DRILLSKID
ROAD #1 MINERAL CLAIM
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
STRATIGRAPHY and SEDIMENTOLOGY
DIATOMITE RESOURCE and ABSORPTION RESULTS
CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS
Appendix I Statement of Qualifications
Appendix II Statement of Costs
Appendix III Water/Oil Absorption Results
Appendix IV Petrographic Descriptions
The Drillskid Road #1 Mineral Claim was acquired under a balanced strategy of acquiring existing industrial mineral operations and conducting grassroots exploration in under explored areas in close proximity to tidewater. The marine diatomite occurrences on the Yakoun River (Southerland-Brown, 1968) have not been reported to have been investigated to any significant extent since they were identified by S. Davidson, working for Shell Oil.
Diatomite is a siliceous, sedimentary rock consisting principally of the fossilized skeletal remains of the diatom, a unicellular aquatic plant related to algae. It is formed by the induration of diatomaceous ooze, and consists mainly of diatomaceous silica, a form or variety of opal which is first formed in the cell walls of the living diatom. Diatomaceous silica is not generally regarded as a synonym or the equivalent for diatomite, although it has been so used at various times. Accurately, diatomaceous silica is the preferred name for the principal mineral component of which the rock, diatomite, is composed. The terms diatomaceous earth and kieselguhr are used as being synonymous with diatomite. The designation diatomite is reserved for those accumulations of diatomaceous silica that are of sufficient quality, size, and minability to be considered of potential commercial value.
Processed diatomite possesses an unusual particulate structure and chemical stability that lends itself to applications not filled by any other form of silica. Foremost among these applications is its use as a filter aid, which accounts for over half of its current consumption. Its unique diatom structure, low bulk density, high absorption capacity, high surface area, and relatively low abrasion are attributes responsible for its utility as a functional filler and as an extender in paint, paper, rubber, and in plastics; and as an anti-caking agent; thermal insulating material; catalyst carrier; industrial absorbent, polish, abrasive, and pesticide extender to name a few representative applications (Kadey, 1972).
There are major differences between diatomite deposits depending on if they are marine or freshwater in origin. Diatom assemblages are specific to individual locations. Because of the structural differences related to origin, diatomites have a range of properties and produce a range of effects depending on the specific assemblage. Although lacustrine deposits are more numerous, generally those of marine origin tend to be larger in size.
The Skonun Diatomite Property is located along the west side of the Yakoun River south of Port Clements on Graham Island, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. The Centre of the claim group is at 53°32’45”N, 132°08’30”W (103F/9E).
The property is just east of the Sandspit Fault, a crustal structure of regional extent striking approximately 325° Az. A pronounced scarp up to 60 metres high marks the fault line. East of the fault, topography is flat to the sea and overburden is variable. West of the fault, low rounded hills reach a maximum elevation of 120 metres (400 ft). The property is covered by recent clear-cuts with some second growth hemlock and cedar. The area along the Yakoun River was logged many years ago and is now completely revegetated by large spruce.
The claim area is outside of any area currently being considered for preservation as a national or provincial park. The proposed South Moresby Park is 100 km (60 miles) to the south.
A good gravel road west from Port Clements (Port Clements - Juskatla road) turning south onto the West Yakoun Mainline provide ready access onto the claims. Overland walking is sometimes difficult due to dense undergrowth of alder and salal and thick second growth hemlock and cedar trees.
Sandspit, with a population of 600, is a distribution centre and staging point for the Queen Charlotte Islands. It has scheduled daily jet service from Vancouver, good hotel/motel accommodations, heavy equipment contractors and adequate service and supply outlets. Port Clements is a small community (population about 250) which has a Motel, restaurants, store and Government Wharf-Marina on the south side of Masset Inlet. A small sawmill is located a short distance to the north of Port Clements which has a barge loading facility.
The
principal area of interest is covered by the Drillskid Road #1 mineral claim
staked under the modified grid system and registered in the name of J.T.
Shearer. Figure 3 shows the recorded
claim block and reduced size. The
claims are located within the Skeena Mining Division.
|
TABLE 1 List of Claims |
|||||
|
Claim Name |
Record No. |
Size |
Units |
Location Date |
Expiry Date |
|
Drillskid Road #1 |
357704 |
4E5N |
20 * |
July 14, 1997 |
July 14, 2001 * |
|
|
reduced |
2E5N |
* reduced to 10 units |
|
|
* with application of assessment work
documented in this report.
Under
the present status of mineral claims in British Columbia, the consideration of
industrial minerals requires careful designation of the product’s end use. An industrial mineral is a rock or naturally
occurring substance that can be mined and processed for its unique qualities
and used for industrial purposes (as defined in the Mineral Tenure Act). It
does not include “Quarry Resources”.
Quarry Resources includes earth, soil, marl, peat, sand and gravel, and
rock, rip-rap and stone products that are used for construction purposes (as
defined in the Land Act). Construction means the use of rock or other
natural substances for roads, buildings, berms, breakwaters, runways, rip-rap
and fills and includes crushed rock.
Dimension stone means any rock or stone product that is cut or split on
two or more sides, but does not include crushed rock.
The
apparent expected end use of the Diatomite resource (that of supporting the
manufacturing of industrial products) from the Skonun Diatomite comes within
the Industrial Use definition and therefore can be considered under the Mineral Tenure Act. Claims require $100 of assessment work per
unit (or cash-in-lieu) each of the first three years and $200 per unit each
year after.
Although
the presence of marine diatomites in the Skonun Formation along the Yakoun
River was reported in Bulletin 54 (1968) prepared by A. Sutherland-Brown in
1975, there are no recorded instances of the potential for commercial diatomite
being investigated.
