The terrane adjacent to and within the Forrest property is dominated by a north trending, northwest dipping belt of Paleozoic Stikine assemblage rocks ranging in age from early Devonian to late Permian. The area is underlain by a belt of deformed mafic metavolcanic rocks and metasedimentary rocks, correlated with the Paleozoic Stikine terrane and the Mesozoic Stuhini Group. Structurally controlled mineralization in the belt has been found to occur mainly in intermediate volcanic units.
The Forrest claims extend approximately 10 kilometres north from the Iskut River along the west side of Forrest Kerr Creek. They contain multiple mineral occurrences concentrated in four areas; South Forrest, Ridge, Midway and North Ridge.
The Forrest Zone consists of a 600 by 400 metre area inundated with quartz and quartz carbonate veins that are relatively continuous and widely spaced. The veins occupy a couple dominant orientations. Firstly, large, ankerite-quartz veins, locally sheared and locally vuggy, strike 100-130° with a steep dip and generally a shallow mineral lineation. These veins are commonly linked by extensional, roughly north-south oriented veins, typically striking from 320° to 355°. Chalcopyrite commonly occurs in the veins and seems to be most concentrated where they are cut by discrete shears. Overall, sulphide distribution is sparse. In 1990, Hole VD 90-9 was collared in the centre of the megastockwork zone in an effort to test for metal zonation and a subsequent increase in down dip gold-arsenic-copper mineralization. Results from drilling this 223.11 metre hole were discouraging as no mineralized quartz veins were intersected.
In general, mineralization is in extensive quartz stockworks and veins (the Forrest System) strike either 135/70NE or 360/90; then appear to be strongly associated with the Forrest Kerr fault. Grab samples retrun up to 17.1 grams per tonne gold. Mineralization on the claims consists of gold- and silver-bearing quartz chalcopyrite veins. Visable gold occurs with bornite and hematite in quartz veins that assay up to 110.4 grams per tonne gold. Other significant mineralization peripheral to the Forrest system includes stratiform/shear related semi-massive chalcopyrite and quartz vein talus with up to 198.8 grams per tonne gold.
Work History
The original Forrest claims were staked in 1987 and were first optioned to the Prime Group Company, Avondale Resources Limited. Work under the Avondale option ranged from initial prospecting to grid controlled mapping, geochemical rock and soil sampling, geophysical surveys, mechanical and hand trenching, and diamond drilling (Assessment Report 20562).
Field work carried out in 1990 included line-cutting, grid soil geochemical surveys (2366 samples), VLF-EM/magnetometer, IP and UTEM geophysical surveys, prospecting 235 rock samples), EDM surveying, mechanized trenching (24 -trenches, 996 metres) and diamond drilling (20 holes, 1869.53 metres). Drilling was completed over seven target areas on the Forrest 3 mineral claim. Those targets included: Triple Creek, Creek Shear, Canyon Shear, Tarn Showing, Fifty Zone, Whistler Showing and the Forrest Zone. Work carried out in previous years comprised prospecting and hand trenching in 1988; and grid establishment, geological mapping, contour soil, stream sediment, and grid soil geochemical surveys, magnetometer and VLF-resistivity geophysical surveys, prospecting and hand trenching in 1989.
The property was eventually returned to the owner and in 1993 Abacus Minerals Corporation optioned the property. Pamicon Developments Limited completed a small exploration program in 1994 on behalf of Abacus, which included mapping, trenching, soil (209 samples) and rock (66 samples) sampling in the Crooked Creek Zone (Assessment Report 23629).
The last significant work done was in 1995, when line cutting, geological mapping, rock sampling, geophysical surveys, diamond drilling (11 holes totaling 1421 metres) and prospecting surveys were conducted over several specific areas (Assessment Report 24156). Drill holes F95-1 and 2 (307.8 metres) tested the Crooked Creek showings on Forrest 2. Drill holes F95-4 to 11 tested the Triple Creek, Creek, Barry's Cliff and Canyon Shear showings on Forrest 3. Hole F95-3 (118.9 metres) tested the Azurite Showing, also on Forrest 3. Pamicon and SJ Geophysics conducted the exploration program on behalf of Meridian Peak Resources Corporation under an option agreement with Abacus Minerals Corporation.
A brief program of rock sampling was initiated by Central resources Corp. in September 2007 but was cut short by weather problems. This work has not been documented.
Exploration activities between 1988 and 1995 resulted in the identification of approximately 36 mineral showings on the Forrest property as it was then configured. Of these showings, eight have been diamond drilled, while others have been trenched, sampled, covered by geophysical and/or geochemical surveys or remained simply prospects.
In late 2009, Misty Creek Ventures Ltd/Pamicon Developments Ltd. (Misty/Pamicon) conducted geological mapping program in two areas; the Gossan Ridge and the North Grid (Assessment Report 31193). Three days were spent mapping the structures and showings in and around the Forrest Zone on Gossan Ridge. A fourth day was spent prospecting and mapping in the area of unexplained gold-copper-arsenic soil geochemistry anomalies in the North Grid Area. A total of 19 rock samples were taken, including 3 chip samples.
In 2011, Astar Minerals Ltd. optioned the Forrest property and completed a program of rock, stream silt and soil sampling, prospecting and ground geophysical surveys. Silt sampling indicated a highly anomalous stream in the southwestern part of the property, while soil sampling identified two gold-arsenic anomalies on the North Grid; one associated with the Crooked Creek (104B 488) showing and the second along the northern soil lines of the 2011 program. The southern grid identified two weak anomalies located along separate soil lines with weaker surrounding values. Prospecting identified new areas of mineralization on both the North Grid area and south of Gossan Ridge along the west side of the property.
