Mess CrPolyphase deformation affects rocks that are older than Late Cretaceous, and crustal scale faults affect rocks in the area as young as Tertiary. Early and middle Devonian rocks within the map area have been
subjected to up to four phases of folding and deformation.
Folding pressure = higher gold.
The Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic volcanic and plutonic rocks within the map area are characterized by metal deposits related to island-arc volcanic centres. Mineral production is not recorded within the map area although large copper, gold and molybdenum mineral resources are defined for porphyry deposits at Schaft Creek (971 495 000 tonnes grading 0.298 %Cu, 0.033 % MoS2, 0.14 g/t Au and 1.20 g/t Ag; Spilsbury, 1995) and Galore Creek (Central zone: 233 900 000 tonnes grading 0.67 %Cu, 0.35 g/t Au and 7.0 g/t Ag; Enns et al., 1995). Mineral occurrences and prospects in the Forrest Kerr - Mess Lake area can be grouped into four main categories: calcalkaline Cu-Mo-Au and alkaline Cu-Au porphyries; Cu and Cu-Au skarns; subvolcanic Cu-Ag-Au (As-Sb) fault and shear-hosted veins and carbonate hosted replacement; and, stratiform volcanogenic massive sulphide and carbonate hosted (?Irish-type) Zn-Pb-Ag deposits. Mineral occurrences, within the map area, display (except stratiform types) a direct correlation with north and northeast striking faults and Late Triassic to Early Jurassic intrusive rocks.