The Paddy-Mac occurrence is located on the ridge separating Sand and Carpenter creeks, 29.5 kilometres northeast of the community of Terrace.
Steeply dipping, altered argillites of the Jurassic to Cretaceous Bowser Lake Group are cut by granodiorite dikes related to the Cretaceous to Tertiary Coast Plutonic Complex. Granodioritic intrusives are exposed to the southwest of the property.
A 430 metre long quartz vein, striking 035 degrees and dipping 50 degrees southeast, cuts the altered Bowser Lake sediments and is visible along the cirque wall for most of this distance. The vein varies from 10 to 76 centimetres in width and averages about 0.6 metres in width. Mineralization consists of pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite.
Work History
By the 1940’s, two adits were developed on the Paddy Mac area with a 10.7-metre long upper adit following a shear zone and a 10.5-metre long lower adit developed along a 0.3-metre wide quartz vein.
In 1945, a 36 centimetre sample assayed 172 grams per tonne gold and 122 grams per tonne silver. Another 50 centimetre sample assayed, collected 60 metres to the southwest, assayed 12.3 grams per tonne gold and 185 grams per tonne silver (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1945, page 63).
In 1973, Terrace-Bell Mines owned the property and completed sampling on the hanging wall vein, returning 77.74 grams per tonne gold and 144.48 grams per tonne silver over 0.972 metre, and the footwall vein, returning 1.03 grams per tonne gold and 123.84 grams per tonne silver over 0.67 metre (Property File Placer Dome Malcolm, D.C.,1974).
In 1980, 27 chip samples were collected from this vein and the adjacent host rocks. The samples were taken at 3 metre intervals along a strike length of approximately 80 metres. Twenty-one samples taken from the vein averaged 19.54 grams per tonne gold and 176.22 grams per tonne silver across an average width of 0.36 metre. The six wall rock samples averaged 0.55 gram per tonne gold and 6.0 grams per tonne silver (Property File Placer Dome Holt, 1987).
During 1986 through 1994, the area was prospected and sample by R.A. Neill. In 1986, a sample (86CCA36) of mineralized vein material assayed 373.7 grams per tonne gold, 253.7 grams per tonne silver, 0.06 per cent copper and 0.38 per cent lead (Assessment Report 15337). In 1990, a select sample (467854) of a mineralized vein assayed 16.67 grams per tonne gold, while a 2.0 metre chip sample (467853) of the same vein assayed 3.06 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 20504). In 1994, a grab sample (KR103) assayed 60.3 grams per tonne gold, 144 grams per tonne silver, 0.632 per cent copper and greater than 1.0 per cent lead (Assessment Report 23766).
During 2008 through 2013, Casa Minerals Inc. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and ground magnetometer surveys on the area as the Pitman property. In 2014, Abcana Capital Inc. entered into an agreement with Casa Minerals to acquire the Pitman property. During 2015 through 2017, Abcana and Casa Minerals completed programs of prospecting, reconnaissance geological mapping, and soil and rock sampling on the Pitman property.
In 2018 a 223 line kilometre airborne combined versatile time domain electromagnetic (VTEMTM) and aeromagnetic survey was conducted over the Pitman property (including Paddy Mac) for Casa Minerals Inc. (Assessment Report 37955). In addition, a structural analysis was conducted on the property as well as prospecting, geologic mapping and rock sampling of the Paddy Mac gold prospect, including areas newly exposed by retreat and ablation of the Carpenter Creek glacier and snowfields. (Assessment Report 37735).
In 2019, Casa Minerals Inc. drilled 5 NQ diamond drill holes into the Paddy Mac gold-quartz vein area. Although the drill holes did not reach the veins, the geological information has enabled a better understanding of the lithology and structures (Assessment Report 38885).