The Rottacker Creek occurrence is situated in the Kwanika Range south of Halobia Creek, approximately 49 kilometres east-southeast of Takla Landing. It was discovered in 1971 during a regional exploration program carried out by Amoco Mining.
The area is underlain by mesozonal plutonic rocks assigned to the Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous Hogem Intrusive Complex which have intruded volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic Takla Group east of the Pinchi fault zone. The plutonic rocks form an elongate batholith, extending from Chuchi Lake, north to the Mesilinka River.
At the Rottacker Creek occurrence, chalcopyrite-malachite mineralization occurs along a narrow, northwest trending contact zone between leucocratic and mafic-rich syenodiorite-monzonite phases of the Hogem Intrusive Complex. Chlorite alteration within these units is extensive and limonite/hematite staining is common. Malachite is the most abundant mineral and tends to occur along fracture and joint faces and as encrustations in fault gouge. It appears to have been deposited as a result of supergene enrichment. Chalcopyrite occurs along quartz-alkali feldspar fracture fillings within the more mafic phase.
In 1992, a 1.0-metre chip sample (12079) from a fractured, limonitic granodiorite or monzodiorite with malachite assayed 0.596 per cent copper, 5.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.02 gram per tonne gold, whereas a grab sample (12081) assayed 0.512 per cent copper, 4.6 grams per tonne silver and 0.395 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 22588).
Work History
In 1969, the Umex-Wenner Gren Joint Venture conducted reconnaissance stream sediment sampling in their Noble claims. Anomalous molybdenum values led to claim staking in 1971. In 1971, this group collected 369 soil samples and analyzed them for copper, molybdenum, and zinc. A discontinuous north-west trending copper/molybdenum soil anomaly was outlined measuring 300 by 1500 metres. The anomaly lies on the eastern part of the Hal 6 claim. In 1972, this group conducted geological mapping, line- cutting, 10.9 line-kilometres of induced polarization, 20 line kilometres of magnetic surveys followed by 5 short diamond drill holes totalling 347 metres (Geology and Exploration in BC, page 447). Results for 1972 were not published.
In 1980, Dome Exploration Ltd. evaluated the claims for molybdenum and tungsten potential. A program of silt sampling, 10 test soil profiles and 52.5 line-kilometres of magnetic surveys were carried out.
In August of 1990, the Hal claims were staked on behalf of the Takla Joint Venture to cover the former Noble group and an area to the southwest of it. In 1990, Hal 1 to 6 claims was acquired by Major General Resources.
In 1991, operator Swannell Minerals Corp conducted prospecting, silt sampling (18), heavy mineral sampling (9) and rock sampling (5) on the Hal 1-6 group. No outcrop was located in the area of the previously defined soil anomaly. In 1992, followup work by Swannell included reconnaissance survey grids, geological mapping over 20 per cent of the property, and rock (5 samples) and soil (110 samples) sampling. No porphyry style mineralization was located but exploration targets have been identified including a) malachite infilled shear zones. Five samples collected in 1992 yielded copper results ranging from 1905 to 9230 parts per million with associated gold and silver values, b) A coincident copper/molybdenum soil anomaly on the Hal 6 claim and c) a contact zone between Takla volcanics and Hogem batholith rock in the southeast property area.
During 2005 through 2010, Redton Resources and Geoinformatics Exploration Canada Inc. undertook work on the regionally extensive Redton property, which covered the Falcon (MINFILE 093N 068) occurrence to the south (just north of Nation Lake) and north to the Tak (MINFILE 093N 067) occurrence, approximately 6 kilometres south of the Omineca River. In 2005, a 5764.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey was completed on the area as the Takla-Redton property. In 2006, a program of geological mapping and geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling was completed on the property along with 12 diamond drill holes, totalling 4032.5 metres, on the Takla-Rainbow (MINFILE 093N 082) and Tak occurrences. In 2007 and 2008, programs of geochemical sampling (rock, silt, and soil) sampling, ground geophysical surveys and 10 diamond drill holes, totalling 3784.0 metres, were completed on the property. This work centred primarily on the Takla-Rainbow occurrence to the north and Falcon occurrence to the south. In 2010, a subsequent AeroTEM survey by Redton Resources identified 65 electromagnetic anomalies on the property.
During 2011 through 2014, Kiska Metals Corp. (previously Rimfire Minerals Corporation) completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock, silt, and soil) sampling and ground geophysical surveys on the Redton property. A combined 11.2 line-kilometre ground induced polarization and magnetic survey was completed on the Halobia Creek area.