A
nearby gold property along the Sandspit Fault is the Harmony Gold Project of
Misty Mountain Gold Limited. During
1996 Misty Mountain Gold Limited significantly advanced its 100% owned Harmony
Gold Project towards the goal of having sound environmental stewardship lead to
successful permitting of substantial gold mine development. This was achieved through exploration and
pre-development expenditures totalling $5.84 million on a systematic core
drilling program of the Specogna Deposit and the advancement of a wide spectrum
of scoping study options to define the Harmony Gold Project. Positive program results are indicating that
in the months ahead an economically attractive gold mine proposal can be
advanced for the Specogna Deposit which will mitigate environmental risks and
maximized benefits for communities in the region. The Drillskid Road #1 is immediately to the north and east of the
Harmony Claims.
Forestry
is the main industry on the islands and the largest operators are MacMillan
Bloedel (Graham Island) and TimberWest Products (Moresby Island). Fishing is important to commercial and
recreational operators and is a significant traditional activity of the
Haida. Government and tourism services
account for the other main business activities. Recently, both the forestry and fishing industries on Graham
island have declined. At the same time,
the former largest employer on the Islands, the Canadian Department of Defense,
has closed down its operations with a loss of 500 jobs in Massett.
The
Harmony Gold Property encompasses a 440 square kilometre mineral claim holding
covering one of the world’s premier epithermal (Hotspring type) gold
systems. The Project includes the
Specogna Deposit which is central to the property and contains a geological
resource of over three million ounces of gold.
The Specogna Deposit is hosted by highly altered lower Skonun Formation.
Since
the discovery of the Specogna Deposit in 1970 over $40 million has been spent
by former operators. Their work
included trenching, drilling, underground bulk sampling, pilot mill testing,
environmental programs and feasibility studies. This work led to a proposal in 1987 by City Resources (Canada)
Limited to the British Columbia government to establish a 5,800 tonnes per day
(2.1 million tonnes per year) processing facility involving pre-treatment of 31
million tonnes of open pit ore by nitric acid leaching (Arseno Process)
followed by cyanidation and production of gold bullion.
In
1988, although City Resources (Canada) Limited was in the final stages of
project certification, it decided not to continue with its proposal for
financial reasons. permitting
proceedings were suspended.
In
1993, Misty Mountain Gold Limited initiated further planning of the Project
after examining the extensive project data base and determining that excellent
potential for the development of an economically and environmentally sound gold
mine existed. In 1995, Romulus
Resources Ltd., an affiliate of British Columbia based Hunter Dickinson Inc.,
joint ventured the Harmony Gold Project, and then merged with Misty Mountain
Gold Limited. The merger brought
together a multi-disciplinary team of professionals with an excellent record of
environmentally responsible mine development.
In
1995, Misty commenced a comprehensive, staged program to explore and develop
the project. This included a review of
voluminous historical, technical and environmental data, and the completion of
regionally extensive geochemical and airborne geophysical surveys. Late in 1995, a systematic diamond drilling
program of the Specogna Deposit commenced, utilizing large diameter core holes
spaced on a 20 metre by 20 metre grid pattern, oriented to the southeast and
drilled at an angle of minus 45 degrees.
In December 1996 this program was completed with a total of 34,627
metres drilled in 147 holes. The
extensive data base generated from this detailed drill program provides a solid
foundation for continuing mine development studies.
Current
and historical drilling of the Specogna Deposit now totals 79,766 metres in 538
holes with 41,27 gold assays completed.
The geological resources of the Specogna Deposit is 59 million tonnes
with an average grade of 1.66 grams gold per tonne. It is still open to the northwest and to depth with excellent
potential to develop additional reserves in these prime areas.
The
Specogna Deposit represents the mid to upper levels of an epithermal
hotspring-type precious metals system.
Gold is distributed throughout a hydrothermal breccia unit that
parallels the northwest striking Specogna Fault for at least 700 metres and
also throughout stockwork quartz veining and pervasively silicified sediments
which extend laterally from the hydrothermal breccia for up to 210 metres. The Deposit dips moderately northeast for
over 3000 metres and forms a mushroom-shaped cross section perpendicular to the
Specogna Fault. Approximately three
percent sulfides, mainly pyrite and marcasite, are found disseminated
throughout the Deposit. In addition to
the relatively evenly distributed gold, bonanza gold shoots occur scattered throughout
the Deposit. Examples of these high
grade shoots include drill intercepts of 42 metres averaging 14 grams gold per
tonne and 46 metres averaging 40 grams gold per tonne.
Currently,
two exploration targets are being prepared for drill testing. The first target is potential bonanza gold
deposits which may have developed at depths of more than 200 metres below the
currently known Specogna Deposit. Plans
for exploration drilling into this deeper, throttled portion of the epithermal
system are being guided by careful structural analysis of the current data
base. The second exciting target,
located eight kilometres south of the Specogna Deposit, is contained in a
topographic high with a gold-in-soil anomaly and an airborne geophysical
response of the same magnitude and size as those of the Specogna Deposit. Coincidentally, commercial logging is now
underway in the area of this target and will facilitate exploration activities
being planned by Misty for the summer season in 1997. Apparently, preliminary results of the 1997 program in this area
by Misty were not encouraging.
Logging
by MacMillan-Bloedel from its operation centre at Juskatla is scheduled to
reach the east side of the Lower Yakoun River in the near future.
The major geological feature (Figure 4) within the region is the Sandspit Fault, a dominant crustal structure that cuts diagonally to the west of the Skonun Diatomite property at about 325° Az and continues northwest and southeast for many miles. Parallel strands and subparallel splays are apparent on air photos.
