The Surelock barite showings are located on the northern slope of Frances Creek, 41 kilometres northwest of Invermere.

Regionally, the area is underlain by quartzite and quartz arenite sedimentary rocks of the Middle Proterozoic Mount Nelson Formation (Purcell Supergroup) and coarse clastic rocks of the Upper Proterozoic Horsethief Creek Group.

Locally, barite is hosted dolomite, argillaceous dolomite and minor shale of the Helikian Mount Nelson Formation. Mineralized outcrops extend over 450 metres along a north-northwest trend. Barite occurs as cement in structurally brecciated dolomite or as narrow stringers in dolomite.

In 2019, a resource estimate for the A and B zones of the Frances Creek Barite project was reported at 166 210.2 tonnes indicated grading 37.75 per cent barite (BaSO4) and 195 578.1 tonnes inferred grading 35.40 per cent barite (BaSO4; Voyageur Minerals Ltd. [2019-02-07]: Technical Report of the Voyageur Minerals Ltd. Frances Creek Barite Exploration Project, Province of British Columbia, Canada).

Work History

The claims were staked in 1989 by A. Louie and Mountain Minerals Ltd. optioned the property from 1990 to 1992. Surface work in 1990 included four trenches, geological mapping and soil geochemical sampling. In 1991, a 30.5-metre adit was driven on a showing nearest the road. In 1992, 11 diamond drill holes, totalling 304 metres, were completed on the same showing as the adit and also on a showing farther up the hillside. This work showed that the mineralization is a maximum of 5 metres wide; bounded by faults to the east and west. Barite content varies from 5 to 90 per cent of the rock volume over widths of a few centimetres to 2 or 3 metres. Mineralization is not continuous over the strike length of the showings. Mountain Minerals Ltd. dropped its option in 1992.

During 1998 through 2005, Tiger Ridge Resources completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical sampling, a ground magnetic survey, and diamond drilling on the area.

During 2014 through 2018, Voyageur Minerals Ltd. completed a program of geochemical sampling; trenching, including a 17-tonne trench sample, and 25 diamond drill holes, totalling 1231 metres, on the area as the Frances Creek Barite project.