The Metsantan Lake occurrence consists of a large deposit of specular hematite which is located 1 kilometre north of the confluence of the Abesti Creek with Moyez Creek, along Moyez Creek. It is located in the west-central part of the Toodoggone gold camp, approximately 254 kilometres north of the community of Smithers.

The area is underlain by volcanics of the Adoogacho and Metsantan members of the Lower Jurassic Toodoggone Formation (Hazelton Group). Property exploration work described these rocks as massive, purple crystal ash tuffs with pervasive weak hematization (Assessment Report 13037). Regionally, the Adoogacho Member is described as being composed of trachydacite ash-flow tuff, lapilli and finer tuff, volcanic sandstone and conglomerate (Bulletin 86). The overlying Metsantan Member consists of trachyandesite flows with lesser lapilli tuff and lahar; minor volcanic sandstone and conglomerate (Bulletin 86).

The large occurrence of specular hematite was reported to have yielded up to 60 per cent iron, based on assay samples taken from the occurrence. D. Lay, in a 1934 report on the placer occurrences in the vicinity of McClair Creek and the Toodoggone River, noted the presence of a large quantity of magnetite and lesser specular hematite in the glacial drift of that area. The ice flow direction was southeasterly in that area.

Work History

In 1940, prospector T.S. Thompson reportedly discovered an iron occurrence some distance north of Metsantan Lake while prospecting for W. Wilson of Burns Lake. Mr. Thompson is reported to have done further prospecting on the occurrence in 1942.

In 1982, Newmont Exploration of Canada Ltd. staked the Moyez and Chuck claims on the area and completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical sampling and geophysical surveys. In 1984, a further program of silt and soil sampling and geological mapping was completed on the area. The following year, Miramar Energy Corp. purchased the claims and completed a program of rock and silt sampling and geological mapping.

Work done on the area in 1985 identified three areas of silicification, hematization and alunitization on the Chuck 1-2 claims, located approximately 3 kilometres to the west-southwest, which may be indicative of an epithermal alteration cap. Samples taken from these zones yielded from trace to 0.145 per cent lead, trace to 2.8 gram per tonne silver and trace to 0.10 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 14005).

Also at this time, Delaware Resources Corp. and Geostar Mining Corp. completed programs of rock and silt sampling, prospecting and geological mapping on the area immediately west and north as the Adoog 1-6 claims and Moytan 1-2 claims, respectively. This work identified a 0.1- to 2.0-metre wide oxidized and silicified shear zone with pyrite and pyrrhotite extending for 300 metres along a north-trending creek on the Adoog 1 claim, located approximately 4 kilometres to the north-northwest, associated with a stream silt gold anomaly with values of up to 1050 parts per billion gold (Assessment Report 14464). A rock sample (EDA-074) from this area yielded 0.224 gram per tonne gold, while two float samples (EDA-108 and DYA-047) of hematized quartz carbonate, from the Adoog 5 claim to the southwest, assayed 5.8 and 0.25 grams per tonne gold with 576.3 and 19.5 grams per tonne silver, respectively (Assessment Report 14464).

In 1986, Miramar Energy Corp., on the behalf of Newmont Exploration, completed a ground VLF-electromagnetic and resistivity survey on the Chuck and Moyez claims. Also at this time, Delaware Resources Corp. completed a program of stream silt sampling on the Adoog 7 claim to the west, which identified anomalous gold values of up to 100 parts per billion in the area of the previous high-grade float samples (Assessment Report 15619). An airborne magnetometer survey was also completed on the area immediately east (Spike claim) by the Toodoggone Syndicate.

In 1987, Delaware Resources Corp. completed a program of prospecting and rock sampling the Adoog 1-7 claims.

In 1988, on behalf of Prolific Resources Ltd., a field exploration program was completed on their 'Toodoggone' properties, comprising the Stik, Fred, Adoog, Doog, Jim and Mike claims to the west and north. The objective of the program was to locate and evaluate the gold potential of epithermal quartz breccia systems on the claims. Exploration consisted of extensive prospecting, geological mapping, lithogeochemical sampling (355 rock), hand trenching (1 trench, 19 metres), and soil sampling (722).

In 1990, Miramar Energy Corp. completed a soil sampling program on the Chuck and Moyez claims.