K9 Project

The 4,087 ha K9 Property is located 37 km west of Kimberley, in SE British Columbia.  Staked in 1996 as a result of in-house research, the claims contain highly prospective targets for polymetallic veining and sulphide replacement zones based on the favorable geologic and structural setting as well as SEDEX style mineralization..  Supporting this is the presence of high-grade mineralization in historical as well as recent rock sampling and broad multi-element geochemical anomalies in soil and silt.

Animation of a SEDEX Deposit Forming

Crown grants within the property contain the historical Great Dane prospect, a structurally-controlled polymetallic vein occurrence containing massive galena, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, pyrite, and siderite.

The K9 property boasts good infrastructure, logging roads provide access to the property while hydro-power and other services are available nearby in Kimberley and Cranbrook, the regional center.  The project is 100% owned by Eagle Plains with a 2% NSR held by Eagle Royalties containing a 1% buy-back clause.

Project Highlights

• Favourable geology for hosting a significant sulphide replacement zone
• Numerous high-grade showings focussed along a major structure
• Excellent Infrastructure including Rail, Hwy, Airport, Smelter, Hydro, Logging roads
• Broad multi-element geochemical anomaly over favourable geology
• Significantly underexplored with encouraging early results

Geology

The K9 claims contain a steeply-dipping package of Middle Proterozoic rocks that strike North and intersect the White Creek Batholith.  A number of thick gabbroic sills are present, and may be related to the shear zone that dominates the center of the property.  Rocks underlying the Great Dane Adit have been deformed by at least two periods of folding which obliterated the primary sedimentary structures.  This fold pattern exists along the entire length of the “K9 Shear Zone” and falls on-strike with nearly all of the mineral showings found to date.

The distribution of mineral occurrences on the property is clearly associated with the presence of quartzite/phyllitic quartzite/silica replacement zones within the Creston Formation in conjunction with fold hinge zones of steeply-plunging minor folds within the K9 Shear Zone.

History

The East Kootenay area has long been known as a mineral resource-rich area, with numerous mineral showings documented over the years. The turn of the century discovery of Cominco's world-class Sullivan deposit near Kimberley put the area into focus with mineral explorers world-wide. The Sullivan massive sulphide ore body had a mine life of 92 years and a contained metal value in excess of $35 billion.  Numerous past-producers in the area reflect the excellent mineralogic potential of the region.  These include the St. Eugene, Bluebell and Estella Mines.

Within the K9 claim boundaries are three crown-grants surveyed in 1901, which cover the Great Dane Showing, a structurally controlled massive sulphide vein occurrence where a 20 m adit has been driven along vertical, north-dipping Creston Formation quartzites.

In July 1986 a minor exploration program of access trail rehab, claim location verification, geologic mapping and sampling was conducted on the Great Dane prospect. Preliminary exploration results were favorable and confirmed high-grade mineralization reported from the Great Dane workings.

K9 Zones

K9 Shear Zone

Exploration at the K9 targets structurally controlled vein and replacement Cu-Ag-Pb-Zn mineralization hosted within quartzites of the Creston Formation. The vast majority of occurrences on the property are located along the “K9 Shear Zone” which has seen at least two deformation events: a ductile event of dolomite/ankerite alteration followed by a brittle deformation event of quartz and Fe-oxide infill along with ore forming minerals, such as chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite.

Great Dane

At the Great Dane occurrence, mineralization consists of vein pods and stringers of massive chalcopyrite, pyrite, galena, and sphalerite hosted in Creston Formation phyllitic quartzites. The vein pods contain metal values of up to 62.6 g/t Ag, 2.60% Cu, 9.6% Zn and 14.0% Pb over a 2 m chip sample. Secondary minerals include limonite, malachite, traces of azurite and erythrite.  Coarse-grained galena typically displays significantly warped crystal faces and spiraling cleavage planes, commonly associated with high Ag values.

Purina

The Purina shaft, located 1.3 km north of the Great Dane, consists of a 7 m-deep shaft sunk into a 2.7 m wide pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite quartz replacement zone, with significant associated chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite mineralization and minor galena. Sampling from this occurrence has returned 8.8 g/t Ag and 0.7 % Cu over 1.7 m in a chip sample and up to 27.6 g/t Ag, 2.13 % Cu and 0.17 % Zn in a grab sample.

Eagle Plains Exploration

In 1996 Eagle Plains acquired the claims then completed preliminary programs over the next two years consisting of grassroots prospecting / reconnaissance work which confirmed the high-grade Ag-Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization at the Great Dane workings and located the Purina shaft. The programs also defined a 2300 m by 100 m multi-element soil anomaly with a vertical continuity of over 600 m. 

In 2006 an airborne geophysical survey provided encouraging results and by 2010 additional staking covered geology prospective for sedimentary-exhalative (“SEDEX”) style base-metal mineralization.

In 2011, a VTEM airborne geophysical survey identified three anomalous targets. Two targets are very low conductive zones mapping a trend that extends in a NS direction.  The conductive zones associate with dike-similar magnetic features and correspond to low magnetic intensity.  A third target is a very low conductive zone and considered as a discrete target which associates with high magnetic gradient.

2013 - Field Program

The 2013 exploration was the first to systematically explore the entire K9 Property.  The program utilized geochemical silt surveys, prospecting and mapping to follow-up on previous exploration programs as well as to evaluate the potential for both SEDEX and structural hosted base-metal mineralization:

Highlights from the 2013 program include:

• Discovery of a new mineralized occurrence, the Canis, consisting of Cu mineralization in an Fe-oxide-silica replacement zone that is open to the east and west
• Soil sampling better defined and increased the size of the broad multi-element anomaly in the central area of the property, now having dimensions of 2300 m by 300 m. This anomaly consists of coincident Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag-Cd-Fe-As and covers many of the known showings in the area.  This is a very significant and cohesive anomaly that is highly- prospective to represent extensive underlying mineralization
• Anomalous soil and silts were located on the southern slope that hosts the Great Dane adit and in the drainage basin to the east of the K9 Shear Zone

Future Work

Further work on the property is recommended focusing on the following priorities:

Phase I

• Further analysis of whole rock data to determine if alteration signatures can be located in soil
• Petrophysical analysis of a select number of samples to be used to better constrain and define the results from geophysical surveys conducted to date on the property
• Geochemical sampling and ground-based geophysical surveying in the central portion of the property to better define and expand on the 2300 m by 300 m broad multi-element anomaly
• Follow-up on a number of silt and soil geochemical anomalies from the 2013 program to identify further mineralization outboard of known showings

Phase II

• Trenching and/or diamond drilling of the best targets within the Purina-Canis zone 

Eagle Plains - A Project Generator

Eagle Plains Resources is a project generator with several mineral exploration properties of merit that meet qualifying transaction requirements.  We facilitate the listing process for capital pool companies and initial public offerings while providing technical expertise for exploration programs.  Companies interested in co-operatively exploring any of our projects please contact: Chuck Downie at ccd@eagleplains.com or Mike Labach at mgl@eagleplains.com or call 1 866 Hunt Ore (486 8673).

The K9 property is currently available for option.

Updated April 29, 2024