The Surprise Creek property is located between Todd and Surprise creeks, west of the Grunwald and Jagiello glaciers.
The Ataman area is underlain by Hazelton Group rocks. These comprise andesitic tuffs and breccias of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation and volcanic sediments and tuffs with minor chert and limestone of the Lower Jurassic Betty Creek Formation.
The full size of the Ataman zone is at least 200 by 600 metres in horizontal and 650 metres in vertical dimension. At the bottom of Ataman Zone there is a zone of intense sericite-quartz-pyrite alteration with locally developed quartz stockwork, veins and replacements which carry from trace to 3 per cent galena and sphalerite. Pyrite is very abundant, up to 30 per cent in some areas, occurring as disseminations, clots, stringers and veins up to 5 centimetres in width. The sericite dominated zone is approximately 120 metres high and 200 to 220 metres long. Microscopic examination of several thin sections derived from the zone indicate it represents a subvolcanic trachyte plug. Locally, extremely fine grained syngenetic pyrite, sphalerite and galena with high silver, mercury and manganium hosted in black chert, limestone and mudstone.
In 2016, prospecting led to the discovery of several new mineralized occurrences (Figure 3, Assessment Report 36401). Close to the top of the Ataman zone a six metres thick horizon of finally laminated exhalite with sphalerite mineralization was found. In the top part of the Ataman zone a float sample (AW-33) of chert and barite breccia cemented by limonite was found. Nearby, a zone at least 60 metres across of chalcedonic quartz with trace to 3 per cent of galena was found. Approximately 50 metres below, a composite sample RZ-12 of several grab samples from limestone/chert horizon at least 3 to 4 metres wide with extremely fine-grained sphalerite yielded significant zinc and silver and lesser lead values. In the middle part of the Ataman zone several barite-carbonate veins and shear zones up to 25 metres wide were found, carrying galena and sphalerite with strong silver values. In addition to several mineralized zones an occurrence of presumed silica sinter was found indicating the presence of vent area. Approximately 1.3 kilometres south from Ataman zone numerous float samples of limestone/chert with up to 1 to 2 per cent sphalerite were found.
WORK HISTORY
In the 1970s and 1980s, the area later covered by Surprise Creek claims were prospected and trenched but there are no records of this work. In 1989, the Surp claims were acquired by Teuton Resources Corp. The following year, Teuton Resources conducted soil, silt and rock sampling. In 1994 and 1996, on their Surprise Creek Claims, Teuton conducted an exploration program consisting of reconnaissance geochemical rock and silt sampling as well as geological mapping (Assessment Report 23935, 24996).
In 2003, Pinnacle Mines collected a total of 78 rock samples from outcrop and float as well as 23 silt samples during an exploration program. Assay results yielded highly anomalous values for gold, silver, lead, zinc, arsenic and copper Assessment Report 27290. The highs for these metals were as follow: 13.02 grams per tonne gold, 3,076.8 grams per tonne silver, 2.8 per cent for copper, 5.69 per cent zinc, greater than 1 per cent lead and greater than 1 per cent arsenic (as reported in 37453).
In 2004, year Pinnacle Mines continued reconnaissance geochemical rock and silt sampling of the property. A total of 220 rock samples both from outcrop and float as well as 19 silt samples were collected during the exploration program. Assay results of the samples indicate highly anomalous values for gold, silver, lead, zinc, arsenic and copper. The highest assay for gold was 3.9 parts per million, for silver 1305 parts per million, for lead 9.1 per cent, for zinc greater than 1 per cent parts per million, for arsenic greater than 1 per cent and for copper 8.67 per cent (as reported in 37453).
In 2005, Pinnacle continued exploration on Surprise Creek property. That year a total of 279 rock and 8 silt samples were collected. These samples represented abundant and diverse mineralization found on the property. The most important mineralization consisted of extremely fine-grained syngenetic pyrite, sphalerite and galena with high silver, mercury, and manganium hosted in black chert, limestone and mudstone. Contents of zinc, lead, silver and mercury varied in a broad range from slightly elevated values to the highs of 7.61 per cent for zinc, 1.1 per cent for lead, 106 grams per tonne for silver, and 3.38 per cent for mercury (as reported in 37453). In 2005, sampling yielded up to 7.61 per cent zinc, 1.1 per cent lead, 106 grams per tonne silver and 33,800 parts per billion mercury. In 2007, hole SPO7-04 intersected a weakly mineralized dacite crackle breccia believed to represent the footwall of the VMS system. A combined interval of five core samples, totalling 15.25 metres, from this rock returned 14.18 grams per tonne silver, 0.07 per cent lead and 0.16 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 29446).