The fault marks a distinct break in both physiography and bedrock lithology. Stream beds commonly dogleg when crossing the fault line indicating it is the locus of very recent movement. To the west, the land sharply rises to form low hills and mountains; eastward the topography is relatively flat and swampy.
According to Sutherland-Brown (1968) “Rocks exposed in the west block are invariably older than those exposed on the east-Yakoun Formation and Sandspit Plutons in the west, Masset and Skonun Formations in the east. The Sandspit Plutons are apparently aligned along the fault trace but are cut by the faults and seem to have supplied detritus to the Skonun Formation. The east block has dropped many thousands of feet relative to the west; however latest movement appears to have been east block up. This structure was most likely active in the Cretaceous, and although some strands have not been active since the Pleistocene, others most certainly have.”
Several gold deposits and prospects in the region are mineralized along the Sandspit Fault and splay structures occurring as veins, siliceous breccias, and silica replacement zones. The fault provided permeability for the circulation of mineralizing fluids and hotspring development.
Generally, the Skonun Formation comprises the bulk of the tertiary Queen Charlotte Basin which also has recently been revised (Higgs, 1991) to include the Masset Volcanics in the lower basin fill based on partial Skonun-Masset age-equivalence and probable interfingering.
Since the Skonun Formation is very recessive in nature, much of the knowledge of the sequence is based on deep wells, both onshore and offshore, drilled during petroleum exploration. The current abundance of Skonun exposure now available in road cuts along the West Yakoun Mainline and associated branch roads were not available prior to the 1990’s.
The largest gold deposit in the
region is the Harmony Deposit of Misty Mountain Gold Ltd. containing over 3
million ounces of gold reserves located 5 km west of the Diatomite
property. Structure, lithologies and
hotspring development are important ore controls. The Sandspit Fault is adjacent to the deposit on the east
side. A secondary splay structure known
as the Specogna Fault was a major control or channel for the movement of
mineralizing fluids. The Specogna Fault
runs immediately west of the deposit dipping 45-50oE. Mineralization occurs in quartz veins,
siliceous breccia and replacement zones within silicified conglomerate of the
Skonun Formation. Haida shales form the
footwall of the Specogna Fault and may have been a secondary control on the
localization of mineralization by creating an impermeable boundary on the west
side of the deposit.
STRATIGRAPHY and SEDIMENTOLOGY
The
Drillskid Road #1 Claim is underlain by recessive, very poorly indurated,
sandstones and shales of the Skonun Formation.
Well-log correlations from just north of the claim (Higgs, 1991) reveal
a bipartite basin fill. Higgs (1991)
summarized the
Major units as follows:
“ The upper unit, Unit
II, is a Miocene-Recent sedimentary blanket covering the offshore area, but
absent onshore except for northeast Graham Island. Characterizing Unit II on well logs are coarsening-up shale-sand
sequences of regional extent, 10-30m thick, interpreted as allogenic regressive
cycles. Underlying Unit II, Unit I,
lacks basinwide correlations and comprises Eocene to Miocene volcanics
(including the Masset Formation) and intercalated sediments.
Facies analysis of cores
and small exposures shows that Unit I includes alluvial fan, fan delta and
fluvial facies. Unit II strata exposed
in northeast Graham Island are of the Miocene age and include three facies associations;
(1) delta-plain mudstone, sandstone and coal; (2) Tidal-shelf cross-stratified
sandstone; and (3) amalgamated shelf storm beds. The outcrop data suggest that the regressive cycles recognized on
well logs comprise shelf deposits shallowing up into delta-plain deposits.
The bipartite basin fill
is interpreted in terms of an extensional basin with a McKenzie-type, two-stage
subsidence history. Unit I is
interpreted as a “rift” succession, based on the volcanics, local conglomerates,
and lack of correlations; deposition was in half-grabens in an extensional,
block-faulting regime. Subsequently,
Unit II was deposited under “post-rift” regional (thermal?) subsidence. Seismic profiles support the proposed
two-stage evolution.”
The
coarsening-up sequences, either singly or in groups, can be correlated
laterally for at least 175 km (from Sockeye to Osprey). Their regional extent implies that sequences
are transgressive-regressive cycles of allogenic (eustatic or tectonic) origin,
rather than local, autogenic cycles.
The probable coarsening-up nature of the sequences suggests that they
are regressive (i.e. shallowing-up), separated by surfaces of abrupt regional
transgression representing time lines (Higgs, 1991).
The
Queen Charlotte Basin is divisible into two stratigraphic units. the lower unit, Unit I, lacks correlations
and comprises intercalated sediments and volcanics. In contrast, Unit II lacks volcanics and contains laterally
correlatable sequences. Unit I is
buried beneath Unit II in Queen Charlotte Sound, Hecate Strain and northeast
Graham Island, but Unit I shallows toward the north and west, ultimately occurring
at surface in the Tow Hill and Port Louis wells, which are entirely Unit I;
between these wells, Unit I crops out extensively in western Graham Island as
the Masset Formation (volcanics with subordinate sediments; Hickson, 1991). Graham Island thus consists essentially of
Unit I Masset Volcanics in the west and, in the east, Unit II (Skonun)
sediments overlying Unit I sediments and volcanics. These east-younging outcrop pattern is attributed to ongoing
uplift of Graham Island being faster in the west than in the east causing
exhumation of Unit I in the west.
The
twin Naden wells were drilled entirely in Unit I volcanics. The Tow Hill exposure is attributed to Unit
I because it includes the volcanic Tow Hill sills (Sutherland-Brown, 1968),
which also occur in the Tow Hill well.
