The Delta area is underlain by Hazelton Group intermediate volcaniclastics. Sedimentary rocks have been folded into synclines and anticlines with north trending fold axes. Small Eocene feldspar intrusions occur in this area.
A mineralized zone occurs within a north trending, 100 to 150 metre wide band of sericite schist. This zone consists of small bands of pyrite, silicified sections and quartz veins. The quartz veins carry pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite, tetrahedrite, argentite, sphalerite, galena, native gold, malachite and azurite. The sample with the highest assay contained 0.45 per cent copper, 0.64 per cent lead, 1.86 per cent zinc, 0.34 per cent antimony, 64.46 grams per tonne gold and 1357.38 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 14607).
According to Max Minerals, the Delta Northeast zone is a broad soil anomaly defined by strongly anomalous gold, arsenic, lead, antimony and zinc. In 2010, one contour line began below the historic grid and continued east. The contour line confirmed the presence of the gold±arsenic±copper±lead±antimony±zinc anomaly below the Delta Northeast Zone and also indicates a 200 m zone with patchy gold±cobalt±copper±lead+zinc anomalies east of the main zone; however, this minor zone is of limited interest and only the main Delta Northeast zone warrants further work. In particular, the trend should be extended to the west and north. One rock sample taken during the 2009 program returned strongly anomalous gold (13.6 grams per tonne), silver (746 grams per tonne) and base metal values (Assessment Report 31747).
Work History
Teuton Resource staked the surrounding ground in 1982 as the Feld, Delta and Alpha.
Geochemical stream sediment and rock character sampling carried out in 1985 by Teuton Resources Corp resulted in the discovery of a number of samples highly anomalous in gold and silver.
The property was optioned to Territorial Petroleum a in 1986. Territorial drilled 5 short holes in the Delta Northeast showing area (104B 289) (also called the "M" zone) to test for extensions of a native gold occurrence noted the previous year on the topland in the northeastern quadrant of what was later staked as the Best Bet 17 claim. This program failed to uncover any economic mineralization. A soil geochemistry survey along 30 metre topographic contours, sample interval 25 metres, disclosed a number of distinct +400 parts per billion gold anomalies (with roughly coincident silver, lead, and zinc anomalies), located in the western half of the Delta claim [covered later by Best Bet 17 claim]. Rock sampling in the center of one of the anomalies provided samples of up to 6.8 grams per tonne in a silicified tuff.
The property was re-optioned to Canarc Resources Corp. in 1989. In 1989 the Delta and Alpha had be allowed to lapse by error. During 1989-1990 Canarc carried out a comprehensive exploration program consisting of prospecting, sampling, trenching, geological mapping, geochemical surveys and both airborne and ground geophysical surveys (Assessment Report 20731). Several targets were located as a result of this work including two prominent IP-resistivity anomalies (with coincident Mag/VLF trends) in the "M" and "J" zones (Assessment Report 22891). Canarc dropped the option in early 1991 and the property reverted to Teuton. In 1991, Teuton carried out a program of geochemical soil sampling over the "J"zones. This program disclosed a sharp gold-silver-lead-zinc geochemical anomaly coincident with the geophysical anomalies detected during the 1990 Canarc survey. The following year a small program was also undertaken to extend and fill-in the grid sampled in 1991.
In 1994, a small work program was undertaken in the southwest corner of the Bast Bat 17 claim, an area which had previously been only lightly explored. Reconnaissance geochemistry rock sampling uncovered a number of argillite float boulders carrying anomalous gold values ranging up to 13.89 grams per tonne gold (as reported in Assessment Report 24267). The source was not located.
The 1995 work on the Hot Tip claim was conducted in order to trace to source gold-bearing argillite boulders found in 1994 just outside the Hot Tip claim boundary on the Best Bet 17 claim. At this time 19 rock samples were collected, 15 of which were float samples. Two of the outcrop grab samples were anomalous in lead, zinc and silver. No strong correlation between the samples taken during the 1995 program and the targeted high gold-bearing samples from the 1994 program.
In 2006 and 2007, Hathor Exploration Ltd. completed a 7228.7 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the area as the Delta claims of the Iskut project. In 2008, Max Minerals Ltd. examined the property.
In 2010, MAX Minerals Ltd targeted precious metal-rich quartz-carbonate veining on its Delta block of claims and discovered a new zone of mineralization named the Ptuck. Contour and ridgeline soil sampling was carried out in 2010 on the Delta claims. A ridgeline traverse was completed on the ridge between the Delta MINFILE occurrences (104B166, 104B 202, 104B 241, 104B 242, 104B 341, and Delta Northeast) to the north and the Fairweather showing to the south. The western end of the line exhibits gold plus/minus arsenic plus/minus copper plus/minus cobalt plus/minus nickel plus/minus lead plus/minus antimony plus/minus zinc anomalies extending approximately 500 metres east. However, the end of the zone is also marked by a change in lithology from Hazelton Group sedimentary rocks to volcanic rocks. Mapping and prospecting in this area did not uncover any significant mineralization.
See Delta (104B 166) for further details of the Delta property and work history.