Pinnacle work in 2006 was focused on the west part of the property. This area features very intense zone of pervasive K-feldspar alteration which stretches out for at least 10 kilometres in the north-south and 4-5 kilometres in the east-west direction. The extent of this alteration was determined by K-feldspar staining (using sodium cobaltinitrite) of a few dozen samples collected from the area. The intensity of K-feldspar alteration was determined in percentages by visual estimate of stained samples.
A total of 58 rock samples were collected during 2006 exploration program. The highest assays came from the southeast corner of the property. Sample S06-1, a float of mudstone/siltstone with hydrozincite stain and a few per cent of sphalerite, yielded 10.3 grams per tonne silver, 0.2 per cent lead, 1.94 per cent zinc and 0.6 per cent mercury (as reported in 37453). Another sample (S06-2) from the same area (a float of silicified breccia composed of jasper fragments with 2-3 per cent galena, 1-2 per cent pyrite and trace malachite) returned 100.8 grams per tonne silver, 3.62 per cent lead, 0.15 per cent zinc and 0.3 per cent mercury (as reported in 37453).
In 2007, an exploration program by Pinnacle Mines consisted of four diamond-drill holes totaling 1995 metres of NQ core. These holes did not test any specific target but were drilled within a broad area suspected of hosting a Kuroko type VMS mineralization at depth. The holes did not encounter any economic grade VMS mineralization. However, hole SP07-04 intersected (just below a major fault) a weakly mineralized felsic crackle breccia believed to represent a footwall of the VMS system. A combined interval of 5 core samples (15.25 metres) of this breccia returned anomalous values in silver (14.18 grams per tonne), lead (0.07 per cent) and zinc (0.16 per cent) (Assessment Report 29446). Lithologically and geochemically this rock closely resembles a footwall of a VMS mineralization encountered in many holes drilled on BA property. No sediment hosted VMS mineralization was intersected in this hole which most likely was displaced by a fault.
The 2010 exploration program on Surprise Creek property conducted by Great Bear Resources consisted of a helicopter-borne geophysical survey as well as geological mapping and sampling. Geophysical survey consisted of a versatile time domain electromagnetic (VTEM) survey and a cesium magnetometer survey. A total of 3327 line-kilometres were flown over BA and Surprise Creek claims. From September 6 to September 23, Coast Mountain Geological was contracted to perform a program of geological mapping, prospecting and rock sampling over the Surprise Creek claims (Assessment Report 32800). During the program a total of 61 rock samples were collected of which one-third was collected from Ataman Zone (also called Rumble Zone).
During the 2016 exploration program a total of 218 rock samples were collected. The program was focused on Ataman zone (called Rumble zone in 2010 Assessment Report 32800) located on the south side of Jagiello Glacier valley. At the bottom of the zone, Mountain Boy crew found several angular boulders up to 1.0 metres in size composed of limestone/mudstone with 1 to 15 per cent sphalerite. Three samples collected from these boulders assayed 3.04, 3.13 and 11.64 per cent zinc plus anomalous lead, silver, gold, arsenic and tungsten; gold assays averaged 0.09 grams per tonne. A follow-up prospecting carried out on Ataman Zone led to the discovery of several new mineralized occurrences. The same year, Mountain Boy drilled 2 holes targeting the lower part of Ataman zone. Hole SC16-2 returned 0.12 gram per tonne gold, 28.0 grams per tonne silver, 1.21 per cent zinc, 0.03 per cent lead, 0.31 per cent copper (Assessment Report 36401).
In 2017, the rock sampling program of Mountain Boy Minerals' Surprise Creek property resulted in the collection of 115 samples. Of those, 24 samples were taken by a team of climbers from the top part of a prominent sericite-quartz-pyrite zone situated at the base of Ataman Zone (see figure 3, Assessment Report 37453). The remaining 91 samples were collected from other areas of the property (see figure 4, Assessment Report 37453). The 2017 drilling program on the Surprise Creek property consisted of two diamond drill holes totaling 345 metres of NQ core. The holes were drilled from the same pad used for the 2016 drilling which was located just above a large prominent zone of sericite-quartz-pyrite alteration. The holes intersected a sequence of volcanic rocks dominated by trachyte in the upper parts of the hole and trachyte pyroclastics in the lower parts of the holes. Hole SC17-03 intercept from 48.95 to 75.0 metres averaged 22.34 grams per tonne silver 0.36 per cent copper, 0.03 per cent lead, 1.03 per cent zinc and 41.0 per cent BaSO4 over 26.05 metres (Assessment Report 37453).