Bore hole cuttings indicated that sediments in Unit I include sandstone,
shale and coal. In addition, there are
conglomerate-dominated intervals more than 500m thick, for example in the Tow
Hill well (Higgs, 1991). Thick
conglomerates also occur at the Specogna Gold Deposit, which is therefore
assigned to Unit I. Intervals of
intercalated sediments and volcanics attributed to Unit I can exceed 1 km. Some wells penetrated more than 1 km of Unit
I sediments before penetrating volcanics.
The thickness of Unit I is uncertain because few wells reach
pre-Tertiary basement. However,
Cretaceous palynomorphs were reported in the basal sediments of Tyee and
Sockeye E-66 but these could be reworked specimens. From the bottom of Sockeye B-10, unreliable late Cretaceous
radiometric ages were obtained on basalt cuttings and on altered basalt from a
sidewall core. Only the Tyee well,
which bottomed in pre-Tertiary intrusives, reached unequivocal basement rocks
underlying the Queen Charlotte Basin.
This well penetrated 2.7 km of Unit I, more than any other well,
providing a minimum thickness for the unit.
Tyee penetrated no volcanics, proving that the Masset Formation is not a
basinwide blanket.
Deposition
of Unit I sediments and volcanics began at 45-40 Ma (middle Eocene) and
continued until 15-10 Ma (middle to late Miocene) based on K-Ar ages of Masset
Formation volcanics (Hickson, 1989).
Fossils in Unit I sediments at the Specogna Gold Deposit are Lower to
Middle Miocene (Champigny et. al., 1981).
Palynomorphs indicate that Unit I sediments in the Port Louis well are
within the range of early Eocene to early Oligocene, and in the Tow Hill well
are Miocene to possibly as old as late Oligocene (White, 1991).
Unit
II, the upper stratigraphic unit, is characterized by correlatable sequences
and absence of volcanics. The maximum
thickness of Unit II in the offshore wells is 2 km. The age of Unit II, based on forams in the Murelet, Harlequin and
Osprey wells (Patterson, 1988, 1989) is early Miocene through Quaternary. Skonun Formation strata along Masset Sound
are assigned to Unit II because they are near wells in which Unit II occurs at
surface (Higgs, 1991). Rocks at Skonun
Point, Yakan Point and Yakoun River are likewise assigned to Unit II because
fossils indicate that they are late Miocene age. The Miller Creek section is assigned to Unit II based on facies
similarities with Yakan Point and Yakoun River. Late Miocene (Wishkahan) age for the beds at Yakan Point and
Skonun Point was estimated as 13-11 Ma by Champigny et. al. (1981); hence,
deposition of Unit II began no later than 11 Ma on Graham Island. However, eruption of underlying Unit I
volcanics persisted until 15-10 Ma (Hickson, 1989). This, deposition of Unit II on Graham Island began at some time
in the interval 15-11 Ma, or middle to late Miocene. Further south, deposition of Unit II began earlier, in early
Miocene time, in Queen Charlotte Sound.
This suggests that Unit II is diachronous, with its base younging
northward.
An
important lateral facies change occurs in Unit II. In the southernmost two wells (Harlequin and Osprey), cuttings
suggest that Unit II is entirely marine, since it lacks coal and contains
foraminifera (Shouldice, 1971). In
contrast, correlative strata to the north include both marine intervals and
coal-bearing continental intervals, as shown by well cuttings
(Sutherland-Brown, 1968; Shouldice, 1971).
In the north, on Graham Island, Unit II facies include delta-plain muds,
sands and coals, and tidal-shelf sands.
Offshore in the south, the three available cores indicate a
storm-dominated shelf environment. The
absence of continental facies in Unit II in the southern two wells, indicated
by the presence of forams and the absence of coal in cuttings (Shouldice,
1971), suggests that during each regressive episode the shoreline failed to
prograde as far as the southern area.
Unit
I strata at the Specogna Gold Deposit and Tasu are conglomerate, interpreted
respectively as fan delta and braided stream deposits. Unit II facies are entirely different. Exposed Miocene strata comprise three facies
associations: (1) delta-plain muds with coal beds (Skonun Point and Miller
Creek); (2) tidal-shelf cross-stratified sand with ice-rafted dropstones
(Skonun Point, Miller Creek, Yakoun River and Collision Point); and (3)
storm-dominated shelf deposits with dropstones (Skonun Point). Minor conglomerates are associated with the
tidal sands; these are interpreted as dropstone “condensation layers” formed by
slow accumulation of ice-rafted dropstones under high tidal current
velocities. These are thought to be the
first known tidal deposits in the Tertiary of Canada south of latitude 60°N.
Furthermore, the dropstones are possibly the first known evidence for pre-Quaternary
(Miocene)) glaciers in western Canada.
An
aggregate quarry near the Specogna Gold Deposit operated by the logging company
for road surfaces is located 1 km west of the claim. The dominant lithology was silicified matrix-supported
conglomerate, referred to informally as the “Upper Debris Flow”. This unit has also been recognized in core
at Speconga and is 20-25m thick. The
conglomerate matrix is unstratified and consists of poorly sorted, muddy, very
fine sand. Clasts include volcanic, plutonic
and sedimentary rock types, ranging from angular to rounded, and from granule
to cobble grade.
The
“Upper Debris Flow” is interpreted as the deposit of a cohesive debris flow,
based on its massive texture, poor sorting and muddy matrix (Higgs, 1991). The association of this mass-flow
conglomerate with bivalves is consistent with deposition on a deep-water fan
delta.
Several
Skonun Formation exposures occur in cliffs along the Yakoun River and in a
nearby sand pit and roadcuts on the Drillskid Road Claims. Horizontal or near horizontal strata occur
in three cliff exposures along a 1.5 km stretch of the River, Figure 5 & 6.
