The Tide (52 Zone) occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 940 metres on an east facing slope, approximately 0.9 kilometre west of the Bowser River.
The area is underlain by ash tuffs with lesser dust and lapilli tuffs and interbedded augite porphyry of the Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation, Hazelton Group. A north trending extension of Lower Jurassic Summit Lake Stock hornblende granodiorite intrudes the volcanics. This intrusive lobe is from 300 to 500 metres wide, and seperates andesitic volcanics to the west from dacitic volcanics to the east (Open File 1987-22).
The 52 Zone is a variable grade (gold-silver) vein system trending east-southeast. Mineralization at the zone consists of steeply-dipping, west-northwest trending, quartz-pyrite-arsenopyrite+/-sphalerite-galena-sulphosalt (pyrargyrite-proustite) veins. The veins range from 0.1 to 0.75 metre in width and are steeply dipping. The vein system is a typical crack-seal/breccia vein. The styles of mineralization, which vary along the strike of the vein, include: fine-grained clots of 3-7 per cent arsenopyrite; blebs of 5-10 per cent euhedral pyrite as well as fine-grained disseminated pyrite; semi-massive arsenopyrite accumulations along the footwall selvages of some of the smaller (10 centimetre) veins; semi-massive, fine grained sphalerite with trace galena on 10 centimetre vein selvages; a dark grey/blue/black sulphosalt present in most veins as disseminations or swirls, possibly electrum or argentite. Pyrargyrite grains are rare but have been found strongly associated with sphalerite. Petrographic analysis shows that high grade gold and silver mineralization occurs as very fine-grained native gold and silver-sulphosalts (pyrargyrite-proustite) within polymetallic sulphide-quartz-sericite veins.
Other mineralized veins, referred to as the 52 Zone Corridor, have been identified in the area. Mineralization comprises vuggy to brecciated quartz+/- calcite veins with disseminated to semi-massive pyrite+/-arsenopyrite. The veins are typically less than 5 centimetres in width and can be traced over several metres. The veins trend approximately east-west and occur along primary bedding or along the dominant foliation proximal to east-west trending shears or north- northwest trending hornblende-feldspar porphyry dikes. Some of these veins may be the strike extension of the main 52 zone but others are believed to represent sub-parallel to parallel veins within a larger vein system. These veins have been identified along a greater than 200 metre strike distance to the north west and along a parallel trend located approximately 400 metres to the south west.
Trench vein chip sample results range from 0.25 metres of 158.5 grams per tonne gold and 363.0 grams per tonne silver to 0.5 metres of 2.4 grams per tonne gold and 57.5 grams per tonne silver (www.serengetiresources.com).
In 2004, two chip samples (279975 and 279968) from the main 52 zone yielded up to 593 and 360 grams per tonne gold with 14708 and 7920 grams per tonne silver over 0.50 metre each, respectively (Heffernan, R.S. (2006-11-15): Summary Report on the Tide Project). Also at this time, grab samples (273615 and 273913) from the north west strike extension and the south west parallel vein trend yielded 2.33 and 2.91 grams per tonne gold with 10.2 and 102 grams per tonne silver, respectively (Heffernan, R.S. (2006-11-15): Summary Report on the Tide Project).
In 2005, two chip samples (270274 and 270282) of vein and vein/host from the main 52 zone yielded 158.50 and 23.50 grams per tonne gold with 363 and 47.5 grams per tonne silver over 0.25 and 1.00 metre (Heffernan, R.S. (2006-11-15): Summary Report on the Tide Project). Also at this time, a grab sample (345727) from a sub-parallel vein yielded 460.00 grams per tonne gold and 2930 grams per tonne silver, while other samples from the north west strike extension and the south west parallel vein trend yielded up to 5.59 and 18.80 grams per tonne gold with 602 and 2300 grams per tonne silver, respectively (Heffernan, R.S. (2006-11-15): Summary Report on the Tide Project).
Subsequent diamond drilling, in 2005, combined with the surface results has shown mineralization to be variable in nature, with the best drill intersection averaging 4.21 grams per tonne gold and 6.3 grams per tonne silver over 1.84 metres, including 6.24 grams per tonne gold and 8.8 grams per tonne silver over 0.59 metres in hole TIDE05-06 (www.serengetiresources.com). Four step-out drill holes yielded up to 0.56 gram per tonne gold over 210.9 metres (Heffernan, R.S. (2006-11-15): Summary Report on the Tide Project).
Work History
Serengeti Resources Inc. optioned the Tide property in November 2003 from Rimfire Minerals Corporation and subsequently carried out mapping, prospecting, soil sampling and 589 metres of diamond drilling during the summer of 2004. Equity Engineering Ltd. was contracted to execute the 2001 and 2004 exploration programs. In 2005, Serengeti Resources Inc completed an airborne EM and magnetic survey (315 km), geological and geochemical work, and drilled eight holes on the Tide property totaling 967 metres, including four on the 36 zone and four on 52 zone.
See Tide (104B 129) for further details of the Tide property history, including the 52 zone.
