History

Silver-lead-zinc mineralization was first discovered in the conglomerate creek area in 1964. Since then, a number of exploration programs in the area have focused on silver-lead-zinc and intrusion-related gold and tungsten occurrences.

In 1964, silver-lead-zinc mineralization was discovered in the Dusty/Tung area in upper conglomerate Creek and staked by Yukon-Pacific Syndicate. In 1965, Yukon-Pacific performed hand trenching, magnetic surveys and geological mapping before allowing the claims to lapse.

The area was restaked in 1967 by Max Martin and optioned to Silver Duke Mines Ltd., which continued prospecting and mapping. In 1968, Silver Duke constructed a tote-trail to the property. Later that year it conducted electromagnetic (EM) and magnetometer surveys and completed two diamond drill holes totalling 121.6 m at the Dusty Zone (C-1 and C-2). 

The claims were optioned to Dusty Mac Mines Ltd. in 1972, which carried out geological mapping, magnetic surveying, grid soil sampling and trenching that year. Pan Ocean Oil Ltd. later optioned the property and carried out geochemical surveying, mapping and bulldozer trenching in 1973. 

In 1974, the claims reverted back to Max Martin who transferred them to Turner-Hindmarsh Tungsten Ltd., which completed bulldozer trenching and installed a crushing/grinding circuit in 1977 to test a mineralized zone on what are now the Max claims. In 1977, Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation briefly optioned the Max property and completed six diamond drill holes totalling 356 m. In 1978, Turner-Hindmarsh changed its name to Tungco Resources Corporation and continued exploration on the property. In 1979, it completed bulldozer trenching and eight diamond drill holes totalling 408.2 m. In 1980, Tungco drilled four additional holes totalling 304.9 m, but core from these holes was only analyzed for tungsten. 

In 1982, Score Resources Corporation and Vancliffe Resources Corporation acquired part of the current property south of the Max claims. They carried out magnetic surveys and geological mapping in 1983. Clifton Star Resources optioned the surrounding claims in 1983 and carried out a brief examination. 

In 1996, Finlayson Joint Venture Inc. (FJV) staked an area encompassing much of the Dusty Zone, including the Max claim block. FJV conducted soil geochemistry and geophysical surveys, prospecting and geological mapping. The program was designed to examine known base metal and tungsten showings and to test their potential for gold and further base metal mineralization.

In 1965, Norquest JV staked the Lake and Glenna claims to the east of Dusty. Norquest conducted mapping, channel sampling and magnetic surveying in 1965 and 1966. Monarch Metal Mines Ltd. optioned the claims in 1967 and performed bulldozer trenching in 1968 and 12 diamond drill holes totalling 453.8 m in 1969. The property was then optioned to Silver Mark Mines Ltd., which completed 18 diamond drill holes totalling 1685.5 m in 1970.

Welland Consolidated Mining Ltd. staked the CU and Ace claims to the north and south of Silver Mark’s claims in 1970 and performed bulldozer trenching later that year. The claims were allowed to lapse following this work. Dual Resources Ltd. restaked the Ace claims in 1973. 

Tungco Corporation and Morning Star Mines Ltd. restaked the Lake and Glenna claims as the Marg claims in 1978. In 1979, they undertook trenching and seven diamond drill holes totalling 641 m. Two more diamond drill holes totalling 282.9 m were completed in 1980. 

The Arm claims were staked to the west in 1979 by J.C. Turner who transferred them to Armor Resources Ltd., which performed trenching later that year. The Arm claims lapsed and were restaked as part of the Con claims by Placer Dome Inc. in 1992, which then performed reconnaissance-scale prospecting and sampling. 

In 1996, FJV conducted an exploration program where prospecting discovered a one metre wide mineralized shear zone. 

In 1966, the Miko claims were staked by Hyland River Mines Ltd. to cover the Creek, Hillside and Cirque showings. In 1968, Hyland conducted soil geochemical, ground magnetic and airborne magnetic and EM surveys over its claims. This work was followed by bulldozer trenching and seven diamond drill holes totalling 306 m at the Creek and Cirque showings. In 1970, Hyland carried out additional bulldozer trenching and completed eight x-ray drill holes totalling 62 m at the Creek Showing.

In 1973, Targus Resources Ltd. optioned the Miko claims, but performed no work. In 1974, the claims were optioned to Tandem Resources Ltd., which conducted mapping, prospecting and hand trenching. In 1977, the Miko claims were downsized to cover only the Creek Showing and were transferred to Trio Resources Ltd., which performed more trenching in 1979. 

The Hillside and Cirque showings were restaked as the Marina claims in 1978 by Patmar Resources Corp., which completed trenching in 1979 and diamond drilling in 1980. This drilling included three diamond drill holes totalling 287 m on the Hillside Showing. 

In 1968, Fort Steele Mines Ltd. conducted mapping and prospecting within the Elsa Zone located between the Max and Glenna Minfile occurrences. 

