and 14.0 grams per tonne gold from a sample (12678) of massive chalcopyrite from the no. 1 trench located just west of the East shaft; 3.05 per cent copper, 101 grams per tonne silver and 4.1 grams per tonne gold from a chip sample (12683) of a 5-centimetre wide chalcopyrite vein in trench no. 5 and 6.1 grams per tonne gold from a chip sample (12685) of altered andesite outcrop on the north bank of the creek, located approximately 100 metre north-northwest of the West shaft (Assessment Report 12908). Re-assaying of the samples yielded variable gold results attributed to the ‘nugget’ effect of native gold in the –100 and +200 fraction of samples.
In 1984, reconnaissance sampling by Hawk Mountain Resources yielded up to 15.36 grams per tonne gold, 935.04 grams per tonne silver and 6.7 per cent copper from a sample (2562) located near the East shaft (Assessment Report 14579).
In 1987, two samples (3989 and 3993) assayed 3.21 and 22.71 grams per tonne gold, 172.0 and 1221 grams per tonne silver, 4.13 and 3.76 per cent copper, 0.18 and 0.30 per cent lead, 0.12 and 0.31 per cent zinc with 0.033 and 0.415 per cent bismuth, respectively (Assessment Report 16865). These samples came from the trench adjacent to the West shaft and close to the East shaft, respectively.
In 1990, a rock sample (46499) assayed 0.33 per cent copper, 30.18 per cent lead, 0.14 per cent zinc, 0.79 per cent antimony, 207.6 grams per tonne silver and 10.47 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21279).
In 1991, continuous chip sampling of the ‘main’ trench by the West adit is reported to have yielded 0.13 per cent copper, 0.02 per cent lead, 0.09 per cent zinc, 25 grams per tonne silver and 0.135 gram per tonne gold over 15 metres, with up to 1.64 per cent copper, 0.39 per cent zinc, 0.22 per cent lead, 293.1 grams per tonne silver and 2.12 grams per tonne gold over 1.0 metre, whereas a grab sample (134581) taken close to the West shaft yielded 2.95 per cent copper, 0.23 per cent lead, 0.24 per cent zinc, 235.0 grams per tonne silver and 2.54 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 22099). Other grab samples, taken from a trench between the two shafts (sample 134582 and 134583) and from a trench adjacent to the East shaft (samples 134584 and 134585) yielded values up to 2.73 and 1.80 per cent copper, 98.1 and 124.3 grams per tonne silver with 2.18 and 3.81 grams per tonne gold, respectively (Assessment Report 22099).
In 1993, an 8.0-metre chip sample (93N7LGR017) from the ‘main’ trench on the Klawli zone yielded 0.235 gram per tonne gold, 2.4 grams per tonne silver and 0.061 per cent copper, whereas a grab sample (93N7LGR020) of subcrop located west of the main trench yielded 17.4 grams per tonne gold, greater than 200 grams per tonne silver and greater than 1.0 per cent copper (Assessment Report 23508).
Also at this time, 5.0- and 1.75-metre chip samples (93N7LG001 and 093N7LGR031) from hand dug trenches exposing subcrop from a zone located approximately 1 kilometre east of the main Klawli occurrence yielded 0.095 and 0.105 gram per tonne gold with 0.053 and 0.021 per cent copper, respectively, whereas previous sampling of this zone by Noranda is reported to have yielded 0.430 gram per tonne gold and 0.733 per cent copper in subcrop (Assessment Report 23508).
In 1994, drillhole KL-94-01 was drilled to test for the dip extension of the Klawli occurrence and intersected zones of disseminated and stringer pyrite-magnetite with minor chalcopyrite in a diorite and andesite yielding anomalous values of 0.150 and 0.233 gram per tonne gold with 0.020 and 0.018 per cent copper over 2.0 and 13.5 metres (87.5 to 89.5 and 148.0 to 161.5 metres down hole), respectively (Assessment Report 23640).
In 2003, two grab samples (15780 and 15781) from former trenches near the West shaft yielded values up to 5.34 grams per tonne gold, 113.2 grams per tonne silver and 2.37 per cent copper (Assessment Report 27212).
Work History
The Klawli showing was originally staked in the 1920s and at that time were optioned to Cominco Ltd. who carried out a program of surface stripping and sank two shallows shafts before they dropped their option. The claims were allowed to lapse and the ground was re-staked in 1944 as the Klawli Copper group of eight claims, owned by E. Kohse, of Fort St. James. The following year the claims were acquired on option by the Geo. MacMillan interests of Toronto. In 1946, Quebec Gold Mining Corporation took an option on the property and undertook an extensive program of surface development and sampling before dropping their option.
The Klawli group of eight claims was acquired by Tro-Buttle Exploration Limited. During 1967 the company carried out a geochemical survey of the property; the Kiawli claims were allowed to lapse. The area was re-staked by Phelps Dodge Corporation of Canada, Limited, to include the Tea 1-14, 16, 18, 25-30, 32, 34, 36 claims. During the field season of 1971, a reconnaissance soil and silt survey of 10-15 samples was undertaken.
There was a hiatus of work until the ground was staked in 1983 by Eric Shaede, who preformed minor prospecting. In 1985, Hawk Mountain Resources performed a limited geochemical survey in conjunction with VLF-EM and magnetometer surveys. In 1987 and 1989, there was additional prospecting and resampling with petrographic analysis coordinated by Eric Shaede.
Noranda Exploration held an option on the property from Eric Shaede between 1990 and 1992. They conducted a soil survey and reconnaissance-style induced polarization/resistivity survey focussing on the soil anomalies. This work revealed a coincident and flanking chargeability anomaly, east and upslope from the Klawli showing. This was followed up in 1992 with detailed mapping, prospecting and “ test-pitting ” in the strongest part of the copper-gold soil geochemical anomaly defined on the KL claim. Following this field season the property was dropped by Noranda Exploration.
In 1993, Hudson Bay Exploration and Development Corp. conducted a small four-man soil and rock sampling program which included a reconnaissance VLF-EM 16 survey. A total of 205 soil samples and four rock samples were collected and analyzed. The VLF-EM 16 survey covered 2.36 line-kilometres. In 1994, Hudson Bay collected 29 rock and 237 soil samples. Further, six diamond drill holes were completed on the property. Only two of the holes, totalling 321.3 metres, were reported. The other holes appear to have been completed on previously identified anomalous on the hillside to the east of the Klawli occurrence.
No documentation exists on any work preformed that may have been performed between 1995 and 2002. Jody Dahrouge staked the claims in 2002, naming the claims Claw 1-4 and optioned them to International Arimex Resources Inc. Dahrouge Consulting collected nine rock samples in July of the same year. In February 2003, plans were made for pushing a trail over the last remaining kilometres to the property to allow for a program of mechanical trenching and drilling to be preformed on the property. Following these efforts, the property lay dormant until 2006 when International Arimex collected 490 soil, 8 rock, and 4 silt samples. None of the rock samples taken in 2006 contained significant mineralization. Multiple targets have been identified within the property boundary resulting from the airborne DIGHEM magnetic-electromagnetic survey completed by Solomon Resources Ltd. in 2007.
Also in 2006, the core from the 1994 drilling program was apparently located and the drill collars locations identified. No results from the core samples are reported.
In 2013 and 2014, Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. conducted exploration on their Col-Later property, which covers several mineral occurrence including the Klawli occurrence; however, no specific work was completed on the occurrence.