The
southernmost cliff is about 150m long and exposes about 12m of
tabular-cross-bedded medium sandstone overlain by about 3m of pale grey,
massive mudstone containing whole, disarticulated bivalves and gastropods. Sandstone cross-sets are 30-100 cm thick,
and foresets dip north. Only in one set
was the true (three dimensional) attitude of the foresets visible, yielding a
dip direction of 335°. The top few decimetres of each set contain
vertical Ophiomorpha burrows, sufficiently crowded in some cases to obliterate
the cross stratification. Dispersed
within the sets are “floating” pebbles up to 3 cm across. About 1m above river level, the sandstone
contains a layer of angular to rounded pebbles and cobbles, one clast thick; a
few clasts are in contact with their neighbours. One angular volcanic clast is 50 cm long.
The
mudstone is inaccessible at the clifftop, but talus at the base of the cliff
was examined petrographically (Appendix IV)
Molluscs recovered from the talus are upper Miocene and include the
bivalve Acila empirensis, which has previously been described from the Skonun
Formation.
The
presence of Ophiomorpha suggests that a marine environment is most likely for
the sandstone. Similarly, the mudstone
mollusc fauna is marine, and indicates an inner or middle shelf setting. The floating clasts are interpreted as
ice-rafted dropstones, while the discrete layer of clasts is interpreted as
either a dropstone condensation layer or a winnowed lag. The presence of dropstones supports the
mollusc evidence for an offshore shelf environment, rather than an estuary or
lagoon.
The cross stratification was produced by bedforms migrating across the sea
floor under the influence of a strong current.
The current was probably tidal, based on the evidence for tidal currents
at other Skonun Formation exposures (especially Yakan Point above and Yakoun
sand pit, Higgs, 1991). The thickness
and tabular geometry of the cross-sets suggest that the parent bedforms were
straight-crested sandwaves up to at least 1m high. The consistent northward dip
of the foresets indicates that the dominant tidal flow at this locality
was northward. The apparent lack of
clay laminae draping the foresets suggests that slack water never occurred,
presumably due to a supplementary (wind driven?) current.
The
upward transition from shallow-marine sandstone to shallow-marine mudstone
presumably reflects a sudden decrease of tidal current velocity, possibly due
to a tectonically or glacially induced change in basin configuration, causing
tidal currents to diminish, or tidal flow paths to shift laterally. The absence of dropstones in the mudstone
suggest that icebergs were kept away, possibly by entrainment in tidal-current
pathways. Nevertheless, glaciers may
have continued to influence deposition; the lack of structure in the mudstone
is typical of glaciomarine muds and may reflect continuous rainout from sediment-rich
overflows fed by glacial meltwater.
The
central cliff exposes about 2m of apparently massive (burrowed?) sandstone,
overlain by about 2m of tabular cross-stratified sandstone. The two units are separated by a string, one
clast thick, of pebbles and cobbles.
The crossbedded sandstone comprises two sets each about 2m thick, with
opposed forset dips (southward in the lower set and northward in the upper set)
forming a herringbone pattern.
The
herringbone cross-stratification is strongly suggestive of tidal currents and
the pebble-cobble layer may represent dropstones. The inferred depositional environment is glacially influenced
tidal shelf, as for the previous cliff exposures.
The
northernmost cliff consists of about 30m of tabular cross-stratified sandstone,
massive sandstone and massive mudstone, interbedded in units 2-5m thick. Individual cross-sets are up to about 1m
thick, and all foresets dip northward.
The massive sandstone interval contains a bedding-parallel stringer of
pebbles and/or cobbles.
The
facies resemble those at other Skonun Formation exposures and are likewise
interpreted in terms of a glacially influenced, tide-dominated shallow marine
environment (Higgs, 1991).
The
sand pit north of the LCP, about 600m west of the Yakoun River, exposes friable
Skonun Formation sandstone extracted to pave logging roads. About 10m of subhorizontal, tabular
cross-stratified sandstone are exposed.
This is capped by 1-3m of gravel and cross-stratified pebbly sand, with
an irregular, compound-channeled base with up to 2m of relief and with locally
subvertical channel walls. no fossils
were found in the sand pit deposits, so their age is unknown. However, the gravelly capping is tentatively
interpreted as Quaternary fluvioglacial outwash. The underlying sandstone is very similar to late Miocene facies
which occur less than 1 km away along the Yakoun River in strata which are
likewise subhorizontal.
The
cross-stratified sandstone is fine to medium grained and contains sparse,
floating pebbles up to 2.5 cm across.
Sets are essentially tabular and are 30-150 cm thick. Set boundaries are planar, but successive
pairs of set boundaries are commonly not quite parallel, diverging by up to 20°.
The foresets in every cross-set dip northward. Foresets are arranged such that groups of concave foresets (with
contiguous bottomsets) alternate on a decimetre scale with groups of planar
foresets. Bottomsets are moderately to
strongly burrowed in places, forming burrowed intervals 5-15 cm thick. The burrows are 1-2mm in diameter, vertical
to horizontal and include a branching ichnogenus (Chondrites?) and possible
U-tubes. Foresets contain sparse
Ophiomorpha burrows, measuring 1-3 cm in diameter and up to 50 cm long, which
descend vertically from upper set boundaries (Higgs, 1991).
Locally,
two sets are separated by a thin (1-2 cm) layer of massive, pale grey
mudstone. There are also rare mud
drapes within cross-sets, intercalated in the foreset lamination. The mud drapes occur as doublets enclosing a
millemetre-thick sand lamina: the thickness of this “sandwich” is up to 3.5 cm
(Higgs, 1991).