Strategic Metals staked the Hy claims in spring 2007. That summer, Strategic Metals completed a helicopter-borne versatile time domain electromagnetic (VTEM) and magnetic survey. 

In 2011, Golden Predator Corp. optioned the property from Strategic Metals; however, no work was conducted before it dropped the option in early 2013. 

In 2013, Strategic Metals performed additional soil geochemical sampling, prospecting, hand trenching and geological mapping within the four main areas on the property. Most of the historical showings were re-visited and three additional discoveries were made.

Regional Geology

The Hy property is located within Selwyn Basin, a tectonic element comprised of deep water clastic rocks, chert and minor carbonate accumulated along the North American continental margin during Paleozoic time. 

Lithologies on the property belong to three main units: Hyland Group metasediments and sediments; Earn Group metasediments and sediments; and, Selwyn Suite intrusives. Earn Group forms most of the bedrock exposures in the central and southern parts of the area, while Hyland Group is exposed in an up to two kilometre wide, north-trending band located along its western edge. The sedimentary rock form a roof pendant, that is surrounded by granodiorite belonging to the Mt. Billings Batholith, on all but the east side. An isolated body of Earn Group lies about 1500 m north of the main pendant. This outlying pendant is about 1600 m long and up to 1000 m wide. No regional-scale structures are mapped on the property.

Property Geology

The western part of the area is underlain by Hyland Group mudstone, siltstone, phyllite and limestone that are unconformably overlain by Earn Group shale, slate and siltstone. The unconformable contact trends north and crosses the centre of this area. The Mt. Billings Batholith has intruded both groups in the northern and western parts of the Dusty/Tung Area. 

Throughout the Dusty/Tung Area, the sediments are cut by dykes and sills that are usually composed of fine grained biotite granodiorite with lesser monzonite. Pegmatite, orthogneiss, andesite and garnetiferous muscovite-rich granodiorite intrusions are also present in minor amounts. The dykes and sills show a variety of orientations and range in width from 5 to 60 m. Where dykes and sills intrude calcareous rocks, skarn horizons ranging from 1 to 30 m are developed.

The eastern area is mostly underlain by Earn Group comprising muscovite-quartz schist, biotite-muscovite schist, quartzite and limestone. Bedding usually strikes northwest and dips moderately to the southwest. At the Creek Showing area, the Mt. Billings Batholith contact with the Earn Group is projected to lie near the northern edge of the mapped area. Two granodiorite sills, likely related to the batholith, interfinger with Earn Group in the central part of this area. Comparison of strata north and south of Conglomerate Creek suggests it may coincide with the surface trace of a major fault, but if so, the magnitude and sense of movement on this structure are unknown. 

The areas of Hillside and Cirque showings contain some laterally continuous beds of partially calc-silicate altered and skarnified Earn Group. Multiple skarn horizons up to 10 m wide occur near or at the contacts with Selwyn Suite intrusive rocks. They are most abundant in the western part of this map area. 

Mineralization 

Mineralization on the Hy property is hosted within various zones and showings. The Dusty/Tung and Dusty Northeast areas encompass the Dusty and Tung zones. The Dusty Zone is comprises 13 showings, while the Tung Zone hosts two showings. The Elsa Area hosts the Elsa Zone (AKA Steele), which contains the Elsa, Elsa West and Hike showings. The Marg Area covers the Marg Zone, which has two showings (Upper and Lower). The Miko Area includes the Miko Zone, which contains four showings (Creek, Hillside, Cirque and Camp). 

Skarn mineralogy within the known showings usually comprises one of the following gangue assemblages: tremolite-actinolite-epidote, pyroxene-epidote-actinolite, epidote-wollastonite or magnetite-diopside. Sulphide minerals include pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite and galena with minor bornite and chalcopyrite. Scheelite is present in some zones. Details pertaining to specific zones and showings are discussed below.

The Miko Creek showing hosts a poorly exposed skarn that has been traced for approximately 100 m along strike and which is up to five metres wide at surface. Mineralization strikes east and dips steeply to the south. Historical bulldozer trenching exposed massive sulphide, which reportedly assayed 65.1 g/t silver, 26.57% lead and 21.56% zinc over 2.8 m. In 2007, samples were collected from a series of old trenches, including a composite sample of chips taken from 35 mineralized boulders. The chip sampled boulders comprise banded epidote-sphalerite to massive sphalerite-galena skarns. The composite sample of this material assayed 135 g/t silver, 28.71% lead and 24.30% zinc. Two samples of highly weathered, hydrozincite-coated epidote skarn float containing semi-massive to massive galena and sphalerite averaged 48.3 g/t silver, 37.21% lead and 29.25% zinc. In 2013, a grab sample of mixed limestone and epidote skarn hosting abundant galena and sphalerite returned 755 g/t silver, 7.29% lead, 6.97% zinc and 2210 ppm bismuth.