Location
- Central British Columbia, Telkwa Pass
- 50 Km S of Smithers, BC
- NTS Map Area 93L/12
Target Commodity
- Copper ± Gold
Property Size
- 2 claims for approximately 1050 ha.
- The core claims are owned 100%.
- This is called the “Limonite Creek Property”
Stage of Development
- Early Stage Exploration
Current Work Program
- None planned
Potential
- High sulphidation porphyry and epithermal systems
Net Ownership
- 100%
JV/Strategic Partner
- None
Operator
- Honey Badger Exploration Inc.
Most Recent News Release
- None
Additional Reports
- Limonite Creek [PDF Document - 1.2mb]
Property Ownership
Limonite Creek Property consists of 2 claims for approximately 1050 ha owned 100% .
Property Description
The Limonite Creek prospect (NTS Map Area 93L/12) is located in the Hazelton Mountains, within the Howson Range, adjacent to the Telkwa Pass. This area is midway the communities of Smithers and Terrace, British Columbia and is in the westernmost part of Telkwa Pass about 50 km southwesterly from Smithers. The claims are found along a mountain ridge apparently 2 km north of Limonite Creek, a small, fast-flowing tributary of the Zymoetz (Copper) River. Elevations at the prospect area range from 1275 to 1400 m.
Access is by road from the town of Telkwa is possible along the Telkwa River logging road or the Copper River logging road. Current logging operations along the Copper River and its tributaries have brought good logging roads within 7 km of the property. Remaining access to the claims is via helicopter from staging areas which are located along the logging roads.
Alternatively, helicopters are available directly from the towns of Telkwa and Smithers.
Property Geology and History
The prospect area as defined by the 1992-1994 grid area is underlain by a variety of green and lesser maroon rhyodacite, dacite and andesitic tuffs and flows. Age dating of at Limonite Creek specifically indicates that the volcanic rocks in this locality are Late Triassic or older, thus predating the Hazelton Group volcanics (Telkwa Fm.) and placing these volcanics in the Triassic Stuhini Group.
Volcanic rocks on the property are intruded by Late Triassic, coarse to medium grained, diorite to granodiorite, directly east of the main alteration zone at the Limonite Creek property. Deyell reports a U-Pb age estimate of 212.0 +/- 0.6 Ma age date for the intrusive. This date provides a maximum age for the alteration observed on the Limonite Creek property.
Toward the west of the 1992-94 grid area, the volcanics are bounded by slightly porphyritic, granodiorite containing phenocrysts of plagioclase and grains of quartz and biotite in a very fine grained groundmass dominated by quartz and K-feldspar
Alteration in the Limonite Creek property may be older than 145 Ma and magmatic suites in the region with alteration systems likely related to Limonite Creek are of late Triassic to Middle Jurassic age (210-175Ma). Alteration at Limonite Creek is significantly older than the Tertiary Equity Silver Deposit. The host rocks for alteration at Limonite Creek are Late Triassic or older and regional stratigraphy needs to be reassessed.
According to Tompson, the aluminous alteration at Limonite Creek occurs adjacent to and north of the zone of argillic and advanced argillic alteration. Aluminous alteration is characterized by the presence of minor to significant amounts of corundum, andalusite and at Limonite Creek, lazulite and reflects a higher temperature environment of alteration than exists in argillic and advanced argillic alteration. Aluminous alteration is considered to have developed deeper in the hydrothermal system than argillic alteration or advanced argillic alteration and may be associated with a porphyry copper environment, similar to the El Salvador deposit in Chile.
Tompson goes on to state that the aluminous alteration zone at Limonite Creek is separated from the advanced argillic and argillic zones by a probable fault. This fault is believed to have telescoped the argillic and advanced argillic zone downward against the deeper aluminous altered rocks.