In
some cross-sets, a bundle of foresets is deformed into decimetre-scale
folds. The deformed bundle is up to
about 1m thick, measured perpendicular to the foresets. The bundle is bounded laterally by
undeformed foresets, and is either truncated at the top by the overlying
cross-set or else the deformation affects the overlying set as well. The folds consist of sharp anticlines
separated by broad, rounded synclines, it is not known how far the anticlines
extend in the third dimension. or indeed if they are domal. Anticlines become sharper upward within a
deformed bundle, culminating in a diapir-like fold. Anticline axes are vertical and the axial zone is commonly a
structureless pillar a few centimetres across.
In one folded foreset bundle, the foresets are offset by a downward
verging thrust.
The
floating clasts are interpreted, like those at other Skonun Formation
localities, as iceberg dropstones, implying an offshore environment. The double mud drapes are proof of a sub
aqueous tidal environment, lending support to the tidal interpretation already
inferred for similar facies at other Skonun Formation exposures. The cross-sets were produced by migration of
relatively straight-crested sandwaves up to at least 1.5m high, as shown by the
relatively tabular set geometry and by the thickness of sets. The double mud drapes represent deposition
between two dominant tides, with the mud laminae reflecting slack water and the
intervening sand lamina the subordinate tide.
The scarcity of mud drapes suggests that slack water seldom occurred,
presumably due to a supplementary (wind-driven?) current. The alternating groups of concave and planar
foresets lend further support to a subaqueous tidal environment.
The
Ophiomorpha burrows reflect burrowing on the stoss sides of the sandwaves. The observed sparse burrow density may not
reflect the actual population density because stoss sides may have been deeply
eroded by current-scour ahead of the next (advancing) sandwave.
The
cross-strata are of fair-weather, not storm-tidal origin based on the presence
of mud drapes and neap-spring foreset groups.
Where a 1-2 cm mud layer separates two sets, this may reflect a
temporary decrease in the tidal current velocity, perhaps due to a temporary
diversion of the tidal current flow path.
The
folded foreset bundles are thought to reflect dewatering, the anticlines
forming by upward expulsion of pore water along discrete channels corresponding
to anticline axes: this would explain why axes are vertical and why the axial
sediment is commonly structureless.
Individual anticlines sharpen upward because positions progressively
higher up the axis are flushed by increasing amounts of escaping water. The inferred dewatering implies that the
deformed bundle underwent liquefaction, possibly triggered by an
earthquake. Liquefaction was
contemporaneous with deposition and took place at or near the sea floor, as
shown by one set in which the deformed
bundle is truncated by the overlying (undeformed) cross-set. The fact that the fold axes are vertical
rather than inclined implies that dewatering was not accompanied by downslope
sliding of the deforming bundle. In the
one definite instance where suck sliding took place, deformation was
accommodated by thrusting.
Several
roadcuts occur along logging roads between the 7.0-8.5 km road signs exposing
Skonun Formation strata. The roadcut at
8 km exposes horizontal strata dominated by 4.5m unit of massive, pale grey
mudstone. There is also an interval of
millimetre-scale interlaminated mudstone and very fine sandstone containing
vertical sandfilled Ophiomorpha burrows.
Another roadcut at 8.5 km exposes what is possibly the same 4-5m massive
mudstone unit, underlain by about 5m of fine sandstone which is thoroughly
bioturbated by Ophiomorpha and therefore has a mud matrix. Beneath the muddy sandstone is about 3m of
tabular cross stratified, fine to medium sandstone with foresets dipping approximately
northward. The top few decimetres of
the upper cross-set contain closely spaced, vertical Ophiomorpha burrows up to
1 cm in diameter; burrow density decreases downward due to shallower burrows. A stringer of disconnected pebbles, one
clast thick, follows the upper contact of the crossbedded sandstone and another
occurs within the overlying muddy sandstone unit. The clasts include an angular volcanic clast about 15 cm across
and an angular granitoid clast about 8 cm across.
All
except the interlaminated sand-mud facies have been described and interpreted
at other Skonun Formation localities and are indicative of a shallow
glacially-influenced tidal sea floor.
The interlaminated sand-mud facies may reflect either daily
tidal-current fluctuations or seasonal fluctuations in the velocity thence
competence of meltwater plumes.
Iceberg
dropstones appear to be common in Unit II shelf sediments. The inferred icebergs may have been calving
along the coast of mainland British Columbia, where the ancestral (late
Miocene) Coast Mountains may have been sufficiently high to produce glaciers
capable of reaching the sea (Higgs, 1991).
It seems likely that at least some of the icebergs were calved from
glaciers in the mountains of ancestral (Miocene) Moresby Island. In apparent contradiction of this evidence
for nearby glaciers, molluscs in the Skonun Formation indicate that the local
shallow-water climate in late Miocene time was temperate and “probably somewhat
warmer than that which occurs on the coast today” (Higgs, 1991). Similarly, microflora in the Skonun
Formation indicates that the climate was “relatively humid, and probably
somewhat more temperate than...Today” (Martin and Rouse, 1966). Thus the dropstones probably do not reflect a cold regional
climate. Instead, the dropstones may
reflect a combination of high elevations and heavy precipitation in the
ancestral Moresby mountains, such that glaciers were sufficiently nourished to
reach the sea, despite the mild climate which prevailed at sea level.
It
is possible, that the diatomite concentrations in the Upper Skonun Formation
are directly related to the nearby major and long lived hotspring which is
genetically related to the Specogna Gold Deposit hosted by lower Skonun
Formation.
DIATOMITE RESOURCE and ABSORPTION
RESULTS
Diatomaceous
silica qualifies as a mineral of organic origin in much the same way that
aragonite and collophane do. The silica
of the fossilized diatom skeleton closely resembles opal or hydrous silica in
composition (SiO2·nH2O).
