Exploration History

The property was initially staked as Ben cl (Y27970) by Spartan Explorations Ltd. in 1968 following a preliminary prospecting campaign by Star Syndicate in 1967.

In 1968, Spartan conducted prospecting, geologic mapping, and reconnaissance geochemical stream sediment sampling. The claims were later allowed to lapse.

In 2011, Colorado Resources Ltd. re-staked the Ben claims and commissioned a DIGHEM electromagnetic/magnetic survey flown by Fugro Airborne Surveys. Survey coverage consisted of approximately 8,406 line kilometres, including 11.4 line kilometres of tie lines. Colorado also conducted soil sampling and prospecting.

Capsule Geology

The property is underlain by Proterozoic Selwyn Basin sediments. The lowermost unit is the Lower Ordovician to Middle Silurian Duo Lake Formation consisting of massive black radiolarian bearing siliceous mudstones previously mapped in the northern portion of the property. The Upper Silurian to Middle Devonian Sapper Formation consists of calcareous siltstones and large beds of limestones near the summit of the northern mountain. Both formations are part of the Road River Group.

A gradational contact separates the start of the Earn Group with the Lower to Middle Devonian Niddery Lake member as a siliceous black mudstone with minor limestone beds.

The Middle Devonian Macmillan Pass Shale Member forms the majority of the topographically high ridges locally and consists of interbedded pinstriped mudstones and siltstones. A small area of Macmillan Pass conglomerate facies is mapped in the north as chert pebble conglomerate. The Fuller Lake member is defined by radiolaria-rich mudstones and chert. The upper sedimentary unit is comprised of the Upper Devonian Itsi Formation with resistant brown-weathering laminated sandstones.

A quartz-feldspar porphyry pluton is mapped in the southwest of the claims, with the contact aureole often hornfelsing the adjacent sedimentary rocks, hardening units, and adding pyrite.

The claims covered a zinc-lead silt and soil anomaly which was traced to minor sphalerite associated with pyrite nodules in thin-bedded shale of either the Ordovician to Lower Devonian Road River Formation or the Devono-Mississippian Earn Group.