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The Silverboss property adjoins the former Boss Mountain molybdenum mine property and is located approximately 85 kilometres northeast of 100 Mile House in British Columbia, Canada. In early 2005, several of the mine property peripheral claims lapsed and these areas were acquired, along with the Silverboss property. The property is over 100 square kilometres in area, and it is the first time one Company has acquired this strategic land position around the former mine property.
The adjacent Boss Mountain molybdenum mine was operated by Noranda Inc. between 1965 and 1983. During that time a total of 7,588,072 tonnes at an average grade of 0.205 percent molybdenum was produced. The mine was closed in 1984 due to continued low molybdenum prices between US$3.50 and $4.50 per pound. Remaining resource estimates (non NI 43-101 compliant) of the mine at the time of closure vary from 4.7 million tonnes grading 0.14 percent molybdenum to 63.0 million tonnes grading 0.074 percent molybdenum(B.C. Government Minfile 093A 001). During the mine's operation, limited exploration was performed beyond the known deposits. In 2005, a quality airborne geophysical survey identified positive characteristics over the known deposits within the mine property. In addition several other similar features to the north and south of the mine property occur on the Silverboss property.
Between 2005 and 2007 Happy Creek carried out prospecting and a comprehensive soil and rock geochemical survey around the northern perimeter of the mine property. This included routine analysis for gold and other pathfinder elements not previously done. This work outlined an area approximately three kilometres by 500 metres in dimension containing largely overlapping and positive values of molybdenum, copper and tungsten in soil and rock. Rock samples have returned up to 0.670 and 0.200 percent molybdenum to the west and north edge of the mine property, respectively. The combination of being close to known molybdenum deposits, favourable geology, positive geochemistry and airborne geophysical results are together thought to reflect excellent potential for additional molybdenum deposits to occur on the Silverboss property.
In addition, the Company's systematic approach has identified several surprising new targets. Numerous narrow quartz veins have returned up to 53.01 g/t gold and 343.0 g/t in grab samples, and 9.29 g/t gold and 27.3 g/t silver over 1.17 metres in width. These quartz veins along with soil geochemical samples have identified a large scale system beyond the molybdenum, tungsten zone and cover an area approximately 1.6 by 1.2 kilometres in dimension. The presence of tungsten, bismuth and other trace elements with the gold and the geology suggest potential for a large scale gold system that was not previously recognized.
The northern portion of the Silverboss property has historically received very little exploration. Happy Creek's systematic surveys were expanded to the north in 2008 and have identified a positive copper geochemical anomaly that is approximately 1.2 kilometres by 600 metres in dimension that remains open in extent to the north. Due to its size, underlying geology, and the recent porphyry copper-gold discoveries at the Woodjam-Southeast Zone of Fjordland Explorations to the northwest, further exploration warranted.
Geology
The Silverboss property is located near the eastern side of the Quesnel Terrane within the composite Takomkane batholith, quartz monzodiorite composition, and Upper Triassic- Lower Jurassic in age. The molybdenum deposits at the Boss Mountain mine are associated with an important monzogranite stock, mid Cretaceous in age that cuts the Takomkane batholith. The molybdenum deposits at the mine are located peripherally to this monzogranite stock and portions of the northern side of the stock are within the 10 Mile Creek area of the Silverboss property. Minor copper and tungsten metals also occur with the mineralized system. The nature of the intrusive rock was not favourable to concentrate tungsten to economic levels (see Happy Creek's Fox tungsten-molybdenum property). The Silverboss property hosts excellent potential for molybdenum deposits either as extensions to those occurring at the Boss Mountain mine, or for separate monzogranite stocks and associated molybdenum mineralization to occur within the Silverboss property. In addition, there is evidence for a previously unrecognized and large-scale intrusion-related, gold-silver system located peripherally to the molybdenum (and tungsten) system.
Exploration History
Early exploration of the area between 1915 and 1917 located the Silverboss vein on the Silverboss property and the molybdenite (molybdenum sulphide) at the later developed Boss Mountain mine. Between 1970 and 1972, and prior to the onset of open-pit mining at the Boss mountain mine, some cursory exploration including silt, soil sampling and geophysical surveys were performed beyond the Boss Mountain mine property that identified positive molybdenum in soil and silt from the 10 Mile Creek area. In 1993, 1994 and 1995 limited prospecting and soil geochemical surveys were performed. In 1995, geological mapping and sampling traced the surface expression of the Silverboss vein structure for 350 metres as well as locating several previously undocumented showings containing copper, gold and silver values.
Between 2005 and 2007 Happy Creek carried out prospecting, geological mapping and a comprehensive soil geochemical survey around the northern perimeter of the mine property. This included routine analysis of gold and other elements not generally analyzed for during the mine operation. This work outlined a three kilometre by 500 metre area between the Horse Trail and 10 Mile Creek zones containing largely overlapping and positive molybdenum, copper and tungsten in soil. These positive soil anomalies and deeper test pits from the 10 Mile Creek area confirm and expand upon the soil and silt results obtained by Virgo Exploration in 1970, and along with rock samples containing mineralization suggest the current soil anomalies are not entirely the result of dust blowing from nearby open-pit mining that was performed in the late 1970's to 1983.
Rock samples from the Silverboss property have returned up to 0.670 and 0.200 percent molybdenum to the west and north edge of the mine property, respectively. Rock samples from the Horse Trail zone have returned anomalous molybdenum, tungsten, copper and bismuth values, and also support the view that the soil anomalies are derived from the outward extensions to known mineralization at the Boss Mountain molybdenum mine.
