Decade Resources outlines future exploration at Del Norte, British Columbia
Decade Resources Ltd. [TSXV-DEC] has been having discussions with contractors on programs intended to explore the Del Norte project located 34 km east of Stewart, northwestern British Columbia. The property comprises 5,830.16 hectares in 13 separate claims.
It was optioned from Teuton Resource Corp. [TSXV-TUO; FSE-TFE] in January of 2020 with terms allowing the company to earn up to a 55% interest in the property by spending $4 million over five years. The company can earn an additional 20% interest by carrying the property to commercial production.
The Del Norte property contains numerous mineralized zones. The two most important mineralization events are associated with quartz veins and breccias which are spatially restricted to felsic packages and the footwall contact of thrust zones as well as porphyry copper-gold. In the area of thrusting, quartz veins and breccia include the Argo/LG Vein/LG Extension Zone, Kosciuszko Zone/ SP, Eagle’s Nest, and New zone.
The Argo/LG Vein/LG Extension Zone has been traced over 1.2 km while the New zone was observed over 100 m of strike in a high mountain pass between 2 ice fields. The Kosciuszko/ SP zone has been traced over 1.2 km as well, while the Eagle’s Nest zone has been traced over 400m.These are marked by a distinct alteration halo, with a propylitic zone constituting the outer envelope of the mineralization. Galena, sphalerite, pyrite and minor chalcopyrite and tetrahedrite are common in these quartz veins.
The porphyry copper-gold mineralization has numerous copper showings associated with this style along the south slopes of Del Norte Creek.
With recent ablation of the glacial ice, the company plans to conduct more exploration on the Kosciuszko structure containing the Kosciuszko, SP and K-Dog zones. High gold and silver assays have been obtained on the limited exposures over a strike length of at least 500 metres with the SP zone just south of the K-zone. The K- zone is covered by ice to the north of exploration work to date. It has received limited drilling, with all 7 holes completed containing gold and silver. Five holes tested the K-zone and 2 holes testing the SP zone.
Mineralized zone cross cut the strike of sediments with felsic volcanics. The felsic volcanics are located stratigraphically at the same geological horizon as that hosting the Eskay Creek deposit. The mineralized zone is up to 10 metres wide as shown by the 2002 trench in the lower right that assayed 6.14 g/t gold and 630.85 g/t silver over its entire width. A trench in 2006 above the 2002 drilling returned 15 metres of 3.93 g/t gold and 267.59 g/t silver.
Due to falling ice, steep conditions and snow cover, little work has been done in this area. With the recent ice melt exposing potential drill pads, the company plans to explore the possibility of conducting more work on this gold-silver bearing structure. To the south, approximately 500m, the structure is exposed showing the SP zone.
Drilling, south of the initial trench discovery in 2002, intersected 1208 g/t silver and 26.54 g/t gold over 4.05 metres on the same or sub-parallel structure (SP zone). Surface grab sampling in a trench for the above-mentioned drill hole assayed up to 3910 g/t silver and 19.5 g/t gold.
Decade’s properties and projects are all located in the Golden Triangle area of northwestern British Columbia.