The Quartz Lake occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1640 metres, on the east side of ‘Quartz Lake’, southwest of the Toodoggone River and approximately 3.8 kilometres southwest of the river’s junction with Bronlund Creek.
Regionally, the area 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 Paleogene 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 Stuhini Group andesite flows and pyroclastic rocks, and marine sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Hazelton Group. These 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 calc-alkaline volcanics of the Toodoggone Formation (Hazelton Group).
The dominant structures in the area are steeply dipping faults that 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 occurrence area is underlain by porphyritic andesite of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Hazelton Group. The quartz-carbonate-adularia veins at Quartz Lake are considered an epithermal low-sulphidation vein system. Normal faults are related to the low-sulphidation veins, which are wide, banded and trend northwest.
Locally, a parallel, multi-phase quartz-carbonate vein set (570-A to -E) varies between 5 to 20 metres, averaging 12 to 14 metres, in width and has been partially tested and traced for 200 to 350 metres along strike and 100 metres in vertical depth by drilling. The veins strike 330 degrees and dip 60 degrees to the northeast and cut grey-green andesite lavas that correlate with the Metsantan member (Toodoggone Formation) of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Hazelton Group. The vein-style mineralization is open downdip and along strike to the north.
The occurrence is described as comprising quartz stockwork, silica flooding and sulphides in wallrock and veins. Galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite, chalcopyrite, pyrite and argentite or acanthite occur as fine disseminations, patchy aggregates and semi-massive to massive bands up to several centimetres wide in a gangue of white sparry calcite, milky to grey quartz, chalcedony, minor amethyst and lesser adularia. Native silver and visible gold have been noted in drillcore.
In 2003, a chip sample from the north end of the ‘570’ vein assayed 2.45 grams per tonne gold and 20.8 grams per tonne silver over 9.1 metres, whereas another chip sample, taken approximately 150 metres to the southeast, yielded 3.2 grams per tonne gold and 48.8 grams per tonne silver across 4.0 metres (Assessment Report 27429). Also at this time, grab samples are reported to have yielded up to 8 grams per tonne gold and 800 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 27790).
In 2004, chip and channel sampling of the 570-A, -B and -C veins yielded 1.0-metre intervals of up to 16.23, 4.81 and 1.72 grams per tonne gold with 67.8, 39.4 and 35.3 grams per tonne silver over 1.0 metre, respectively (Assessment Report 27790). Other samples yielded up to 4.16 and 2.33 grams per tonne gold with 29.94 and 21.80 grams per tonne silver over 8.0 metres, respectively, from the 570-A and -B veins (Assessment Report 27790).
Also at this time, diamond drilling yielded intercepts including 1.47 grams per tonne gold and 8.9 grams per tonne silver over 4.4 metres in hole SG04-01; 1.69 and 9.44 grams per tonne gold with 5.49 and 356.0 grams per tonne silver over 8.0 and 0.5 metres, respectively, in hole SG04-02; 5.87 and 1.73 grams per tonne gold with 23.4 and 12.4 grams per tonne silver over 1.8 and 8.6 metres, respectively, in hole SG04-03; 6.38 and 3.51 grams per tonne gold with 55.0 and 33.1 grams per tonne silver over 4.1 and 11.6 metres, respectively, in hole SG04-04; 3.05 grams per tonne gold and 40.0 grams per tonne silver over 3.0 metres in hole SG04-05; 2.83 and 1.84 grams per tonne gold with 16.2 and 23.2 grams per tonne silver over 5.0 and 7.0 metres, respectively, in hole SG04-06; 2.60 and 1.80 grams per tonne gold with 90.3 and 42.9 grams per tonne silver over 2.0 and 5.3 metres, respectively, in hole SG04-07; 11.6 and 3.17 grams per tonne gold with 97.8 and 23.0 grams per tonne silver over 1.0 and 5.0 metres, respectively, in hole SG04-08; 1.74 grams per tonne gold and 17.7 grams per tonne silver over 5.4 metres in hole SG04-10 and 3.99 grams per tonne gold with 6.1 grams per tonne silver over 1.0 metre in hole SG04-11 (Assessment Report 27790).
The average for the 'A' vein set is 36.05 grams per tonne silver and 3.23 grams per tonne gold over an intersected width of 2.78 metres, which at an 85 per cent intersection angle translates to 2.3 metres true thickness; the weighted average for the surface channel samples of the 'A' vein is 3.23 grams per tonne gold and 39.69 grams per tonne silver over a 3.23 metres true width (Assessment Report 30339).
Work History
In 1999, Stealth Minerals staked the initial claims in the area of what is now known as the Sickle-Sofia property and, later that year, Standard Metals conducted a small-scale geochemical program on the area on behalf of Stealth Minerals.
In 2003, Stealth minerals completed a program of rock, silt and soil sampling and 78.4 line-kilometres of ground geophysical surveys on the Pine property. Also at this time, as part of a private-public partnership with the Geological Survey of Canada and the British Columbia Department of Mines and Energy, the Sickle-Sofia property was included in a multi-parameter helicopter-borne geophysical survey over the Toodoggone district. Several high potassium anomalies and low thorium-potassium ratio anomalies were detected.
In 2004, Stealth Minerals expanded the Sickle Sofia property package by staking additional claims. A grid-based soil survey was conducted over 27 square kilometres and a total of 728 rock and 2103 soil samples were collected.
In 2005, a program of geological mapping and a 21 line-kilometre induced polarization and ground magnetic geophysical survey was completed over the lower, glacial-fluvial–covered portion of the Sofia (MINFILE 094E 238) copper-gold porphyry target. This survey outlined an 800-metre wide by 1200-metre long +40 millisecond induced polarization chargeability anomaly that was open to the north.
In 2006, Stealth Minerals further expanded the IP/ground magnetic survey by another 21 line-kilometres and expanded the chargeability anomaly a further 600 metres north and 300 metres west. During the 2006 season, a total of 28 rock samples were taken from outcrop and float. Geophysical surveys were completed in the area between and covering the Sofia (MINFILE 094E 238) to Quartz Lake (MINFILE 094E 301) occurrences.
In 2015, a program of geophysical review completed for Cazador Resources Ltd. on the Sofia property identified five target areas. Later that year, a 4.0 line-kilometre induced polarization survey was completed.
In 2017, Cazador Resources completed 239.0 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic surveying and a 2.5 line-kilometre ground induced polarization survey on the Sofia property.
See Sickle Creek (MINFILE 094E 237) occurrence for further details of the Stealth Minerals Limited Sickle-Sophia property.
