Work History

Staked as Jason cl 1-44 (Y96192) in Aug/74 by Ogilvie Joint Venture (C.L. Smith, Brinex Ltd, Mitsubishi Metal Corporation and Ventures West Capital Ltd), which carried out geological mapping, grid geochemical sampling, gravity surveying from 1975 to 1976; drilled 7 holes (640 m) in 1975; staked Jason cl 45-176 (Y97986) in Aug/75; staked Mike cl 1-2 (YA00024) in Jun/76; drilled 23 holes (3 172.4 m) from July to Oct/76; staked Ace cl 1-38fr (YA07470) in Sep/76; staked Jason 189-191fr (YA15148) in May/77; 83 shallow overburden holes with a rotary drill (1 398 m), 6 diamond holes (1 405 m), and attempted a single deep hole (166.7 m) on the Jason 179 claim using an oil rig drill which was abandoned before the target depth was reached from July to Aug/77. 
The Smith and Ventures West interests were assigned to Ogilvie Mineral Corporation Ltd in 1978, which drilled 17 holes (3 082.1 m) later that year and staked Jason cl 198-222fr (YA38265) in Sep/78. 
In 1979 the property was optioned by Pan Ocean Oil Ltd, which drilled 10 holes (2 212.9 m) from August to Oct/79; staked Jason cl 223-240fr (YA41288) in Sep/79; 20 holes (4 953.3 m) from June to Oct/80; and 27 holes (11 169.7 m) from May to Nov/81. 
Pan Ocean was acquired in late 1981 by Aberford Resources Ltd, which carried out environmental studies and drilled 5 holes (2 866.6 m) in 1982. Aberford carried out joint feasibility and environmental studies with Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company Ltd on the Jason and nearby Tom (Minfile Occurrence #105O 001) deposits and transferred its interest to Abermin Corporation in 1985. Abermin's interest was acquired by CSA Gold Corporation and all owners transferred their Jason interest into a private Yukon corporation, MacPass Resources Ltd in 1990. 
Phelps Dodge Corporation of Canada Ltd optioned the property in 1990, carried out VLF-EM and magnetometer geophysical surveying and drilled 12 holes (2 667.7 m) on reconnaissance targets outside the known mineralized zones. Phelps Dodge drilled an additional 8 holes (2 553 m) in 1991 before relinquishing its option in 1992.

Capsule Geology

Two separate deposits of stratiform galena, sphalerite and pyrite are hosted by Lower Earn Group shale and coarse turbidites of Upper Devonian age. The Main and South zones occur on opposite limbs of a shallowly east-plunging isoclinal fold known as the Jason syncline. The epigenetic End zone lies 4.5 km to the northwest in a small fault-bounded slice of Lower Earn Group rocks surrounded by Ordovician to Silurian Road River Group. Detailed studies by Turner (1990) have shown that the deposits occur at the same stratigraphic level as the Tom deposit (Minfile Occurrence #105O 001), 5 km to the northeast. Total geological reserves for the Jason deposit were calculated in 1983 by Aberford as 14 100 000 tonnes grading 7.09% Pb, 6.57% Zn and 79.9 g/t Ag. Reserves were later recalculate by Hudson Bay and Aberford personnel in 1985 as 10 865 870 tonnes grading 7.12% Zn, 6.76% Pb and 77.05 g/t Ag. 
The Main zone consists of a single lens of stratiform sulphide, barite and chert up to 20 m thick, interbedded with carbonaceous mudstone and diamictite overlying siltstone at the base of the Tom Member of the Portrait Lake Formation. It has a strike length of approximately 700 m and a downdip extent of 500 m. Thickness varies from 3 to 18 m. Recalculated geological reserves for the Main zone are 4 546 371 tonnes grading 2.08% Pb, 9.75% Zn and 2.05 g/t Ag. 
The South zone consists of at least two stacked stratiform sulphide-barite-chert lenses. The upper lens is 1 200 m long and up to 20 m thick and is interbedded with the same diamictite and mudstone as the Main zone. The lower lens is a 300 x 400 m wedge shaped body up to 40 m thick which lies 10 m below the upper lens, from which it is separated by siliceous shale and diamictite. The South zone lenses are cut off to the southwest against Road River Group rocks by a northwest-striking fault. Recalculated geological reserves for the South zone are 5 770 091 tonnes grading 5.37% Pb, 2.90% Zn and 71.92 g/t Ag. 
The End zone consists of baritic massive sulphide. Recalculated geological reserves for the End zone are 549 408 tonnes grading 10.30% Pb, 2.78% Zn and 80.14 g/t Ag.. 
Local synsedimentary structures comprise hydrothermally altered rounded mudclasts and siderite vein fragments in an altered and sulphide-bearing matrix of clay, quartz, muscovite, siderite and disseminated pyrite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite. Near vent sites, wallrocks are strongly silicified, and conglomerate units are cemented by pyrite, ankerite, quartz, galena and sphalerite. The conglomerate units are wedge shaped, thickening toward the hydrothermal vent and are inferred to represent debris derived from a submarine scarp associated with synsedimentary faulting. 
Geochemical studies have demonstrated a clear zoning of metal ratios and hydrothermal facies both upward and laterally away from the vent. Lead to zinc ratios and thickness of each sulphide lens decrease away from the vent. A number of hydrothermal facies have been identified: 
(1) Proximal (vent) facies: (a) Breccia pipe. A 300 x 50 m breccia pipe consisting of fragments of silicified siltstone in a siderite-pyrrhotite-quartz-ankerite-muscovite-galena matrix. (b) Upper proximal facies (massive pyrite). Consists of massive pyrite, cut by sphalerite and galena veinlets and quartz-sphalerite-galena-chalcopyrite veinlets. Associated with pyrrhotite and bitumen which increase downward. (c) Middle proximal facies (iron carbonate). Beds of massive siderite and ankerite containing disseminations, veinlets and pods of galena, pyrrhotite, pyrite, quartz, muscovite, pyrobitumen and minor sphalerite and chalcopyrite. (d) Lower proximal facies (massive lead-zinc-iron sulphide). 
(2) Quartz-sulphide facies: laminated pyrite, sphalerite and quartz interbedded with carbonaceous chert. A zone of silicification and bleaching separates this facies from rocks of the vent complex. 
(3) Barite-sulphide facies: forms the largest part of the Jason deposit and consists of finely bedded barite, chert, sphalerite and galena and siliceous mudstone. 
(4) Distal barite-sulphide-chert facies: shows evidence of small-scale depositional cycles. 
Fluid inclusions in siderite, ankerite and quartz from the vent complex indicate the hydrothermal fluids were Na-Ca chloride brines containing about 9 weight per cent NaCl equivalent. Homogenization temperatures range from 181 to 284 C (average 252 ). Isotopic ratios are consistent with the mixing of sea water with a plume of hydrothermal derived fluid from a radiogenic crustal source, at a submarine vent. 
The 1991 drilling tested for possible extensions to the End, South and Main zones, and two reconnaissance targets. Hole 91-102 tested the downdip extension of the End zone and encountered a long sequence of altered mudstone cut by quartz-ankerite stockworks with minor galena and sphalerite, but no massive sulphides.

References

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