Exploration companies are complaining of heavy rain and snow and the shortage of drilling crews in the province. Weather in Canada is what it is, but the second part of the complaint can be explained by the fact that everyone and his uncle is hoping to unearth the next mine-making deposit in British Columbia. Activity abounds, thanks to continuing high metals prices. Here is some of the news from the last two weeks.
LYSANDER MINERALS has finished this year's drill program on Cat Mountain, part of its 100%-owned Osilinka project 250 km northwest of Prince George. Lysander reports that the Osilinka property contains a significant sulphide system historically related to a copper-gold porphyry environment. Central to this is a prominent magnetic anomaly with evidence of copper and gold in soil geochemistry, trenches and diamond drill holes. However, only two of the planned four holes were completed. Core assays have been delayed because analytical labs are extremely busy, but Lysander expects them by the end of this month. (www.LysanderMinerals.com)
EASTFIELD RESOURCES is earning up to 75% interest in the Lorraine/Jajay property, which it has optioned from Lysander. The property is about 250 km northwest of Prince George. Eastfield reports that drill hole 04-68 in the Lower Main zone intersected a good portion of the high-grade mineralization that extends from the zone and returned a core length of 45.39 metres grading 0.71% Cu and 0.47 g/t Au. Within this interval was a 20.28-metre zone that carries 1.41% Cu and 0.78 g/t Au. Eastfield believes the tenor of these grades is typical for the main mineralizing event and that lower grade mineralization is peripheral to these high-grade units. Holes 04-67 through 04-70 were all drilled near the Lower Main Zone with the objective of extending the zone to the southwest and northeast. Mineralization was intersected in each hole, but some sections are interpreted to be displaced by faulting. (www.EastfieldGroup.com)
Trenching at the Frank Creek project of BARKER MINERALS has yielded "further encouraging results". The company is finding mineralization occurs as disseminations, stringer and semi-massive to massive sulphides (pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite) in heavily altered host rock. Barker has 17 projects in various stages of exploration in the Cariboo Mining District. (www.BarkerMinerals.com)
CROSS LAKE MINERALS drilled 11 holes this year on its Ruddock Creek property, 100 km north of Revelstoke. The two best holes intersected 16.59% Zn and 3.70% Pb over 15.12 metres and 11.54% Zn and 2.20% Pb over 11.54 metres. Both these holes had higher-grade intercepts within the cores. They came from the central core of the E zone. The E zone was originally discovered in outcrop at the eastern end of a zone of zinc-lead massive sulphide mineralization. The thickest zone of massive sulphide mineralization is located at the nose of a structural fold. The fold plunge has been defined by geological mapping for a length of over 3,000 metres. There is the potential to extend the known massive sulphide mineralization along the length of the fold, which will be tested during the next phases of exploration and diamond drilling on the property. (www.CrossLakeMinerals.com)
FINLAY MINERALS reports that it has intersected 396 metres of porphyry copper-style alteration and mineralization on its Pil North property in the Toodoggone Mining Camp. The hole in question was PN04-09, drilled near the centre of the Northwest zone, which intersected altered quartz diorite and monzonite. Five other widely-spaced holes tested this zone along its 800-metre length; they, too, returned anomalous copper values. Finlay has demobilized its camp for this year. (www.FinlayMinerals.com)
Fifty kilometres east of Williams Lake, FJORDLAND EXPLORATION has expanded the gold-copper mineralization at its Woodjam project. Drilling during summer 2004 was conducted on the Megabuck zone. A preliminary interpretation of the assay data suggests an irregular, tabular-shaped gold/copper deposit over 100 metres thick that is open along strike and to a depth of at least 300 metres. Fjordland will resume drilling at Woodjam this month. (www.fjordlandex.com)
GITENNES EXPLORATION is going to begin drilling this month at its Red property, 20 kilometres south of the Kemess copper/gold mine. Gitennes is planning step-out holes beyond the area of historical drilling. If successful, the program will extend the zone of known porphyry copper-gold mineralization a distance of over 1,300 metres. (www.gitennes.com)
Positive drilling results have given WESTERN KELTIC MINES reason to announce that it has expanded the Kutcho copper/gold deposit 100 km east of Dease Lake. With assays received for only seven of the 21 holes drilled this year, the best are from drillhole 05. It returned 5.34% Cu, 5.94% Zn, 138.6 g/t Ag and 2.28 g/t Au over 8.3 metres in the Kutcho lens. According to a prefeasibility study prepared in 1981, The Kutcho deposit contains an open-pit-minable deposit of 14.2 million tonnes at 1.76% Cu, 2.47% Zn, 34.2 g/t Ag and 0.35 g/t Au. (www.keltic.com)
Drill core assays from NOVAGOLD RESOURCES' Galore Creek in the Stikine Gold Belt continue to confirm and expand high-grade copper/silver/gold mineralization. Drillhole GC04-480 intersected 33.6 metres of 16.8% Cu equivalent (27.7 g/t AuEq), including a 22-metre section of 22.5% CuEq (37.0 g/t AuEq). Hole GC04-479 assayed 8.3% CuEq (13.7 g/t AuEq) over 26.5 metres. NovaGold notes that there is additional mineralization in the West Fork area below the high-grade zone. Typical results from this zone are 1.5% to 2% CuEq and 2 to 3 g/t AuEq. There are five core drilling rigs working on the Galore property. Additional assay results from the Southwest, West Fork, Copper Canyon, Grace and Junction targets are expected over the coming months. (www.NovaGold.net)
FIRESTEEL RESOURCES is drilling for copper and gold at the Copper Creek property, hoping to hit a large-scale copper/gold porphyry deposit geologically similar to Galore Creek. The first diamond drill hole intersected 49 metres near the surface of 0.75% Cu and 0.44 g/t Au. The hole was drilled in the DK (formerly Dick) prospect where the mineralization is associated with a sub-volcanic monzonite intrusion. It is related to pervasive silicification, quartz veins, fracturing and potassic alteration.
ORPHAN BOY RESOURCES says it has confirmed the high-grade polymetallic discovery on the Rain property, which is part of the Big Bend project 50 km north of Revelstoke. Following discovery of a boulder of high grade float mineralization, prospectors discovered high-grade polymetallic mineralization in outcrop a short distance away. Channel samples from the outcrop returned varying amounts of copper, lead, zinc, silver and gold. The mineralization occurs in two discrete bands separated by a lower grade zone. Because of limited exposure, the full thickness of the zone is unknown and it is open along strike in both directions. The new discovery occurs as manto- and/or skarn-type mineralization associated with a marble horizon. The zone is flanked by a linear 1,500-gamma magnetic anomaly trending parallel to the mineralization with a strike length of more than 300 metres that is open along strike. Drilling of this newly discovered occurrence is planned to proceed, subject to weather conditions, upon receipt of the exploration permit amendments. (www.OrphanBoy.com)
Last, but by no means least, STIKINE GOLD has reached the 2,766-metre level (9,075 ft) with its drill rig at the Sullivan Deeps project. The drillhole has intersected sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX)-style mineralization including laminated and massive sulphides in five discrete bands over 7.65 metres at a depth of 2,735.9 metres. The company believes it will discover a lead/zinc deposit similar to the one that supported Teck Cominco's Sullivan mine at Kimberley for almost 100 years. Stikine is going to accelerate the Sullivan Deeps program by conducting a UTEM4 geophysical survey in t
he drillhole followed by several short wedge holes toward the northeast. A second drill rig will be mobilized 1,5000 metres northeast of the current hole. (www.StikineGold.com or view the company's presentation at www.SullivanDeeps.com)
Good luck to everyone exploring in British Columbia.
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