On March 6, 2019, Cameo Cobalt Corp. (now Metallica Metals Corp.) acquired the Willa Property in British Columbia by entering into a Sale and Assignment Agreement with MX Gold Corp.
The Willa Project was fully impaired during the year ended April 30, 2019. During the year ended April 30, 2020, the Company terminated the agreement with the original Optionors of the Willa Property. The Company transferred the claims comprising the property back to the Optionors in exchange for the termination of the underlying agreements respecting the property, as well as the release of any further obligations or amounts owing thereunder.
Summary:
The Willa deposit is a sub-volcanic breccia hosted-type deposit (L01 – BC Mineral Deposit Profiles). This type of deposit represents a transition from porphyry copper to epithermal conditions with a blending of porphyry and epithermal characteristics. The porphyry units have intruded into the volcanic rocks and a pyrite,silica-rich mineralized stockwork breccia and closely-spaced sheeted veins with local massive to disseminated replacement zones have been imprinted on the sequence. The mineralization in these types of deposits is usually polymetallic and in the case of the Willa deposit contains significant gold, copper and silver.
Other deposit types on the Property are small in size compared to the Willa deposit and some may have been superimposed on the known mineralization. The primary focus of the historic exploration and development work on the Willa deposit is based on the sub-volcanic breccia- osted mineralization.Future exploration will continue to focus on this type of deposit.
The Elise Formation (“Elise”) of the Rossland Group, the oldest rocks on the Property, comprises about 75% of a roof pendant within the Nelson Batholith. The rocks range from volcanic siltstone and tuff to coarse breccias and flows. The metavolcanic roof pendant is cut by two felsic porphyritic intrusions. The first intrusion is a quartz latite porphyry ring-dyke and two radial dykes that have a central core of feldspar porphyry and a crosscutting breccia pipe. The second intrusion consists of two sub-parallel igneous bodies consisting of white feldspar porphyry and hornblende feldspar porphyry. A heterolithic breccia intrudes the volcanic and intrusive rocks. Lamprophyre dykes and faults crosscut and sometimes displace the older lithologies.
The significant mineralization at the Willa deposit is gold-copper-silver (MINFILE 082FNW071). Minor molybdenite-bearing quartz veins occur in the quartz latite porphyry.
The gold-copper-silver mineralization is predominantly within the heterolithic breccia unit, although mineralization has been identified in the feldspar porphyry, the quartz latite porphyry and the Elsie volcanic rocks. The mineralization is controlled by extensive silica-rich micro-fractures, faults, shears and breccias, predominantly within the heterolithic breccia unit that formed a zone of weakness for the emplacement of the mineralization.
The predominant minerals are chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), with varying amounts of pyrite (FeS2) and pyrrhotite (Fe1-xS). The sulphides tend to be encapsulated within sheets of silica. Propylitic alteration occurred during mineralization, as did zones of intense silicification and minor pyritization.
The quartz-molybdenite stockwork is weak but extensive in the quartz latite porphyry and volcanic rocks north and west of the heterolithic breccia. Molybdenite occurs within the quartz and along the quartz vein boundaries. Due to the low grade of the molybdenum and the relatively small size, no potentially economic mineralization is known.
The Au-Cu-Ag mineralization does not appear to be bound to any particular lithology; however, most of the mineralization has been observed within the breccia pipe, mostly in the heterolithic breccia but also in the feldspar porphyry. A minor amount of mineralization has been observed crossing over the pipe boundaries into the volcanic rocks. The mineralization has been observed to be somewhat bound laterally by intersecting lamprophyre dykes which may or may not be useful as an exploration tool.
Three zones of Au-Cu-Ag mineralization have been observed at the Willa deposit: The West Zone, North Zone (called the Main Zone in some historical reports), and the East Zone. Figure 7.2 illustrates the extent of drilling and observed mineralization.
The West Zone is almost entirely contained within the feldspar porphyry and heterolithic breccia units at the southwest margin within the breccia pipe. The West Zone is the largest of the three mineralized zones and most extensively explored. The zone strikes to the northwest, with the northwestern most tip trending north, following the boundary of the breccia pipe. The overall strike length is 200 m and mostly occurs within a vertical extent of 100 m. The zone is approximately 100 m wide and dips to the northeast.
The West Zone has been exposed on the 1025 Level (1000 Crosscut, 950 South Drift, 950 North Drift, 950 Crosscut and the 1025 Raise) that runs parallel to and within the mineralization at approximately midway through the vertical extent of the zone. It has been documented that the mineralized zone is cut off to the north by the Willa Fault and has been displaced to the south by crosscutting faults.
Drillhole data seem to indicate that mineralization continues beyond these faults and into other lithologie.
The North Zone lies higher and to the north of the other zones. It appears to have been offset at several locations along its crude north-south strike. This zone is exposed on surface by Aylwin Creek. The Willa No. 1 and No. 2 adits were collared in the No 1 and No. 2 adits were collared in the North Zone on either side of the creek. The exposed portion of the zone is stained with limonite and chlorite. The zone is continuous and has a strike length of approximately 175 m, a width of 50 m and a depth of 125 m. The zone is partially composed of heterolithic breccia as well as feldspar porphyry, quartz latite porphyry and volcanic rocks of the Elise. The offsets of the North Zone can be subdivided into North Zone and Upper North Zone.
The East Zone is presently the smallest of the three zones. This may be due simply to the lack of drilling in this area. The majority of the zone is below the 1013 Decline, the 1013 Level and the 993 Decline. The East Zone is discontinuous and appears to be a series of sub-parallel veins striking west and northwest up to 80 m with widths up to 5 m. Mineralization extends 175 m downdip and is mostly located east of the contact with the breccia pipe and within the Elise. Further exploration is required to better define this zone. A mineral title (542206) owned by a third party abuts the eastern portion of the East Zone.
The Little Daisy (MINFILE 082FNW070) is a gold-silver polymetallic vein in granitic rocks. On the Property and/or within the Elise there are several polymetallic silver-lead-zinc±gold veins (Figure 3). The Silver Nugget (082FNW072) and Highland Light (082FNW075) are hosted in the Elise. The Mountain Scenery (082FNW074), Silver Band (082FNW073) and Midas Touch (082FNW269) are hosted in the Nelson Batholith. At the LH (082FNW212), gold, along with pyrite, pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite, occurs in silicified shear zones within the Elise.