The Pass Gossan showing was first discovered in 1991 on the Axe property, held by Ascot Resources Ltd. As of 1991, the Axe property consisted of some 59 claims totalling 932 units. Work reported done on the Axe claims in 1990 and 1991 (primarily rock, soil and silt sampling) was spread over a number of showings on these extensive holdings.
The Pass Gossan area has recently been mapped on a regional scale as Upper Triassic Stuhini Group intruded by dioritic dikes, sills and plugs of Jurassic to Cretaceous age. A mineralized gossan is reported to occur along a mafic tuff and sedimentary unit in contact with an east-west trending diorite intrusion.
The gossan zone extends more than 1 kilometre along a north facing talus slope. Mineralization discovered in the talus consists of coarse galena, sphalerite and minor chalcopyrite hosted in carbonate veins. Prospecting along the overlying cliffs revealed similarly mineralized sporadic stringers and veins in iron-carbonate gossan zones. Most assays of the mineralized material indicated low associated gold values. However, one sample from a pyrite- arsenopyrite bearing shear zone did yield 9.0 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21858, page 24).
During 2011 through 2014, New Chris Minerals completed programs of prospecting, soil and rock sampling, geological mapping, a 14 line-kilometre ground induced polarization survey and 2379 line-kilometres of airborne geophysical surveys on the area as the Tatogga Lake project.
In 2017, GTGold Corp conducted prospecting traverses around the Saddle and Quash-Pass area, collecting 46 soil samples. Prospecting soil samples were not collected on a grid, but anywhere the prospectors’ field assistants could collect one as the worked with the prospectors. During prospecting traverses, 177 rock samples were collected in the Saddle area and surroundings in the Quash-Pass area. Rock sampling in the Quash-Pass area discovered strong gold and copper mineralization in the next drainage to the south of Pass Gossan. Rock sampling was done around the Central (104G 166) and Pass Gossan (104G 166) showings.
In 2018, GTGold Corp explored the Tatogga Property in 2018 with 24,759 of diamond drilling on the Saddle North and Saddle South prospects where both targets were reported to have intersected strong mineralization. IP surveys occurred at the Saddle North and Saddle South and over some parts of the Quash-Pass area about 9 kilometres to the southwest of the Saddle area. A total of 2254 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic and radiometric surveying covered the Saddle North and South Saddle areas and extended to the southwest covering the Quash (104G 161), Violet (104G 164), Petal (104G 165), Gossan Pass (104G 166) and Central (104G 167) occurrences. A 45 line-kilometre IP survey covered Saddle South and the western part of Saddle North. A second IP survey consisted of an 11 line-km survey over Pass Gossan showing (104G 161) and the area immediately north and northeast of the Central showing (104G 167). Prospecting and soil and rock sampling occurrence in the Saddle and Quash-Pass areas. During prospecting traverses, 228 rock samples were collected in the Saddle area & surroundings & in the Quash-Pass area. Five hundred and seventy-two soil samples were collected around the Saddle & Quash-Pass areas.
Rock sampling in the Quash-Pass area in 2018 discovered gold and copper mineralization in the next drainage to the south of Pass Gossan. The Quash-Pass area was discovered to have a large surficial geochem footprint with coincident IP chargeability locally. IP results at Quash-Pass have not been drill tested but chargeability highs align well with elevated surficial geochemistry. Soil samples and several rock samples were collected at the Pass showing area.
See Saddle North (104G 432) and Saddle South (104G 433) for related geological and historical information on the Tatogga property.
