The Achilles occurrence (King East) is located along King Creek, approximately 2.5 kilometres north of Hawilson Lake, 5 kilometres west of Unuk River. It is located 57 kilometres southwest of Bell 2 Lodge on Highway 37, and 72 kilometres northwest of Stewart, B.C.
The King East target represents a 1 by 2 kilometre coincident magnetic and resistivity anomaly overlapped with scattered zones of sericitic alteration and gossans within the upper Triassic Stuhini Group. Previous work (Howson, 1990a) discovered numerous narrow gold-bearing veins, small intrusive stocks and anomalous Au, Cu and Mo values from sub-crop exposed by trenches in the area. The current interpretation of the combined geology, geophysical and geochemical signature patterns identify this area as a porphyry copper-gold target (Assessment Report 38231).
The area is underlain by interbedded argillite, chert and siltstones of the Upper Triassic Stuhini Group and volcanics belonging to the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Hazelton Group. The sediments are intruded by three intrusive phases. These include a diorite phase exposed on the eastern part of the grid (see work history below), basaltic to andesitic sills and related feeder dykes exposed on the western portion of the grid, and a zoned intrusion which varies from dark, gray and aphanitic along its margins to coarsely amygdaloidal in the center which underlies the central portion of the grid.
Locally, shear zones hosting up to 23 per cent pyritic sulphides occur in chert and siliceous tuffs.
Alteration on the in the area appears to be related to the intrusion of an amygdaloidal unit into the sedimentary host rocks. Alteration is characterized by sericite plus calcite with disseminated pyrite and pyrrhotite within the amygdaloidal intrusion and by silicification of the adjacent sedimentary rocks. Within the intrusion, alteration appears to increase in intensity towards the more coarsely amygdaloidal center of the intrusion. Silicitication within the sedimentary rocks forms a 350 metre wide zone which underlies the central portion of the grid and increases in intensity towards the margins of the intrusion.
WORK HISTORY
In 1987, two samples were collected on the Achilles property on behalf of Axiom Explorations Ltd who represented the interests of Candorado Mines Ltd and Teuton Resources.
In 1988, an airborne electromagnetic survey was conducted over the King 1, 5 and 10 claims (former Achilles property) and several other claim blocks in the vicinity (Assessment Report 18585).
In 1990 and 1991, Canadian Industrial Minerals completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical sampling and trenching on their Achilles 1-4 claims. Exploration concentrated on evaluating previously identified anomalies on both sides of King Creek. Four zones of anomalous gold-in-soil mineralization assaying up to 3.3 grams per tonne gold were identified in 1990 and work in 1991 concentrated on identifying the source of these anomalies. Soil sampling completed south of King Creek identified a soil anomaly which assayed 5.9 grams per tonne gold.
Rock chip sampling of the main (King Creek) zone has yielded values up to 4.36 grams per tonne gold and 17.5 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 22000). Rock chip sampling of Trench 4, approximately 100 metres to the northwest, yielded values up to 17.1 grams per tonne gold over 0.40 metre and Trench 6, approximately 350 metres to the south-southeast, yielded values up to 2.0 grams per tonne gold over 6.0 metres (Assessment Report 22000).
The King property was staked in the spring of 1994 and encompasses the ground covering the former King, Consoat and Achilles mineral claims. In 1995, Prime Resources Group Inc. optioned the King property and conducted a program of grid controlled soil sampling, 1:5000 scale geological mapping and rock sampling. The grid developed by Canadian Industrial Minerals Corp. in 1990 was re-established and extended 900 metres to the south. A total of 212 soil and 32 rock samples were collected (Assessment Report 24075). Soil sampling outlined a zone of weakly anomalous gold and copper mineralization coincident with the margins of the altered intrusion.
In 2006 and 2007, Hathor Exploration Ltd. completed a 7228.7 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the area as the King Creek claims of the Iskut project. In 2008, Max Minerals Ltd. examined the property.
In 2013 and 2016 Metallis Resources completed airborne geophysical surveys on their Kirkham/Mount Dunn property that covered the Achillies area and several other mineral occurrences. In 2013, Metallis Resources commissioned a 210 line-kilometre airborne geophysical (VTEM, magnetics and radiometrics) survey over a portion of the Kirkham property. A number of TEM anomalous zones are identified across the property. A major radiometric anomaly zone and several radiometric anomaly trends are observed across the block. The 2016 survey identified four geophysical anomalies which continue several hundred metres below the surface. One of these, the King East sits on the plotted MINFILE location and comprises large coincident magnetic and resistivity anomalies. Numerous gold-bearing veins and several small felsic stocks have been mapped on the southern part of this target.
In 2017, Metallis Resources carried out a comprehensive exploration and drilling program focused on porphyry copper-gold mineralization in the Cliff target (104B 620), shear-vein gold in the King prospect (104B 522) and magmatic nickel-copper sulphide mineralization in the Thunder North grass roots target.
In 2018 Metallis conducted a high-resolution (83.3 metre line-spacing) VTEM survey to detect magnetic and conductive anomalies in King East. Results from the 2018 VTEM survey indicated a number of discrete magnetic and resistivity anomalies related to the intrusive rocks and scattered gossans. Metallis geologists collected 5 rock chip samples from porphyritic units as well as sulphide rich sediments. Only minimal copper and gold values were obtained from these samples.
Drill holes KH19-31 and KH19-33 tested a magnetic anomaly on the eastern fringe of the Cole porphyry system (104B 209). Significantly, KH19-33 intersected a section of mineralized monzonite with hydrothermal biotite and magnetite. This magnetic feature is linked to the King East target, which represents a very large coincident magnetic-high and resistivity-low anomaly extending over an area of 2 by 2 kilometres. The calculated vertical gradient (‘CVG”) magnetic data shows multiple north-south trending magnetic lineaments at King East, which reflect the structurally controlled porphyry intrusions and dikes propagated between the Cole and King East targets (Metallis Resources Press Release March 24, 2020).
See Mount Dunn (104B 079) and Cole (104 209) for related historical and geological information.
