The Driftwood occurrence is very well-descirbed in 1969 Masters of Science thesis by Andrejs Panteleyev on the “Mineralization of the Driftwood Property”. The focus of the thesis was a small intrusive body of the Eocene Kastberg Plutonic Suite, located about 2.5 kilometres east-southeast of the plotted Motase mineral occurrence (094D 002).
The Driftwood prospect is underlain by a section of westerly-dipping sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation (Hazelton Group) which have been intruded by a small, irregular stock of granodiorite-quartz monzonite porphyry of the Eocene Kastberg Intrusive Suite. Also described (by MapPlace) as consisting of high-level quartz phyric, felsitic intrusive rock and as biotite-hornblende rhyodacite porphyry or massive leuco-rhyolite. A biotite hornfels of the albite-epidote hornfels facies has formed an aureole over 30 metres wide around the stock. A hornfels of the hornblende hornfels facies has been developed in narrow zones adjacent to parts of the intrusive contact.
Panteleyev (1969) reports: “The porphyry is a metal enriched intrusion in which some metallic grains formed, in an accessory manner but most of the mineralization is epigenetic. The deposit has characteristics of both porphyry copper and quartz stockwork deposits with disseminated, fracture filling, vein, and replacement mineralization in the intrusive rock, hornfels, and skarn. The primary metallic minerals identified were: molybdenite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, galena, tetrahedrite, marcasite, aikinite, bournonite, and magnetite. Secondary or alteration minerals are rare and only minor goethite, maghernite, malachite, and ferrimolybdite were found. A five stage paragenesis is shown with at least three successive stages of veining."
Panteleyev (1969) also reports that some chalcopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and some molybdenite are contained in the intrusive rock as disseminated grains. Most molybdenite and pyrrhotite and some chalcopyrite and pyrite are found in a quartz stockwork and fractures in the hornfelsic periphery along the southern intrusive contact. The intrusive body is a small stock along the east flank of a low ridge with irregular splaying dikes across the crest of the ridge. The outcrops forming the main part of the ridge are gossanous reddish-brown in colour and form steep to moderately steep slopes. Fresh to weakly altered rock lies immediately beneath the thin iron oxide surface stain, consisting of a granodiorite to quartz monzonite porphyry.
In 1973, Keywest Resources reported that a Kastberg quartz porphyry intrusion runs southerly across PAC 17, 18, Can 5, 6, 19 and 20, as described in their report and as seen on Maps 2 and 5 (Assessment Report 4686). Keywest Resources also reported that a hornfels “bed” which appears to be well-mineralized, outcrops at the initial post of Can 7 and 8 and the final post of Can 9 and 10. This bed was traced by outcrops for 825 metres along strike, near or along the more northern part of the eastern boundary of the intrusive body. The downdip thickness of the hornfels “bed”, measured down the slope and at right angles to the dip, was 185 metres. The bed seemed to strike uniformly 340 degrees, dipping approximately 40 degrees east. This formation is fine-grained, thin-bedded, with 6 millimetre bands of chert. The bands adjacent to the chert bands were found to carry fine-grained chalcopyrite and pyrite. On PAC 20 a hornfels outcropping was found to be well mineralized with pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite.
The hornfels hostrock is a contact metamorphic rock, as shown by thin section determination: "The rock is a very fine grained, banded hornfels probably of the amphibolite facies of the contact metamorphic series. The rock was probably formed by the contact metamorphosis of a thin bedded series of cherts and pelitic sediments. The light bands contain a high percentage of quartz grains along the carbonate and muscovite as well as the sulphides as seen in the polished section. The dark bands are primarily muscovite and pyrite with lesser amounts of quartz and carbonate, The creamy and brown bands also contain some potassium feldspar. The sulphides are associated with the carbonate which often forms a thin border around the grains.”
Of the 12 samples collected from this hornfels bed, 7 graded 0.1 gram per tonne gold or less, 2 graded 0.17 gram per tonne and 3 graded 0.93, 0.96 and 1.54 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 4686). For the 12 samples; silver values ranged from 1.7 grams per tonne to 52.46 grams per tonne and copper values ranged from 0.02 to 1.36 per cent.
Three quartz veins were sampled on the Can 5 claim (about 500 metres west of the hornfels bed) within the porphyry, striking 60 degrees east and dipping vertically. At least one of the veins contained chalcopyrite and bornite. Samples from the south vein assayed 2.38 per cent copper, 343 grams per tonne silver, 9.26 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 4686). The vein was observed for about 100 metres, varying in width from 10 to 15 centimetres.
WORK HISTORY
On the Motase B, a group of 54 recorded mineral claims were held by Kennco Explorations, (Western) Limited. During the summer of 1965 a geochemical survey was made on the claims. In 1966, a total of 144.5 metres of diamond drilling was done in 4 holes. The property was first explored by W.P. Hammond in 1951.
Panteleyev (1969) reports that data towards his 1969 thesis was gathered while employed by Kennco Explorations (Western), Limited, probably in the years just prior to submission of his thesis. Panteleyev examined drill core from at least 3 holes, presumably drilled by Kennco in the mid 1960s. Four diamond-drill holes are plotted on Panteleyev's Map 1.
In 1973, Keywest Resources Ltd held the PAC claim group consisting of 26 claims, and contiguous on their south, the CAN group of 28 claims (Assessment Report 4686). The PAC and CAN group of claims covered the same mineralized Kastberg porphyry as reported on by Pantelyev (1969). Work by Keywest consisted of 16 kilometers of grid lines run north-south along the center of what were the PAC and CAN groups of claims. A geochemical survey was done over the grid, 450 soil samples were collected and some "anomalous zones" were outlined. Trenching is reported to have been done. Part of the grid was covered by a magnetometer survey and the grid was geologically mapped. Four historic diamond-drill holes are plotted on CAN 5, 7 and 8 (Maps 2 and 5, Assessment Report 4686). These line up well with the holes plotted on Map 1 by Panteleyev (1969).
In 2007, Electrum Resource Corp. conducted a work program consisting of a four-person crew that visited the IFT property on August 14, 2007. The crew collected 28 samples; 20 rock samples, 4 samples of talus fines and 4 soil samples in the area of the Motase occurrence (094D 002).
