Work History

The claim block covering the occurrence was staked (Val cl 1-318, YA30884 in July and Aug 1978 by Prism Joint Venture (Asamera Oil Corporation, Chieftain Development Company Ltd, Prism Resources Ltd, Siebens Oil and Gas Ltd and E & B Exploration Ltd)). Grid soil sampling was carried out over the occurrence in 1978. In 1979, Dome Petroleum Ltd replaced Siebens in the joint venture. Dome dropped its interest and E & B's was transferred to Imperial Metals Ltd in 1983. In 1985, Prism changed its name to International Prism Exploration Ltd. A regional airborne geophysical survey was conducted over the claim block in 2001 (no report available). Manson Creek Resources optioned the Val claims in 1998 and sampled the occurrence. Archer Cathros and Associates Ltd. re-staked the area as the Rusty series claims (e.g., Rusty 34, YD33274) in 2010, covering the occurrence and grid-soil and rock sampled over the occurrence.

Capsule Geology

The Stromatolite Zone occurrence is located at the southern edge of the Mackenzie Platform, a predominantly shallow water carbonate and clastic sequence that formed on the western margin of the North American craton during Lower Proterozoic through Paleozoic times. The regional geology consists of Upper Proterozoic Rapitan(?) Group mudstones overlain by Upper Proterozoic Profeit Formation dolostones and Upper Proterozoic Nadaleen Formation silty limestone. Over these units are minor clastic and carbonate rocks of the Neoproterozoic to Lower Cambrian Hyland Group. Lower Paleozoic platform carbonates unconformably overlie these units.
 
The Stromatolite Zone is hosted in dolomite, likely correlatable with Profeit Formation dolostone. The occurrence consists of argentiferous galena and tetrahedrite within thin quartz veins and minor sparry dolomite, barite, tetrahedrite, galena and sphalerite hosted in orange weathering stromatolitic dolostone breccia. The dolostone outcrops as a block within an extensive unit of fissile dark grey shale. The zone was discovered in 1981 by Prism, which collected grab samples from mineralized boulders, one of which assayed 495 g/t Ag, 43.8% Pb, and 5.8% Zn. In 1998, Manson Creek took a chip sample that assayed 1164.4 g/t Ag, 4.48% Pb, 0.42% Zn and 2.04% Cu over 30 cm (AR 093968).
 
Strategic collected four samples from the showing in 2010, three of which returned encouraging results. A grab sample (G0557026) from a quartz-carbonate vein containing scattered blebs of galena and tetrahedrite assayed 527 g/t silver, 2.99% lead and 1% copper (AR 095720).