The Quinn Eskay occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1680 metres on a northwest-southeast–trending ridge, east of Gracey Creek and approximately 8.6 kilometres west of Mount Frank Mackie.
The area is underlain by the Upper Triassic Stuhini Group, which consists of Upper and Lower divisions. The Lower division is dominantly sedimentary with undifferentiated, fine-grained, well-bedded rocks and coarser conglomerate layers, whereas the Upper division is dominantly volcanic and volcaniclastic with mafic to intermediate tuff and volcanic breccia, mafic porphyritic flows, felsic flows and flow breccia.
Locally, the Stuhini Group is crosscut by a granitoid batholith and stocks of the Eocene Coast Plutonic Complex that displays a range of rock types including medium- to coarse-grained biotite±hornblende granite and granodiorite with minor quartz diorite.
Locally, four quartz±carbonate veins, up to 3.85 metres wide, with discontinuous and poddy galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite and hematite mineralization are hosted in schists and tonalites. The veins trend west-northwest and dip shallowly to moderately to the northeast. The individual veins range from a few to up to 45 metres in length and appear to be offset (10 to 15 metres) by small-scale, northeast-southwest–trending faults. faults, or represent an en echelon array of dilation zones (dilatant jog structures) along a regional-scale shear zone, or a combination of both. The veins are fairly discontinuous and appear to pinch and swell along strike. The variably mineralized structure has been traced over a strike length of approximately 860 metres.
Work History
The occurrence was discovered in 1987 by Magna Ventures and comprises three galena-rich veins with varying orientations. A ‘high-grade’ grab sample assayed 1.89 grams per tonne gold and 647.4 grams per tonne silver, whereas the average of four grab samples yielded 0.79 gram per tonne gold and 277.7 grams per tonne silver (Mitchell, A.J., Prowse, N.D. [2020-06-08]: NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Doc Property).
In 2013, prospecting located a new vein set at the BGS showing (104B 615) or just south, and just a few hundred metres northeast of the Quinn-Eskay occurrence discovered by Cache Exploration in 2011. This new vein set shows potential high-grade mineralization because it hosts pyrite, specularite, and chalcopyrite. The veins are not as thick as the main set but do show potential for extension along strike. Some veins show mineralization, weak shearing and alteration at the margins, but one vein showing massive sulphides potentially has more significant mineralization. These veins are hosted in metavolcanics as well. Sample #55057, located east of the Quinn Eskay, assayed 1.31 per cent copper, 366 grams per tonne silver and 0.485 gram per tonne gold and Sample #55058 assayed 0.047per cent copper, 35.2 grams per tonne silver and 0.13 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 34406).
In 2019, a 0.45-metre chip sample assayed 15.35 grams per tonne gold, 2790 grams per tonne silver, 2.00 per cent copper, 0.74 per cent zinc and greater than 20 per cent lead, whereas a 1.23-metre channel sample assayed 4.54 grams per tonne gold, 346.2 grams per tonne silver, 0.31 per cent copper and 5.87 per cent lead (Mitchell, A.J., Prowse, N.D. [2020-06-08]: NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Doc Property).
Refer to the Doc prospect (104B 014) for related details and additional property work history.