Because aluminous alteration is known to occur above some porphyry copper deposits, exploration measures were taken to evaluate the potential of a porphyry copper target north of the zone of aluminous alteration, centered on the slopes to the north of Many Bear Creek
In 1992, Cyprus Canada Inc. geologically mapped and sampled the Ridge Zone. They also completed an EM survey and a drill program of 394.5 meters, consisting of three diamond drill holes. This work also included petrographic studies. Their exploration target was a high-sulphidation or acid-sulphate type Cu/Au/Ag deposit. The 1992 program resulted in the discovery of an intense, pyritic, aluminous alteration zone; the Many Bear Zone. This zone was drilled to test a linear EM anomaly. Drill results were hampered by overall poor recovery, and samples recovered were mostly low in copper. Soil Sampling conducted during this 1992 program found anomalous copper (200-2456ppm).This anomalous copper in soils area was located on the north side of the grid, in the vicinity of limonite.
In 1994, work done by Limonite Creek Limited Partnership consisted of further geological mapping, an induced polarization survey, and the completion of nine diamond drill holes. This work included 3 km of new grid lines cut and chained and 9 km of grid lines that were cut in 1992 were cleaned and re-chained. The grid area and a broad perimeter surrounding the grid were geologically mapped during the field season of 1994.
An IP survey was conducted during July 1994 as a second phase of geophysical work, as a follow up to transient electromagnetic (TEM) surveys which were conducted by Cyprus Canada Inc. in 1992
Nine diamond drill holes were completed in 1994 for a total length of 1163.0 meters (3814.6 ft.). Drilling was done by J.T. Thomas Drilling Ltd. of Smithers, B.C. using a Longyear 38 diamond drill with NQ equipment.
During the period of August 21, 1996 to September 15, 1996, three diamond drill holes were drilled for a total of 862.9 meters (2830.3 feet). Each of the holes was planned for 1500 feet (457m) depth or to penetrate through the advanced argillic alteration zone or through a high sulphidation zone of mineralization (if one was encountered) and into adjacent wall rock. Drill hole 96-1was completed successfully and core recovery was 100 percent through a zone of argillic alteration with pyrite, but drill holes 96-2 and 96-3 terminated prior to planned depth, due to bad ground conditions. Three widely spaced drill holes all inclined at minus 60 degrees with bearings near grid-north encountered wide intersections of fine-grained to extremely fine-grained pyrite in amounts to 25 percent. Rocks displaying prominent advanced argillic alteration were encountered in DDH 96-2, downward from elevation 1247 meters and continued to the bottom of the hole at elevation 1106 meters. Covellite (CuS) occurrences are noted in thin sections at elevations 1151 meters Covellite, colusite (Cu,Fe,Mo,Sn)4(S,As,Te)3-4 and sphalerite (ZnS) occur in minor to trace amounts through the intervals to the bottom of the hole. It is noted that an extensive deposit of vuggy silica occurred in DDH 96-2 between elevations 1164 to 1119 meters. Calculated width of the zone is 26 meters. Diamond drill holes 96-1 and 96-3 encountered strong and pervasive argillic alteration with pyrite contents to 20 percent throughout broad sections. However, no ore grade intersections were found in the 1996 drilling.
Exploration activities conducted during 1997 included a helicopter-borne geophysical survey over the Bear claim group. Telkwa Gold Corporation contracted out to Frontier Geophysics the acquisition of magnetic, electromagnetic and VLF data to assist in the interpretation of structures and alteration zones and to expand on ground geophysics carried out in previous years.
As a follow-up to the geophysical survey which was completed in March, 1997, the Corporation undertook a modest field program consisting of geochemical soil sampling on the Bear claim group during August to examine an area of anomalous geophysical response. Results of the geochemical survey were plotted and revealed anomalous copper, zinc and silver, parallel to the major structures. As well as an area measuring 200 meters by more than 600 meters of anomalous arsenic with coincident antimony and elevated gold.
Work Completed
In 2006, Taiga Consultants Ltd. was contracted to collect contour soil samples, conduct geological mapping and prospect. This exploration program was intended to evaluate the area north of Many Bear Creek primarily for porphyry copper and gold mineralization. Mineral tenures 535231 and 535233 encompass the Limonite Creek prospect, which has been explored for copper/gold/silver mineralization and is characterized by exotic limonite deposits. The intention of this program was to further investigate the anomalous copper, gold and silver soil values found during a 1997 soil geochemical prospecting program, and to attempt to locate a source for these previously detected anomalies. Limited geological mapping was completed along with the sampling.
Current Work Program
No work plans for this property.
