The Chopin area is underlain by a sequence of folded and faulted upper Triassic andesitic volcanic and clastic sedimentary rock units of the Stuhini Group. The sequences of clastic layered rocks consist of volcanic wackes, andesitic flows, and argillite interbeds.
The central part of the property is underlain by a 600 to 800 metre thick volcaniclastic-andesitic tuff unit. To the west it is interbedded with black argillite. A lesser member of this unit is a grey limestone up to 5 to 10 metres thick. East of the main Handel Fault, within Snippaker Ridge saddle, the limestone hosts fossils that are reported to be of Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic age.
The volcaniclastic-andesitic tuff is the cliff-forming unit most prevalent along Snippaker Ridge. It is grey to green in color and ranges from massive, medium-grained to fine-grained clastic, pebbly or conglomeratic. The unit is calcareous throughout and appears to be in contact with the underlying argillites at an elevation of about 1000 metres. This unit is coarser west of the Handel Fault and hosts argillite clasts up to 10 to 15 millimetres across. Calcite stringers, occasional quartz veins and traces of disseminated pyrite are found throughout the unit.
The Ridge showings are located in the cliffs on the north side of Snippaker Ridge and extend along strike for about 150 metres. They are similar to the Handel showing (refer to Handel, 104B 205), and each is a shear controlled pod up to 0.5 metre in width and 5.0 metres in length, containing veins and veinlets of carbonate, pyrite and other sulphides. They are characterized by extensive rust- staining, which is dark purple in some areas. The altered rock is usually soft, porous and pale green in color.
Pyrite and arsenopyrite are the most abundant and both occur as coarse grains. Sphalerite is also abundant with minor amounts of chalcopyrite and galena.
The mineralized zone trends about 125 degrees and dips about 60 degrees to the south.
In 1987, two rock samples from the Ridge showing assayed 4.2 grams per tonne gold, 11.9 grams per tonne silver and 4.75 grams per tonne gold, 50.0 grams per tonne silver. Another sample assayed 7.6 grams per tonne gold and 74.5 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 16684).
In 1990, Solomon Resources spent two days of prospecting along a gold-in-soil anomaly which trends northwest from the Ridge Zone. This led to several discoveries including quartz and carbonate veins with pyrite, sphalerite and galena. Values in gold up to 16.6 grams per tonne gold were obtained from samples (Assessment Report 21219).
In 2007, Apex Geoscience collected samples at the Ridge showing one of which (sample 07ARP803) assayed of 274 grams per tonne silver, 10.14 per cent lead and 15.87 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 29544).
Refer to Bronson (104B 300) for further information and a related work history.
