The Spider 3 occurrence is located about 500 metres northeast of the northern tip of Long lake, approximately 400 metres east of the Cascade River.
The area is underlain by northwest-trending, massive augite porphyry flows of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation (Hazelton Group). These form the crumpled core of the northwest-trending, southeast-plunging Spider anticline (Open File 1987-22). Previous workers mapped these rocks as a small stock of Tertiary (or older) augite diorite porphyry that is part of the Glacier Creek intrusions of the Coast Plutonic Complex (Bulletin 58, 63). The occurrence lies near the contact with overlying slates of the Middle Jurassic Salmon River Formation (Hazelton Group). Basic and acid dikes of the Portland Canal dike swarm are conspicuous in the area.
At least five quartz-calcite veins, 0.3 to 3.7 metres wide, are known. They are mineralized with pyrite, sphalerite, galena and minor argentite, tetrahedrite, native silver, chalcopyrite, freibergite and native gold. The best mineralization occurs in short shoots and lenses in the narrower veins. The veins trend northwest to north-northwest and dip southwest.
The Nos. 1, 4 and 5 veins trend north-northwest, are wider and generally barren. The Nos. 2 and 3 veins trend northwest, are slightly sheared fractures, and carry high grade mineralization in places.
The No. 2 vein (referred to in earlier Annual Reports as the No. 5 vein) was drifted on for 186 metres in the long tunnel. It trends 319 degrees and dips 50-70 degrees southwest. The vein is a mineralized shear, 0.6 to 1.5 metres wide, which carries lenses and streaks of quartz grading into shattered wallrock. The best mineralization occurs along the northwestern 100 metres of the vein. A chip sample collected in 1936, across the vein at 117 metres from the portal, assayed 658.3 grams per tonne silver, 0.69 grams per tonne gold and 2.0 per cent zinc over a width of 0.76 metres (Minister of Mines Annual Report, 1936, p. B30).
The No. 3 vein is exposed in two opencuts, that continue into adits, which lie about 240 metres south-southeast of the portal of the tunnel on the No. 2 vein. The vein is 0.1 to 0.5 metres wide, trends 297 degrees and dips 70-80 degrees to the southwest. Although poorly defined, the vein can be traced for about 100 metres. A sample collected in 1936 from one of the opencuts assayed 4.8 grams per tonne gold, 2,290.3 grams per tonne silver, 3.0 per cent zinc and nil copper and lead (Minister of Mines Annual Report, 1936, p. B29).
Work History
The Spider 1-3 claims (L. 4172-4174) were staked in 1918 by Hamilton and Larsen and optioned briefly the following year to Trites and Wood who carried out minor development work. In 1919, the Algunican Development Company Ltd. optioned the property and commenced exploration work. During 1919-20, a 213-metre-long tunnel and a raise were completed on the No. 2 vein (described as the No. 5 vein in 1920), some drilling was performed on the No. 1 vein and open- cutting was done on the No. 3 vein. A southwest-trending crosscut was completed from the southeastern end of the tunnel to intersect the No. 3 vein at depth. The option was dropped in 1920.
In 1925, B.C. Bonanza Mines Ltd. acquired the property. Open drifting was carried out that year on the No. 3 vein. The company also sorted and sacked ore, 1.8 tonnes from the dump of the old tunnel (No. 2 vein?) averaged 15.8 grams per tonne gold, 13,176.1 grams per tonne silver, 9 per cent lead and 13 per cent zinc and. From the opencut on the No. 3 vein, 4.5 tonnes assayed 15.1 grams per tonne gold, 12,531.5 grams per tonne silver, 8.4 per cent lead and 13.6 per cent zinc (Minister of Mines Annual Report, 1925, p. 107).
In 1927, 1.2 tonnes were shipped and 9,611 grams of silver were recovered. The property subsequently lapsed and was purchased by Collart in 1934. In 1934, drifting to the southeast, from the end of the long tunnel and possibly on the No. 3 vein, and a raise above this drift were reported. In 1936, 2 adits were reported on the No. 3 vein and a small stope was noted in the tunnel on the No. 2 vein. Leasees carried out high grading operations during 1933-35. A total of 16 tonnes were shipped in four shipments which recovered an average of 13.7 grams per tonne gold and 6,449.2 grams per tonne silver (Minister of Mines Annual Report, 1936, p. B31), as well, Mineral Policy records production of 206 kilograms of lead for this period. The claims were held by Campbell in 1963.
In 2017, Richard Billingsley completed an airborne magnetic survey on the area. In 2019, AUX Resources Corp. completed a program of prospecting, geological mapping and rock sampling on the area as the Independence and Slippery Ian properties. Samples from the Spider No.3 occurrence yielded up to 50.7 grams per tonne gold, 9300 grams per tonne silver, 5.48 per cent lead and 12.75 per cent zinc (Bravewolf Consulting [2020-07-17]: 2020 Technical (NI 43-101) Report on the Independence and Slippery Ian Properties).
