Big Range
Summary
Fieldwork in 2022 focussed on prospecting a known BC Minfile mineral occurrence referred to as the ‘Sowaqua zone’ hosting anomalous values in gold, silver, copper and molybdenite and a newly discovered zone of altered greywacke exposed along new logging roads similar to the host rocks at Ladner Creek Gold Mine. A contiguous group of mineral claims staked as the Big Range-Newjay claims registered to J.T. (Jo) Shearer, cover the mineralized zone.
The Rice Creek zone was examined in 2021 along various sections of highly siliceous, quartz-eye porphyritic rhyolite to granite phase intrusive. Sections of the felsic intrusive host weak to moderate sulphide mineralization cut by quartz veins. Parts of the granitic and rhyolitic phases observed, along with a number of the associated quartz veins, carry disseminated, fine grained, ubiquitous arsenopyrite and occasional pyrite and fine flakes of molybdenite.
The Big Range claims cover a portion of the southeastern extension of the Coquihalla Gold Belt, which several kilometres to the northwest hosts a number of historical, limited producing gold mines including the former Carolin mine (now Ladner Creek Gold mine) and numerous historical gold occurrences. In recent years this extension of the belt has become more accessible due to the construction of a series of logging roads leading to the head waters of Sowaqua Creek.
The Rice Creek rhyolitic-granitic intrusion is interpreted as a younger (Tertiary?) silica-rich felsic magmatic event emplaced in the upper sequence of the Jurassic age Ladner Creek Formation and occurs along the eastern flank distal to the Coquihalla Gold Belt and Hozameen fault system. It merits more detail examination for molybdenite and or gold mineralization and potentially skarn related mineralization.
To the west, the Master Ace claims are underlain by serpentinite lenses and Permian to Jurassic Hozameen Group, a deformed ophiolitic complex of altered chert, argillite and mafic volcanics. The Master Ace and Newjay Zones are characterized by quartz filled, major shear zones with gold values up to 0.26 oz/ton Au and 5.52 oz/ton Ag.
Work in 2021 outlined a new zone (Sowaqua Zone) just west of 20km on the Forest Service Road characterized by altered greywacke with soil samples running up to 713ppm arsenic. A previous grab sample in nearby Sowaqua Creek assayed 1.05g/tonne gold.
Work in 2022 focussed on follow-up to the Sowaqua Zone.
The property is at an early stage of evaluation. A program of basic prospecting, geological mapping and trenching is recommended at a cost of $60,000.00.
