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Occurrence Details


Occurrence Number
116B 186
Occurrence Name
East Big Rock
Occurrence Type
Hard-rock
Status
Deposit


General Information

Primary Commodities: gold
Aliases: Brewery Creek
Deposit Type(s): Epithermal Au-Ag: Low Sulphidation, Porphyry-related Au
Location(s): 64.0560 N, -138.2730 W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 116B01
Location Comments: Location from satellite imagery and company map
Hand Samples Available at YGS: No

Capsule

Throughout the property, Tombstone Suite (91 Ma) Cretaceous monzonite and quartz monzonite intrudes Paleozoic Earn and Road River Groups lithologies as a series of semi-comformable sills along a 15km strike length.  Younger, Tombstone Suite syenite and biotite monzonite occur locally in the south-central portion of the property.  All compositional phases of the Tombstone Suite intrusives are known to host gold mineralization.

Sill emplacement is primarily controlled by a tectonized, graphitic argillite at the contact between the Earn and Road River Groups.  This contact is also the locus of NNE-directed thrust faulting that has placed thin (<150 m thick) sequences of Silurian siltstone against Devonian siliciclastic rocks.  The age of faulting is probably related to earlier Mesozoic compression along the Dawson, Tombstone and Robert Service Thrust Faults and the closing of the Selwyn Basin.

Brewery Creek depsoits exhibit characteristics of both epithermal type and intrusive-related gold systems. It is generally considered to be an alkalic intrusion-associated gold deposit, as most of the mineralization is concentrated within or proximal to the monzonites of the Cretaceous Tombstone Suite.  Gold mineralization occurs in fracture-controlled quartz stockwork in both siliciclastic and intrusive rocks along an east-northeast striking, moderately south dipping structural trend known as the Brewery Creek Reserve Trend. 

Altered intrusive rocks are typically the preferred host for gold mineralization, however gold mineralization at the Pacific deposit exhibits a strong preference for a siltstone host, and in other deposits into adjacent intrusive rocks.  Major ore-controlling structures in intrusive rocks are related to a post Tombstone age, NNW compressional event that produced ESE and NE striking conjugate shears and ENE listric normal faulting localized along graphitic argillite/intrusive sill contacts. Approximately 85% of the mined ore was hosted by the various Cretaceous-aged quartz monzonite sills with the balance contained in silicified and brecciated Earn Group sediments.

The West Big Rock and East Big Rock zones are the furthest known mineralization to the west and have a drill-defined strike length of approximately 1.5 km. First discovered in 1991, the initial definition drilling occurred between 1994 and 1998. The oxide mineralization at West Big Rock has been traced to approximately 600 m in length, 30 m wide, and 220 m down dip. The oxide mineralization at East Big Rock zone is 600 m in length, 30 m wide, and 180 m down dip.

Location Map

Last Updated: Jun 16, 2021

Work History

Year Work Type Comment
2018 Drilling: Diamond
2018 Geochemistry: Drill Core
2018 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Metallurgical Tests
2011 Airborne Geophysics: Magnetic
2011 Drilling: Diamond
2011 Drilling: Reverse Circulation
2011 Geochemistry: Drill Core
2011 Geochemistry: Drill Cuttings
2011 Ground Geophysics: IP
1998 Drilling: Reverse Circulation
1998 Geochemistry: Rock
1998 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Metallurgical Tests
1998 Trenching: Mechanical
1997 Drilling: Reverse Circulation
1997 Geochemistry: Rock
1997 Geochemistry: Soil
1997 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1997 Trenching: Mechanical
1996 Development, Surface: Access Road
1996 Drilling: Diamond
1996 Drilling: Reverse Circulation
1996 Geochemistry: Drill Core
1996 Geochemistry: Drill Cuttings
1996 Geochemistry: Rock
1996 Geochemistry: Soil
1996 Other: Line Cutting
1996 Trenching: Mechanical
1994 Drilling: Auger
1994 Drilling: Reverse Circulation
1994 Geochemistry: Drill Cuttings
1994 Geochemistry: Rock
1994 Geochemistry: Soil
1994 Geology: Detailed Bedrock Mapping
1994 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Bulk Sample
1994 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Metallurgical Tests
1994 Studies: Geotechnical
1994 Trenching: Mechanical
1993 Airphotography: Interpretation
1993 Development, Surface: Mill/Concentrator Construction
1993 Drilling: Reverse Circulation
1993 Geochemistry: Drill Cuttings
1993 Geochemistry: Soil
1993 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Bulk Sample
1993 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Petrographic
1993 Studies: Environmental Assessment/Impact
1993 Studies: Geotechnical
1992 Drilling: Reverse Circulation
1992 Geochemistry: Drill Cuttings
1992 Geochemistry: Rock
1992 Geochemistry: Soil
1992 Ground Geophysics: IP
1992 Ground Geophysics: Magnetics
1992 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Petrographic
1992 Other: Line Cutting
1992 Trenching: Mechanical
1991 Development, Surface: Access Road
1991 Drilling: Diamond
1991 Drilling: Reverse Circulation
1991 Geochemistry: Drill Core
1991 Geochemistry: Drill Cuttings
1991 Geochemistry: Rock
1991 Geology: Detailed Bedrock Mapping
1991 Ground Geophysics: IP
1991 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Metallurgical Tests
1991 Other: Line Cutting
1991 Studies: Environmental Assessment/Impact
1991 Trenching: Mechanical
1990 Drilling: Diamond
1990 Drilling: Reverse Circulation
1990 Geochemistry: Drill Core
1990 Geochemistry: Drill Cuttings
1990 Geochemistry: Rock
1990 Geochemistry: Soil
1990 Geology: Detailed Bedrock Mapping
1990 Ground Geophysics: IP
1990 Ground Geophysics: Magnetics
1990 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Bulk Sample
1990 Lab Work/Physical Studies: Petrographic
1990 Trenching: Mechanical

Regional Geology - Terrane

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Regional Geology - Bedrock

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