VMS find spurs activity near Merritt

Vancouver — The discovery of volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralization along the busy Coquihalla Highway near Merritt, B.C., has sparked a staking rush in the province’s Okanagan region.

“It is a prospecting discovery by a local geologist,” says James Foster, vice-president of Gitennes Explorations (GIT-T), which optioned the property that hosts the showing. “He was chasing down copper-bearing float and came up with massive zinc mineralization in boulders along the side of the highway.”

The area hosts several large-scale copper porphyry deposits, such as the Highland Valley mine, ownership of which is divided among Cominco (CLT-T), with 50%, London-based Billiton, with 33.6%, Teck (TEK-T), with 13.9%, and privately owned Highmont Mining, with 2.5%. Another is the past-producing Afton mine, now being drilled by DRC Resources (DRC-V).

Recognizing that massive sulphide mineralization marks a unique exploration target for the region, Gitennes quickly inked a deal to acquire the newly staked property, known as Fox. In return, the junior must issue 200,000 shares and pay $30,000 in cash, as well as make annual payments totalling $340,000 over four years. The local claim-owner retains a 1.25% net smelter return royalty (NSR).

“We have since found massive sphalerite mineralization in outcrop,” Foster says. “It is banded with barite and has all the earmarks of a VMS deposit.”

Hosted in intermediate-to-felsic rocks of the Nicola volcanics, the showing consists of bedrock rubble and boulders, with the only outcrop partially exposed along a road-cut. Gitennes intermittently traced the zone for 100 metres along strike before losing it under overburden in both directions. The exposed width of the mineralization is 2-4 metres in the hangingwall; the footwall is covered by overburden.

Initial grab samples collected from the mineralized outcrop yielded up to 19.8% zinc, 1.6% copper and 0.5% lead, plus 91.8 grams silver and 0.54 gram gold per tonne, from a barite-sphalerite-cemented felsic breccia. A pyrite-sphalerite-cherty rock returned 10.4% zinc, 0.4% copper, 0.04% lead, 62.1 gram silver and 0.66 gram gold. A quartz-sericite schist averaged 5.6% zinc, 0.6% copper, 0.01% lead, 31.8 grams silver and 435 parts per billion gold.

Scattered boulders of dense massive sulphides occur throughout the length of the zone. Boulder samples returned up to 33.3% zinc, 3.22% copper, 0.86% lead, 144.7 grams silver and 1.1 grams gold.

The chemical composition of the samples show no indication of the “skarn-type” mineralization commonly associated with the nearby copper-bearing deposits. Additional chip samples have been collected, and assay results are pending.

“We are running an airborne electromagnetic survey now,” says Foster. “There are lots of culverts, powerlines and fiberoptic cables in the area, which have to be weeded out in order to determine whether or not the massive sulphides are giving a geophysical response.”

Gintennes intends to drill-test the strike length and depth extent of the mineralization this winter.

Having expanded its land position by staking an additional 50 sq. km surrounding the Fox property, Gitennes informed its former sister company, Platinova (PAS-T), of the area’s potential.

Knowing that VMS deposits typically occur in clusters, Platinova staked 41 sq. km immediately northwest and southeast of Gitennes’ ground. These claims are subject to a 1.25% NSR in favour of Gitennes and the local geologist who found the initial discovery. Also, Platinova and Gitennes have jointly staked an additional 19 sq. km north of the Fox property.

With many groups converging on the area to pick up ground, companies such as Fjordland Minerals (FML-V) are unsure how many claims they have actually staked. Under British Columbian mining regulations, claims do not have to be recorded until 20 days after staking.