The silica is of acute biological
significance, not only for the cell wall component, but also for the basic life
process. Without silica, cell
development ceases. In addition to
bound water, varying between 3.5 and 8%, the siliceous skeleton may also
contain, in solid solution, or as part of the SiO2 complex small
amounts of associated inorganic components - alumina, principally - and lesser
amounts of iron, alkaline earths, alkali metals and other minor
constituents. Boron is reported to be
an essential element for diatom growth.
Since diatomaceous silica is not pure hydrous silica but contains
other intimately associated elements, there is good reason to consider it a
distinct type or variety. Associated
with the diatomaceous silica and integrated as part of the diatomite, may be
variable amounts of organic matter, soluble salts, and particles of
rock-forming minerals that were syngenetically deposited or precipitated with
the diatom frustules. Sand, clay,
carbonate and volcanic ash are typical common contaminants. Other contaminating minerals may be present,
such as feldspar, mica, amphiboles, pyroxenes, rutile, zircon - the result of
weathering, then transporting and subsequent redisposition of surrounding land
masses. Commercial diatomite may also
contain fragments and particles of other such organisms as silico-flagellates,
radiolaria and siliceous sponges.
In
a commercial diatomite, silica makes up the bulk of the chemical composition;
usually over 86% and as high as 94%.
Alumina and iron generally are at least 1.5 and 0.2%, respectively. This includes not only that believed to be
incorporated as part of the skeleton but iron and alumina associated with many
of the contaminants. Lesser amounts of
other elements, a small part of which may be secreted in the diatom skeleton,
comprise the balance of the total chemical composition. The manner in which many of these elements
are associated is not presently known.
Table 1 illustrates the chemical composition of diatomites from various
areas. Although diatoms
appear amorphous under the light microscope, X-ray studies show untreated
diatomite to have a broad halo in the region of the principal cristobalite
peak, thus it has been referred to as “micro-amorphous”. The main X-ray line is an
approximation and not identical with a-cristobalite. Some researchers have reported b-cristobalite to be prevalent. The crystalline impurities produce their own
X-ray lines; hence they furnish an identification of their nature, to a greater
or lesser degree, depending on the amounts present. The ultimate hardness of the diatom skeleton is between 4½ and 5
on the Mohs’ scale. After calcination
or flux calcination, the Mohs’ hardness
is increased to 5½ to 6. The
friability, or the propensity of the skeleton to break down, rather than to
abrade, renders a measurement of hardness meaningless without also a
consideration of the particle size.
The specific gravity ranges form 1.95 to 2.3. In calculating settling velocities, bulking
values, etc., and apparent specific gravity of 2.0 for natural milled powders
and of 2.3 for flux calcined powders is generally used. Refractive index is variable between about
1.40 and 1.46 for natural earth, and increases to 1.49 for flux calcined
diatomite.
Taxonomically,
diatoms are divided into two broad categories: Centricae (discoid) and Pennatae
(elongate to filiform). The study of
the various intricate shapes and structural patterns of individual siliceous
skeletons is as old as the use of the light microscope itself. Each form consists of two valves that are
bound together by a connecting band or girdle.
In the living diatom, these encase the cell contents.
Each
siliceous valve is punctated by a system or pattern of openings that are
arranged in a consistent and orderly design.
Furthermore, each valve appears to consist of an inner and an outer
platelike surface, separated by ribs that result in a chambered interior. The structure of each surface is different
in that the nature of the openings from each surface into the chamber is not
necessarily the same. It is on the
basis of the valve structure that diatoms are classified. The openings in the skeleton, classified by
diatomists and divided into primary, secondary and in some species, tertiary
structures, are believed to simply support the membrane of the living diatom
through which the nutrients pass by the process of osmosis. The valves vary between approximately 5 and
1000m in diameter, or maximum dimension,
depending on the genus. Most species
fall within the range of 50 to 150m.
CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS
The
Drillskid road #1 covers the only reported marine diatomite occurrence in
British Columbia. The area is located
southwest of the community of Port Clements along the west side of the Yakoun
River. All weather logging roads
provide access and road-cut exposures throughout the area.
The
diatomite is hosted by the Upper Skonun Formation (Unit II) of Late Miocene
through to Quaternary (less than 10 million years B.P.). The rocks are characterized by very friable
crossbedded sandstones and recessive shales-mudstones which formed in a tidal
(marine) shelf in a warm, temperate, relatively humid environment.
The
claim is a very preliminary stage of evaluation, however, marine diatoms were
observed in several samples. Additional
follow-up work is recommended to define more concentrated diatomite horizons by
a series of 3m samples across stratigraphy and immediately examined under a
high powered microscope.
Respectfully submitted,
J.T. (Jo) Shearer, M.Sc., P.Geo.
Phase I & II: Geological
mapping, petrographic examination, trenching, definition of diatomite stratigraphy.
Phase I:
Detail stratigraphic sampling, 3m samples and examined in field
8 man days @ $350 per day $ 2,800.00
Room & Board 350.00
Transportation 200.00
Airfare 460.00
Analytical 2,000.00
Preparation 1,000.00
Subtotal $ 6,800.00
Phase II:
1) Grid preparation, surveying & line cutting $ 3,000.00
2) Geological mapping, 12 man days @ $350/md 4,200.00
3) Field Microscopy, 4 man days 1,400.00
4) Absorption tests, 15 tests @ $70 per test 1,050.00
5) Analytical 600.00
6) Support Costs
- room and board, 32 md @ $50/md 1,600.00
- vehicle, 14 days @ $53.50 per day 749.00
- fuel
- airfares, 2 x $460 920.00
- consumables & equipment rental 650.00
- communications & freight 200.00
7) Drafting, Report preparation $ 2,500.00
Subtotal $16,869.00
Total
- Phase I & II $23,669.00
Barron, J. A., 1981:
Marine Diatom Biostratigraphy of the Montesano Formation near Aberdeen Washington: Geological Survey of America, Special Paper 184, p. 113-126.
