Below you will find extensive information on the TJ Ridge Project. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us via phone, or .
- Acquisition Terms
- History
- Geology
- 2007 Exploration Program
- 2008 Exploration Program
- 2008 Objectives
- Conclusion
Acquisition Terms
Roxgold acquired the TJ Ridge property by issuing 4.5 million shares (subject to an escrow agreement) to acquire a private company that held title to the underlying properties. Additional consideration includes two conditional share issuances: (i) 1 million shares upon the definition of a 43-101 compliant resource equivalent to 1 million measured ounces of gold equivalent (gold + silver) prior to January 15, 2010; (ii) 1.5 million shares upon the definition of resource of 2 million measured ounces of gold equivalent prior to January 15, 2012 (see November 22, 2006 press release).
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History
The first mineralization on what is now the TJ Ridge Project was discovered about 1937 in Tommy Jack Creek. (2003 sampling - 10 metres grading 278 g /t silver). In the early 1980s strengthening commodity prices led to a re-examination of historic showings including Tommy Jack. Initial exploration focused on the Tommy Jack Creek showing and used soil geochemistry surveys to trace the mineralization uphill to the south. Increasingly stronger gold values were encountered as the soil sample surveys moved south towards the current area of exploration. A structural interpretation identified a circular feature that was postulated to be a buried intrusive, a hypothesis that gained support when mapping in creek beds noted zones of pervasive carbonate alteration. Prospecting of the gold-in-soil anomalies located significant mineralization in float samples; of 35 samples analyzed, 18 assayed in excess of 10 g/t gold, including seven in excess of 30 g/t gold with a high of 74.3 g/t gold. Similarly, 15 samples assayed in excess of 100 g/t silver, with 6 samples in excess of 500 g/t silver and a high of 2086 g/t silver.
Over the years a database of some 2,500 soil samples have been collected and analyzed by ICP-MS. Analysis of mineralized rock samples indicated the gold mineralization is usually associated with some or all of the pathfinders; arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena and more locally sphalerite with the higher gold values tending to have elevated bismuth and antimony values. Soil sample values of Au > 30 ppb; Ag > 2 ppm; As > 100 ppm; Pb >50 ppm; Zn > 140 ppm; Bi > 0.4 ppm are considered anomalous. (Background in the Bowser sediments is Au < 5 ppb.)
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Geology
Heavy forest cover hinders geological mapping of the property with outcrops generally confined to creek beds resulting in bed rock exposure in the primary target to be less than 1%. Mechanized trenching has proven an effective means of better understanding of the geology underlying select soil geochemistry anomalies and the factors controlling mineralization.
Typical dense forest and moss cover on the TJ Ridge Project |
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2007 Exploration Program
In 2007 Roxgold completed the most substantive exploration ever on the TJ Ridge properties by using a tracked excavator to expose the bedrock underlying select soil geochemistry anomalies and diamond drilling to test depth extensions of some of the mineralization exposed. An airborne magnetometer -- EM survey covering 564 line kilometers was flown over the property in late August, the results of which correlate well with the soil geochemistry survey.
The West Side anomalies were the first to be tested in 2007. From the one section was systematically tested, mineralization appears to be structurally controlled and associated with quartz veins and quartz stockwork zones generally related to graphitic shear zones. Within these structures significantly anomalous zones of gold-silver +/- lead zinc mineralization were discovered, but the vast majority of the anomaly remains untested.
Exploration on the East Side it resulted in the discovery of a variably mineralized, altered monzonite, in association with both a strong gold-arsenic-bismuth soil geochemistry anomaly and a significant airborne EM conductor. This is believed to be the most significant discovery since the original discovery of silver mineralization in Tommy Jack Creek. Drilling intersected the monzonite in three drill holes; ROG-07-16, ROG-07-17 and ROG-07-18. The anomalous gold + silver is associated with arsenopyrite - pyrite- sphalerite - galena mineralization occurring in sub-parallel sheeted quartz veins, and in areas where the sheeted quartz veining is more pervasive, as pyrite - arsenopyrite disseminations within the monzonite.
ROG-07-16 - the discovery hole for the monzonite hosted mineralization, was terminated in altered monzonite carrying anomalous gold and silver values and associated pathfinder elements. ROG-07-17 was collared in the monzonite coring 180 meters of variably altered monzonite before passing into altered sediments, while ROG-07-18 encountered both the hanging wall and footwall sediments with about 100 meters of intervening, variably mineralized monzonite. Based upon these three drill holes it is believed the mineralization encountered is a sill and the core of the intrusive has not yet been located. (see January 29, 2007 press release).
The airborne geophysical survey delineated a significant EM conductor about 200 meters SW of ROG-07-18. (Interactive Geophysics - Geochemical Map) . The core of the EM conductor lies in a slight depression partially covered by till build up or marshy areas due to the flatter topography. Standard soil geochemistry techniques are not as effective in areas of till or high humus, boggy environments. In addition, over half of the EM anomaly lies beyond the southern limits of the soil survey grid The proximity of this EM conductor to the variably mineralized monzonite encountered make this a very intriguing target (Simplified Compilation Map).
If as postulated, the main EM conductor is related to the buried intrusive, a linear subsidiary EM conductor associated with the West Side mineralization may represent graphitic alteration of the sedimentary rocks caused by hydrothermal solutions escaping the intrusive core by traveling along faults and shear zones. This interpretation would make the West Side mineralization related, but distal to the primary mineralizing intrusive.
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2008 Exploration Program
Roxgold raised in excess of $2 million in the fall of 2007, ensuring it is well funded for the upcoming exploration program. The same systematic trenching and drilling approach will be employed in an effort to trace the monzonite hosted mineralization back to its source and establish a relationship with the EM conductor. Several drill pads were constructed at the end of the 2007 season and the drill contract has been let allowing for an early start to the 2008 season. An Induced Polarization geophysical survey is scheduled for early in the exploration program to help better understand the EM anomalies and refine additional drill targets. Depending on the snow conditions, crews are expected to begin mobilizing towards the end of May.
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2008 Objectives
- To further develop the geological model and its relationship with the mineralized monzonite intrusive
- Define sufficient mineralization to initiate a 43-101 resource calculation
- Evaluate data in order to expand the 2009 exploration program
- Continue to further develop our rapport and working relationship with the Gitxsan community
- To effectively communicate to shareholders, raise market awareness and build interest
Conclusions
The combination of wide spread zones of alteration, multiple, large open ended soil geochemistry anomalies, significant EM conductors that correlate very well with soil anomalies all located within a geological environment supportive of a large mineralizing system provide excellent targets for future exploration. Prior exploration has tested only small portions of this highly prospective geological environment but has nonetheless uncovered zones of both narrow high grade mineralization and very wide intervals of lower grade mineralization The combination of the past exploration success and the exciting untested targets suggest there is strong potential for TJ Ridge to host a significant gold -- silver deposit. With 8,000 metres of diamond drilling planned for 2008 Roxgold will work diligently towards additional discovery.
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Technical Reports:
(3.8 Mb) (5.3 Mb)