The Mat 1 occurrence is located on a ridge east of the east fork of Matetlo Creek, approximately 90 kilometres northwest of the community of Germansen Landing.
Three quartz veins are hosted within augite andesite of the Upper Triassic Plughat Mountain Formation (Takla Group). These volcanics are in contact with Early Jurassic Hogem Plutonic Suite quartz monzonitic to monzogranitic intrusive rocks a few kilometres to the south of the occurrence.
The Main vein, where exposed, is reported to be from 0.15 to 0.61 metre thick within a bleached and schistose zone over 1 metre thick. The vein strikes 120 degrees, dips about 50 degrees to the southwest and can be traced for 104 metres, but several opencuts suggest a strike length of about 230 metres. To the northwest, a gossanous outcropping may indicate a strike length of up to 500 metres. The vein is terminated to the east by a north-striking fault. The vein shows some branching within the zones of altered rock.
The vein consists primarily of quartz and is often chalcedonic. The metallic content of the vein occurs as finely disseminated particles of grey sulphides which total less than 5 per cent of the vein. Argentite, silver sulphantimonides and silver arsenides were identified along with pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, and hematite.
In 1982, a 34-centimetre chip sample across the vein assayed 400 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 14192). The average values of ten samples taken in 1991 was 1220 grams per tonne silver, 0.51 per cent copper, 1.79 per cent lead and 2.59 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 21865). The No. 2 vein branches off the Main vein. The No. 3 vein is 50 metres south and above the other two veins. The grades of these two veins are reported to be 137 grams per tonne silver and less.
An outcrop of magnetite, exposed for 20 metres, lies 50 metres to the north and downhill from the Main vein, exhibiting the same strike but with a 37-degree dip southwest. This vein is from 0.2 to 0.5 metre in thickness and contains quartz, chalcopyrite, and pyrite. Samples ranged up to 6.71 per cent copper and 12.8 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21865).
An area (No. 2 area), 300 metres northwest of the above vein area, also hosts two veins. An average of 13 samples taken from these veins assayed 446 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 14192).
Work History
Exploration dates back to about 1940 when E. Bronlund of Cominco Ltd. explored the area. In 1947, A. Legatt, a prospector under direction of E. Bronlund, located a quartz vein while working from a base camp at the headwaters of Matetlo Creek. Subsequent efforts to relocate the showing proved fruitless until Bronlund observed it in 1961 while searching the district by helicopter; the vein was not staked or sampled due to a helicopter crash.
In 1981, the area was staked by P. Weishaupt and in 1982 he directed work on the property and additional ground was staked. In 1983, a path was opened along the course of the vein, across a steep rock bluff face. The vein was exposed and sampled for a strike length of 230 metres using a Cobra drill and blasting. In 1985, a small diamond drill program was conducted totalling 942 metres in nine holes and utilizing four drill set-ups.
In 1991, Canasil Resources Inc. completed trenching and soil sampling (116). Eleven trenches were dug by pick, shovel, and blasting. In 1998, Canasil Resources Inc. completed rock (20) and soil (54) sampling.
In 2020, Interra Copper Corp. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock, soil and stream sediment) sampling and a 14.0 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the area as the Thane property. A rock sample (35931) from the No. 1 vein assayed greater than 100 grams per tonne silver, 0.17 per cent copper, 0.36 per cent zinc and 0.26 per cent lead (Vanderwart Consulting Inc. [2021-07-12]: Technical Report on the Thane Copper-Gold Project, Omineca Mining Division, British Columbia, Canada).
