The Cork-Province mine is situated south of Keen Creek, just west of the mouth of Ben Hur Creek at 1100 metres elevation above sea level, in the Slocan Mining Division. The property includes the Cork and Province Reverted Crown grants (Lots 4883 and 5042).

Regionally, the area lies on the western margin of the Kootenay Arc, in allochthonous rocks of the Quesnel Terrane. In the vicinity of the occurrence, the Quesnel Terrane is dominated by the Upper Triassic Slocan Group, a thick sequence of deformed and metamorphosed shale, argillite, siltstone, quartzite and minor limestone. Rocks of the Slocan Group are tightly and disharmonically folded. Early minor folds are tight to isoclinal with moderate east plunging, southeast inclined axial planes and younger folds are open, southwest plunging with subhorizontal axial planes. The sedimentary sequence has been regionally metamorphosed to lower greenschist facies.

Immediately northwest of the occurrence, the Slocan Group has been intruded by the Middle Jurassic Nelson intrusions which comprise at least six texturally and compositionally distinct phases ranging from diorite to lamprophyre. The most dominant phase is a medium to coarse grained potassium feldspar porphyritic granite. Several feldspar porphyritic granodiorite dikes, apparently related to the Nelson intrusions, also cut the sedimentary sequence near the occurrence (Paper 1989-5). The sedimentary sequence has been affected by contact metamorphism from the emplacement of the nearby Nelson intrusions.

Rocks on the property are massive andalusite schist, argillite, quartzite and limestone of the Slocan Group. The rocks strike 070 degrees and dip 80 degrees southeast away from the intrusive contact. Near the occurrence, the Nelson intrusions consist of coarse grained hornblende diorite.

The deposit consists of a fault or shear zone striking 050 degrees and dipping 65 degrees southeast. The shear zone has been developed with at least four adits and a vertical shaft. Within the mine, the shear is up to 2 metres wide and dextral displacement along the vein offsets the beds about 25 metres horizontally. Orebodies have a most pronounced development where the shear intersects limestone beds. Replacement of limestone occurs up to 30 metres from the fault zone and is determined largely by fracture development in calcareous beds. Orebodies have been discovered in at least three separate limestone beds and the most important orebody was found on the boundary between the Cork and Province claims.

The ore occurred as replacement of limestone and consisted of an intimate mixture of sphalerite and galena with small amounts of pyrite and chalcopyrite in a gangue of siderite with some quartz and calcite associated with altered wallrock.

The Dublin adit is located above and south east of the Cork-Providence workings. The adit is situated on a 0.3 metre wide mineralized band of ‘black muddy’ material located approximately 110 metres above the Cork-Providence mine horizon. The adit cuts across bedded siltstone that dip moderately to steeply.

Work History

The Cork group of 8 claims was staked for the Silver Star Mining Co. Ltd. in 1900. The Province group, consisting of 6 adjoining claims, was staked in 1902 and Province Mines Ltd. began the development work. For a number of years these two groups were operated as two mines, the Cork and the Province. The Province mine was operated by the Company or by leasers until 1908. The Cork mine closed in 1910 and remained closed the following year although the management was taken over by the West Kootenay Corporation. A shipment of ore, under the name of the Selkirk Mining Co. Ltd., was reportedly made from the Cork mine in 1913.

The two properties were combined in 1914 under the name of Cork-Province Mines Ltd. and its operated intermittently until 1930. Leasers made several small shipments of ore from clean up work on the surface and from underground during the period 1930-1948. In 1949 the property was acquired by Base Metals Mining Corporation Ltd. and operations continued until late in 1953 when the mine was closed and the lower workings allowed to flood.

During the early years of operation, development work was carried out on 5 levels. The main adit (No. 3 level) was driven as a crosscut tunnel for 274 metres. It is connected to No. 1 level by a raise and to Nos. 4 and 15 levels by a 70 degree shaft, which was later deepened to establish a 6th level. In 1952 a vertical shaft was sunk from No. 3 level for 169 metres and Nos. 7 and 8 levels established. These new levels required crosscuts, each about 61 metres long, to reach the vein. Drifts on these two lower levels indicated ore of average mine grade but insufficient work was done to determine its extent.

London Pride Silver Mines Ltd. acquired a 10 year lease on the property in April 1964. During the summer the mine was rehabilitated and the 150 ton mill was put into operation in September. The mine and mill were closed in May 1966, when known reserves were exhausted.

Production from the Cork-Province property between 1900 and 1966 yielded about 16 tonnes of silver, 5846 tonnes of lead, 9033 tonnes of zinc, 69 tonnes of cadmium and 1896 grams of gold from 191,410 tonnes mined.

Cream Minerals Ltd. sampled the property in 1997; a grab sample returned 677.8 grams per tonne silver, 5.68 per cent zinc and 29.54 per cent lead (GCNL #174, 1997). A 4-metre sample from a trench assayed 34.6 grams per tonne silver, 1.09 per cent zinc and 1.28 per cent lead (GCNL #230, 1997). In the Cork South trench, about 50 metres southwest of the mine workings, an 11-metre sample assayed 112.8 grams per tonne silver, 5.36 per cent zinc and 2.85 per cent lead (GCNL #230, 1997). A drill hole intersected 21.1 metres grading 209.27 grams per tonne silver, 6.02 per cent lead and 8.09 per cent zinc (GCNL #13, 1998). The mineralization is hosted in a carbonate rock that represents the down-dip extension of mineralization uncovered in the trench. The zone has an interpreted true thickness of 6 to 7 metres with a weighted average grade of 179.52 grams per tonne silver, 5.12 per cent lead and 7.33 per cent zinc (GCNL #13, 1998). The mineralized shear has been traced for about 3 kilometres in a northeast direction.

Cream Minerals Ltd. is exploring the area as the Kaslo Silver property. See Black Bear (082FNW092), Black Fox (082FNW093), Bismark (082FNW096), Wintrop (082FNW097), Silver Bear (082FNW100), Index (082FNW101), Gold Cure (082FNW185) and Silver Bell (082FNW186).

In 2013, Agave Silver Corp. examined the area as the Kaslo property. A drill hole, located on a new SEDEX-type mineralized zone beyond the limit of historic mining yielded 207 grams per tonne silver, 5.16 per cent lead and 8.08 per cent zinc over 5.8 metres (McBride, D.E. (2014-04-15): NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Kaslo Property).

In 2013, Agave Silver Corp. examined the area as the Kaslo property