Somewhat separately, peripherally and at higher elevations to most of the molybdenum soil anomaly, gold soil anomalies with values over eight and up to 7,184.0 parts per billion (ppb) gold occur between the Horse Trail, Dogtooth and East Breccia zones and comprise one, fairly well defined area approximately 1.6 kilometres by 1.2 metres in dimension. The Silverboss shaft and adit area returned 9.25 g/t gold and 514.8 g/t silver over 0.25 metres, and a grab of shaft dump material returned 6.7 percent copper, 443.0 g/t silver and 2.92 g/t gold.
In 2005, a previously undocumented trench dating from around 1917 was located at the Dogtooth zone. Quartz veins returned up to 53.01 g/t gold and 343.0 g/t silver in a grab over 10 cm. Approximately 100 metres northeast, a quartz vein returned 9.29 g/t gold and 27.3 g/t silver over 1.17 metres width. Sampling of quartz veins from a four kilometre by 1.5 kilometre area have returned values of commonly between 0.10 to 0.50 g/t gold, and numerous veins have yet to be sampled. Significant results included:
- 5.82 g/t gold and 20.0 g/t silver;
- 0.73 percent copper, 1.04 g/t gold and 40.0 g/t silver;
- 5.55 g/t gold and 15.0 g/t silver;
- 1.38 g/t gold and 13.0 g/t silver;
- 1.78 g/t gold and 11.0 g/t silver;
- 10.06 g/t gold and 26.0 g/t silver; and
- 4.77 g/t gold and 35.0 g/t silver.
2007 Exploration
The 2007 exploration program consisted of prospecting and the collection of 17 rock samples, 62 silt samples, 48.3 kilometres of grid and 966 soil samples. Physical work included line cutting of approximately 12.0 kilometres, preparation of two helicopter drill pads and landing areas, and clearing and maintenance of an existing ATV and snowmobile access trail. Test pits and soil profile sampling was performed where 2006 soil samples returned anomalous results.
Rock sampling in 2007 continued to locate new quartz veins containing significant values. In the Horse Trail zone, samples returned 10.0 g/t gold, greater than 100.0 g/t silver in a four centimetre vein. Another sample returned 3.38 g/t gold in a 15 centimetre vein. Numerous quartz veins remain un-sampled. At lower elevations and near the assumed northern contact of the Boss Mountain stock, a narrow outcropping quartz vein with a northerly dip returned greater than 2,000 ppm (>0.2%) molybdenum. Lower elevations of the Silverboss property are 95 percent covered by glacial till. In this area, silt sampling returned positive values of 85 ppm and 115 ppm molybdenum along with anomalous copper and tungsten.
2008 Exploration
During 2008 the Company expanded to the north, west and south, previous soil geochemical surveys with lines 200 metres apart and samples collected every 50 metres. A total of 598 soil, 43 stream sediment and 20 rock samples were analyzed.
Results from the 2008 soil and rock geochemical surveys returned positive values of molybdenum, tungsten, copper, gold and silver within and beyond previous surveys.
Positive molybdenum soil anomalies are located one kilometre west and adjacent the south side of the mine property are approximately 200 by 400 metres and 600 by 150 metres in dimension, respectively. These anomalies are associated with positive tungsten, bismuth and locally copper, gold and silver values and remain open in extent.
Gold and silver values from soil and rock sampling in 2008 confirm and expand previously identified potential for a large scale gold-silver system that comprises the upper Horse Trail, Dogtooth, East Breccia and Silverboss prospects, an area that is overall approximately 1.65 by 1.2 kilometres in dimension. Near the East Breccia sampling in 2008 returned up to 1.69 g/t (grams per tonne) gold and 4.0 g/t silver in soil, and 0.72 g/t gold, 7.9 g/t silver in narrow quartz veins. The soil and rock samples contain up to 9.1 and 90.3 ppm bismuth, respectively, and other quartz veins nearby have previously returned up to 1.7 g/t gold. The Dogtooth zone is located approximately 750 metres to the southwest where similar quartz veins contain 0.02 to 5.82 g/t gold and locally up to 53.0 g/t gold and 343.0 g/t silver. The historical Silverboss zone is approximately 350 metres in length and previous sampling has returned 0.25 metres grading 9.41 g/t gold, 514.8 g/t silver. The area of the most robust gold and silver values in rock and soil samples is approximately 1.0 kilometre by 600 metres in dimension.
Soil and rock sampling in 2008 on the South Ridge prospect returned up to 0.10 g/t gold, 3.7 g/t silver in soil and 0.20 g/t gold, 4.8 g/t silver in narrow quartz veins, respectively. Other quartz veins in this area have previously returned 7.26 g/t gold and 140.0 g/t silver, and 10.0 g/t gold with greater than 100 g/t silver. These veins also contain variable concentrations of bismuth, copper, tungsten and molybdenum and the geology appears similar to the upper Horse Trail and East Breccia gold-silver zones described above.
A new and positive copper anomaly was obtained in soil samples located north of 10 Mile Creek. Values of greater than 90th percentile (112.2 to 404 ppm copper) along with a number of widespread samples containing positive values up to 0.26 g/t gold and 1.3 g/t silver occur. This copper anomaly is approximately 1.2 kilometres by 600 metres in dimension and remains open in extent to the north. It is interpreted to represent the southern end of the historical Gus copper prospect that was briefly explored in 1969 and 1970. The Gus prospect is reported to comprise disseminated pyrite and minor chalcopyrite (copper sulphide) in a porphyritic diorite, and a small soil geochemical survey in 1970 returned positive values up to 420 ppm copper and 3.0 ppm silver (gold was not assayed for). Together, the positive copper values in soil occur over a 2.0 kilometre distance and remain undefined and open in extent.
Page last updated: July 2009
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