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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  21-Jul-2020 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

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NMI 082E3 Cr1
Name ANARCHIST CHROME, TU 1, TU 2, THREE SISTERS 1-8, PACIFIC 1-12, RS 1-8, AA, CHROME BELL Mining Division Greenwood, Osoyoos
BCGS Map 082E004
Status Prospect NTS Map 082E03E
Latitude 049º 01' 22'' UTM 11 (NAD 83)
Longitude 119º 12' 19'' Northing 5432331
Easting 338780
Commodities Chromium Deposit Types M03 : Podiform chromite
Tectonic Belt Omineca Terrane Quesnel
Capsule Geology

The Anarchist Chrome chromite prospect is located 3.6 kilometres southwest of Bridesville and 600 metres north of Highway 3 at Anarchist Summit. A small road leads from the highway to the workings.

In the early 1950s, two chromium occurrences were located and explored in the Bridesville area; the Anarchist Chrome and the Chrome Bell properties. The chromite showings were originally staked in 1956 by the Anarchist Chrome Company Ltd. A total of 74 claims were staked on the south-side of a 1518-metre high peak, 2.5 kilometres west-southwest of Bridesville. Initial work between 1956 and 1958 consisted of some stripping, ground magnetometer surveying and diamond drilling but the results were not published. A few hundred tonnes of ore were sorted for shipment. The AA anomaly was estimated to contain reserves of 99,790 tonnes (Western Canada Mining News, September 13, 1957). The claims were allowed to lapse and the ground was restaked by Pacific Chrome Alloys Ltd. in 1961, at which time more magnetometer surveys and diamond drilling were done. Again the claims were allowed to lapse. Later the area was covered by claims staked in association with exploration of the Old Nick (082ESW055) nickel prospect, but no work was done on the chromite showings. From 1982 to 1984, New Minex Resources Ltd. held the Anarchist Chrome property. The Canadian Mines Handbook 1985-1986, page 295 reports 99,790 tonnes tonnes at 26? per cent chromium. In 1985, Rough River Petroleum Corp. optioned the property from L. Simon. Most recently, Tu Tahl Petro Inc. optioned the Tu 1 and Tu 2 claims in 1987 and did a ground magnetometer survey across the showings. No further work has been recorded at the showings.

Hostrocks to the deposit are amphibolites, schists, cherts and metavolcanic rocks of the Permian to Carboniferous Anarchist Group. They have a general strike of 290 to 310 degrees and dip steeply, but many local variations are present. These rocks are intensely folded with vertical to west verging axial planes. The general trend of the fold axes and layering is 350 degrees. Chevron folding has been identified in greenstones north of the chromitite showings (Sutherland-Brown, A., 1957; Whittaker, P., 1983).

The chromite showings are atypical of most chromite deposits. Massive chromite is entirely surrounded by fine grained, grey carbonate material. The chromite is massive and coarsely crystalline. Microscopically, the chromite grains are fractured and shattered but not sheared. The chromite pods are small, angular and very irregularly shaped. Small calcite filled fractures crosscut the massive chromitite. Antigorite forms up to 35 per cent of the chromitite, but is only inside the masses and only chromite is in contact with the grey carbonate. This material has been previously mapped as a 'chromite dike in limestone' (Sutherland-Brown, A., 1957; Whittaker, P., 1983). However, this is inconsistent with known models for chromite genesis. Complete alteration of the surrounding ultramafic rock to carbonate material, akin to listwanite type alteration, could account for the unusual occurrence of the chromite. Chromite once formed is very stable and could form an impenetrable casing to hydrothermal-type fluids around contained dunite? thus allowing antigorite to be formed inside the massive chromite (C. Ash, personal communication, 1990). One large exposed pod is 15 by 5 metres in size.

Sampling of the massive chromitite has yielded an average grade of 26.7 per cent chromium with a Cr:Fe ratio of 3.15 (Sutherland- Brown, A., 1957). Geochemical sampling in the area of the old workings failed to target any significant anomalies of gold, silver or platinum (Assessment Report 17924). A chromite rock sample taken from the pit on the Tu 1 claim in 1988 yielded 0.71 per cent chromium (Assessment Report 17924). Inductively coupled plasma was used to determine the chromium content.

During 2008 through 2012, Grizzly Discoveries Inc. completed programs of geochemical (rock, stream sediment and soil) sampling, geological mapping and airborne and ground geophysical surveys on the Dayton-Sidley area of the Greenwood Property. In 2009, two samples (09RHP103 and 09JH185) from angular boulders containing pyrite and chalcopyrite assayed up to 3.29 grams per tonne gold, 10.6 grams per tonne silver and 1.565 per cent copper (Dufresne, M. (2013-11-25): Technical Report for the Greenwood Gold Project).

Bibliography
EMPR ASS RPT 252, 1243, *17924
EMPR AR *1957-35; 1961-62
EMPR OF 1989-5; 1990-27
EMPR PF (Unknown (1954-06-01): Claim Map of Rock Creek Area; Dept. of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (1960-08-20): Air Photo of Anarchist Chrome Area I; Air Photo of Anarchist Chrome Area II; Air Photo of Anarchist Chrome Area III; Eastwood, P. (1968): Sketch Map of Anarchist Chrome Prospect; Eastwood, P. (1968): Notes on Anarchist Chrome; Tu-Tahl Petro Inc. (1989): Filing Statement #126/88)
GSC P 89-1E
GSC MAP 84A; 538A; 539A; 37-21; 15-1961; 1738A
GSC MEM 38, pp. 389-423
GSC OF 481; 637; 1505A; 1565; 1969
Canadian Mineralogist (1964): Vol. 8, Part 1, p. 116
*Whittaker, P. (1983): Chromite in Alpine-Type Peridotites,
unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Carleton University, Ontario, pp. 17-20
EMR MRI 80/7 (1980) B.C. 9
EMR MIN BULL MR 198 (1983) B.C. 9; 223 (1989) B.C. 9
Western Canadian Mining News, Sept.13, 1957
CMH 1985-86, p. 295
Dufresne, M. (2013-11-10): Technical Report for the Greenwood Gold Project
*Dufresne, M. (2013-11-25): Technical Report for the Greenwood Gold Project

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