Champigny, N., Henderson, C. N. & Rouse, G. E., 1981:
New Evidence for the Age of the Skonun Formation, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C., CJES Vol. 18, p. 1900-1903.
Christie, J.S. and Richards, G.G. 1982:
Geology and Geochemistry of the SNOW 1-5 Mineral Claims, Moresby Island, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C. for Ventures West Minerals Ltd., BCDMPR AR 10140.
Fairbank, B.C. 1988:
Geological, Geochemical, Geophysical and Trenching Assessment Report on the SNOW Group, Sandspit Area, QCI; Private Report for Mondavi Resources Ltd. March 15, 1988, 75pp (Filed as Assess Rpt 17410)
Hepp, M.A. 1988:
Geochemical and Diamond Drill Assessment Report on the SNOW Group, Sandspit Area, Queen Charlotte Islands. Private Report for Mondavi Resources Ltd. June 1, 1988 (Apparently not filed for assessment credit)
Hickson, C. J., 1988:
Structure and Stratigraphy of the Masset Formation, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia: in Current Research, Part E, Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 88-1E, P. 269-274.
1989:
An Update on Structure and Stratigraphy of the Masset Formation, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia: in Current Research, Part H, Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 89-1H, p. 73-79.
1991:
The Masset Formation on Graham Island, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia: in Evolution and Hydrocarbon Potential of the Queen Charlotte Basin, British Columbia, Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 90-10.
Higgs, R., 1991:
Sedimentology, Basin-fill Architecture and Petroleum Geology of the Tertiary Queen Charlotte Basin, British Columbia in Evolution and Hydrocarbon Potential of the Queen Charlotte Basin, British Columbia, Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 90-10, p. 337-371.
1989a:
Sedimentology and Implications for Hydrocarbon Exploration of the “Hippa beds”, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Colombia: in Current Research, Part H, Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 89-1H, p. 53-58.
1989b:
Sedimentological Aspects of the Skonun Formation, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia: in Current Research, Part H, Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 89-1H, p. 87-94.
Martin, H. A. and Rouse, G. E., 1966:
Palynology of Late Tertiary Sediments from Queen Charlotte Islands, British Colombia: Canadian Journal of Botany, v. 44, p. 171-208.
Newell, J.M. and Delancy, P.R. 1970:
Geochemical Report IXL Claim Group, Skeena Mining Division, Texas Gulf Sulphur Company, BCDMPR AR 2777.
Northern Miner, July 6, 1987
p24., City Resources.
Patterson, R. T., 1989:
Neogene Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy of the Southern Queen Charlotte Basin: in Contributions to Canadian Paleontology, Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 396, p. 229-265.
Pezzott, E.T. and White, S. E. 1984:
Geophysical Report on an Airborne VLF Electromagnetic and Magnetometer Survey, SNOW 1-5 Claims, Skeena, M.D., B.C. for Majorem Minerals Ltd. BCDMPR AR 13535.
Serak, M.L. 1985:
Diamond Drill Report, SNOW 1-4 Mar 1 Claims, Skeena Mining Division, B.C. for Lornex Mining Corporation Ltd., BCDMPR AR 14695.
Shouldice, D. H., 1971:
Geology of the Western Canadian Continental Shelf: Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, V. 19, p. 405-436.
Sutherland-Brown, A. 1968:
Geology of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, BCDMPR Bull. No. 54.
Vancouver Stockwatch, June 10, 1987,
p5, City Resources.
STATEMENT
OF QUALIFICATIONS
I, JOHAN T. SHEARER, of 1817 Greenmount Avenue, in the City of Port Coquitlam, in the Province of British Columbia, do hearby certify:
1. I am a graduate of the University of British Columbia (B.Sc., 1973) in Honours Geology, and the University of London, Imperial College (M.Sc., 1977).
2. I have over 25 years of experience in exploration for base and precious metals and industrial mineral commodities in the Cordillera of Western North America with such companies as McIntyre Mines Ltd., J. C. Stephen Explorations Ltd., Carolin Mines Ltd. and TRM Engineering Ltd.
3. I am a fellow in good standing of the Geological Association of Canada (Fellow No. F439) and I am a member in good standing with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (Member No. 19,279).
4. I am an independent consulting geologist employed since December 1986 by Homegold Resources Ltd. Unit #5-2330 Tyner Street, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia.
5. I am the author of this report entitled “Prospecting Assessment Report on the Skonun Marine Diatomite Deposit” dated January 30, 1998.
6. I have visited the property in July 15, 16 & 17, 1997 and carried out geological mapping, sample collection and trail cutting. I am familiar with the regional geology and geology of nearby properties. I am not aware of any of the previous work conducted on the Skonun Diatomite property.
7. I own an interest in the property.
Dated at Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, the 30th day of January, 1998.
____________________________________
J. T. Shearer, M.Sc., F.G.A.C., P.Geo.
APPENDIX
II
Statement of Costs
Drillskid #1 Claim
Skonun Diatomite
Wages
and Benefits
J.T. Shearer, M.Sc., P.Geo. $
1,050.00
3 days at $350 per day July 15, 16 & 17,
1997
GST 135.00
Transportation
Airfare 440.00
3 days truck rental at $53.50 per day 160.50
Gasoline 60.00
Meals
& Accommodation 150.00
Drafting 150.00
Microscopy
of samples collected (Petrology) 1,200.00
Absorption Tests (B.C. Research) 245.00
Report
Preparation 750.00
Word
Processing and Reproduction 150.00
GRAND TOTAL $ 4,280.50