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File Created: 09-Oct-1992 by Keith J. Mountjoy (KJM)
Last Edit:  25-Jan-2021 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name AIR, AIR 1-2, AREA G, JD Mining Division Omineca
BCGS Map 094E045
Status Showing NTS Map 094E06E
Latitude 057º 27' 00'' UTM 09 (NAD 83)
Longitude 127º 09' 58'' Northing 6368964
Easting 610049
Commodities Gold, Silver, Zinc, Copper Deposit Types H04 : Epithermal Au-Ag-Cu: high sulphidation
Tectonic Belt Intermontane Terrane Stikine
Capsule Geology

The Air showing consists of a mineralized diabase to diorite dike hosted in a granodiorite stock, exposed on a northwest-trending ridge 6.3 kilometres northeast of Kadah Lake and 3.5 kilometres northwest of the confluence of Air Creek and the Toodoggone River (Assessment Report 9995). The showing is 300 kilometres north of Smithers. It lies within the Omineca-Cassiar Mountains in the north-central portion of the Toodoggone gold camp.

The Air showing is situated within a Mesozoic volcanic arc assemblage which lies along the eastern margin of the Intermontane Belt, a northwest-trending belt of Paleozoic to Tertiary sediments, volcanics and intrusions bounded to the east by the Omineca Belt and to the west and southwest by the Sustut and Bowser basins.

Permian Asitka Group crystalline limestones are the oldest rocks exposed in the region. They are commonly in thrust contact with Upper Triassic Takla Group andesite flows and pyroclastic rocks. These Takla rocks have been intruded by plutons and other bodies of the mainly granodiorite to quartz monzonite Early Jurassic Black Lake Suite and are in turn unconformably overlain by or faulted against Lower Jurassic calcalkaline volcanics of the Toodoggone Formation, Hazelton Group.

The dominant structures in the area are steeply dipping faults which define a prominent regional northwest structural fabric trending 140 to 170 degrees. In turn, high angle, northeast-striking faults (approximately 060 degrees) appear to truncate and displace northwest-striking faults. Collectively these faults form a boundary for variably rotated and tilted blocks underlain by monoclinal strata.

The Air showing is underlain by Toodoggone volcanics consisting of rhyolite, tuff and feldspar porphyry. The tuffs strike northwest and dip 30 to 45 degrees. It is assumed that the rhyolite has a similar attitude. The feldspar porphyry appears to intrude the volcanics; the contact between the porphyry and the tuff was observed to be sharp (Assessment Report 10471). These rocks are mapped as belonging to a fault bound block of the McClair Member of the Toodoggone volcanics, surrounded by volcanics of the Attycelley Member. The McClair Member volcanics are described as heterogeneous lapilli to block tuffs, andesite flows and numerous cogenetic dikes and subvolcanic plugs, minor mudstone and conglomerate (Bulletin 86).

Mineralization observed at and around the Air showing to date consists of disseminated pyrite in rhyolites and feldspar porphyry (Assessment Report 10471). Sample 5974C, taken from an outcrop of feldspar porphyry, analysed 11.6 grams per tonne silver, 4.2 grams per tonne gold and 0.0212 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 10471).

Another area of mineralization, referred to as Area G and located approximately 250 metres to the west, comprises a banded and brecciated quartz-carbonate vein system that has been traced in float and subcrop for approximately 150 metres along an east-west–trending fracture structure.

In 1981, samples (1541, 1542, 1547 and 18459) of quartz carbonate–veined subcrop from the area yielded from trace to 0.17 gram per tonne gold with 1.0 to 72.0 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 9372). Later that year, samples (71148 through 71160) of quartz carbonate veining yielded values of up to 0.850 gram per tonne gold, 248.3 grams per tonne silver and 0.940 per cent copper (Assessment Report 9833).

In 1983, two rock samples (26848 and 26849) yielded values of up to 0.425 gram per tonne gold and 4.7 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 11843).

In 1994, a grab sample (145620) of limonitic feldspar porphyry with quartz veins up to 2 centimetres across yielded 0.05 gram per tonne gold and 25.7 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 23663).

In 2012, a sample (1710535) of andesite cut by quartz carbonate sulphide stringers assayed 21.1 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 33556).

Work History

Prior to staking the Air 1 and 2 claims in 1980 by Du Pont of Canada Exploration Limited there had been no known previous exploration in that area. A total of 25 stream sediment samples, 14 soil samples, and 4 rock samples were collected on the claims in 1980. In 1981, follow-up geology prospecting and geochemical sampling was conducted in an attempt to locate the source of gold in an originally anomalous stream sediment sample. A total of 238 soil samples 11 stream sediment samples and 18 rock chip samples were collected by Du Pont. The Air prospect was later encompassed by the JD property.

Recent work in the JD property included rock and large scale soil sampling in 2012 by Tower Resources and aeromagnetic surveying by Duran Ventures in 2008. The JD soil survey was very broad and covered the Air showing, extending extensively in all directions from its plotted location. The Air was also encompassed by the 2008 aeromagnetic survey.

Refer to JD (Finn) (094E 171) for further JD property work history and geological details.

Bibliography
EMPR BULL 86
EMPR EXPL 1975-E163-E167; 1976-E175-E177; 1977-E216-E217; 1978-E244-E246; 1979-265-267; 1980-421-436; 1982-330-345; 1983-475-488; 1984-348-357; 1985-C349-C362; 1986-C388-C414; 1987-C328-C346; 1988-C185-C194
EMPR FIELDWORK 1980, pp. 124-129; 1981, pp. 122-129, 135-141; 1982, pp. 125-127; 1983, pp. 137-138, 142-148; 1984, pp. 139-145, 291-293; 1985, pp. 167-169, 299; 1987, pp. 111, 114-115; 1989, pp. 409-415; 1991, pp. 207-216
EMPR GEM 1969-103; 1971-63-71; 1973-456-463
EMPR GEOLOGY 1977-1981, pp. 156-161
EMPR MAP 61 (1985)
EMPR PF (Photogeologic Interpretation Map of the Northern Omineca area, Oct. 1964, Canadian Superior Exploration Limited-in 94E General File)
GSC BULL 270
GSC OF 306; 483
GSC P 76-1A, pp. 87-90; 80-1A, pp. 27-32
W MINER April, 1982
N MINER October 13, 1986
N MINER MAG March 1988, p. 1
GCNL #23(Feb.1), 1985; #165(Aug.27), 1986
IPDM Nov/Dec 1983
ECON GEOL Vol. 86, pp. 529-554, 1991
MIN REV September/October, 1982; July/August, 1986
WIN Vol. 1, #7, June 1987
Forster, D.B. (1984): Geology, Petrology and Precious Metal Mineralization, Toodoggone River Area, North-Central British Columbia, Unpub. Ph.D. Thesis, University of British Columbia
Diakow, L.J. (1990): Volcanism and Evolution of the Early and Middle Jurassic Toodoggone Formation, Toodoggone Mining District, British Columbia, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Western Ontario

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