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Ecstall
Location and Access
The Ecstall property is located approximately 72 kilometers southeast of the port city of Prince Rupert in north western British Columbia. Access is by helicopter from Prince Rupert or from logging roads that approach within 20 kilometers of the property. It may also be reached by boat along the Skeena and Ecstall rivers. The ground is moderately rugged and covered by heavy rain forest ranging from sea level to 500 meters.
Property
Atna owns a 100% interest in the property, which consists of 21 Crown Granted mineral claims totalling 369 hectares and 2 Crown Grants with surface and timber rights. History
The property was originally discovered in the 1890's. Pyrite was exploited in limited quantities by Granby Mining in the 1920's. The property was later acquired by Texas Gulf Sulphur for sulphur exploration in the 1930's and 1950's. Falconbridge (successor to Texas Gulf) discovered and drilled base metal mineralization in the late 1980's. Atna purchased a 100% interest in the property from Falconbridge, subject to a 3% NSR, in 1994.
Geology and Mineralization
The property is underlain by a middle Devonian island arc assemblage of volcanic and sedimentary rocks that have been folded, metamorphosed, and intruded by igneous rocks of the coast plutonic complex.
Two en echelon lenses of volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization containing an estimated 7,000,000 tonnes of mineralization grading 2.5% zinc, 0.6% copper, 0.5 grams per tonne gold, and 20 grams per tonne silver, occur in a zone of chlorite and sericite schist with dimensions of about 1.7 kilometers by 200 meters. The North Lens has about 600,000 tonnes with 2% copper, while the South Lens grades about 3% zinc.
Geochemical anomalies and samples running as high as 8.6% copper, 6% zinc, 26 ppm silver, and 4.9 ppm gold along with electromagnetic conductors and soil geochemical anomalies indicate further exploration potential in the area.
Status
No work has been done on the property since the late 1990's. A number of geochemical and geophysical anomalies in favourable stratigraphy suggest that additional potential remains to discover new lenses of massive sulphide mineralization with higher grades and to discover higher grades within the 2 known lenses, if they extend to depth. The area outside the known mineralization is barely explored. Merchantable old growth cedar and hemlock are documented on the 2 grants with surface and timber rights.
White Bull
Location and Access
The property is located in the Cassiar Mountains about half way between Dease Lake (BC) and Watson Lake (Yukon) near the confluence of the Turnagain River and Sheep Creek. Access is by helicopter from either Dease or Watson Lake. Elevations range from 690 -- 1440 meters.
Property
Atna owns a 100% interest in the property, which consists of 2 claims totaling 24 units covering 600 hectares.
History
Claims were staked by Atna in June, 1995. Atna carried out reconnaissance geological mapping and geochemical sampling. Previous reconnaissance work was done by Amoco, 1977, Esso, 1982, and Homestake, 1989.
Geology and Mineralization
The White Bull property is underlain by folded Palaeozoic shales and carbonates with interbedded, hydrothermally altered volcanic tuffs and pyroclastic rocks on a southern extension of the Selwyn basin. The White Bull claims were originally staked to cover a vegetation kill zone caused by intense acid leaching of sulphide mineralization.
Two styles of mineralization are reported on the property;
1. Sedex type chert/barite beds with anomalous lead up to 632 ppm and barite grading up to 19%. Hand trenching in talus west of the exposure ran up to 697 ppm Pb and 2.3 ppm Ag. Samples from gullies to the east ran up to 8845 ppm Pb and 6.3 ppm Ag. Exposures showed evidence of strong leaching with abundant limonite, silica, and boxwork.
2. Anomalous gold values up to 960 ppb in silica boxwork
Status
No work has been done in the past 4 years. This is a good early stage exploration prospect, primarily for base metals. Detailed mapping and geochemistry are warranted to define drill targets associated with the anomalous chert/barite stratigraphy. However, it is not a priority target for Atna because of the geographic location and the target metals. A joint venture partner will be sought to develop the property.
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