The Top showing is located 55 kilometres southeast of Vernon, south of Monashee Pass and adjacent to McIntyre Lake.
The area is underlain by massive granodiorite of the Jurassic Nelson Intrusions intruded by a variety of volcanic feeder dikes.
Mineralization occurs in north trending, west-dipping shear zones that cut granitic rocks and in sheared and altered dikes.
The granodiorite is medium-grained and fresh except in shear zones, where there is strong to intense argillic alteration. Where shearing is most intense the alteration becomes whitish, pyritic, clay fault gouge. The granodiorite exhibits moderate to strong clay alteration and occasionally carbonate replacement near the margins of the dikes. The typically porphyritic dikes are generally very fine grained, dark grey to black in colour and locally contain up to 1 per cent disseminated pyrite. The dikes range in composition between lamprophyre and andesite. Interstitial carbonate replacement and small (1-5 millimetres) quartz, carbonate and quartz-carbonate stringers are common. The intensity of the carbonate replacement and number of carbonate stringers increases near dike margins and where the dikes occur within the shear zone. This appears to correspond to an increase in gold values. Clay and chlorite alteration is common and where present it gives the rock a greenish color.
The main shear zone is 10 metres wide at the base of the decline, strikes 010 to 015 degrees and dips 65 degrees northwest. The zone consists of intensely sheared and brecciated granodiorite and variable amounts of dike rock. The zone has been traced for 170 metres and is 30 centimetres to 10 metres wide. The zone has probably been offset by east-west faults. Gold and silver mineralization is associated with pyrite, arsenopyrite and quartz-carbonate veinlets. The best mineralization intersected in drilling was in a highly altered dike swarm.
Two holes in 1984 intersected a 15 metre zone of intense epithermal alteration and mineralization which assayed between 3.4 and 6.8 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 12749). Surface exploration discovered what appears to be the faulted extension, about 122 metres to the west. In 1988 drilling, the highest values came from a sample of sheared and altered dike swarm which assayed 15 grams per tonne gold over 14 metres (DDH 88-30, Assessment Report 18426). The dike was variably pyritic and cut by thin irregular quartz-carbonate veinlets.
In 1990, sampling at the base of the 126.5-metre decline is reported to have yielded 14.1 grams per tonne gold over 9 metres (Assessment Report 21656).
In 1999, a sample (TOP99-07) of pyritic rock from the shear zone exposed in the historical Trench 2 assayed 22.55 grams per tonne gold and 12 grams per tonne silver, whereas a sample (TOP99-01) of dump material from the decline shaft/adit yielded 10.24 grams per tonne gold and 5.8 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 263494).
In 2003, sampling of a new trench is reported to have yielded 16.8 grams per tonne gold over 12.5 metres (Assessment Report 29324).
Work History
The showings were discovered in 1969 and limited surface work was completed. In 1973-1974, geological mapping, trenching and 4 drillholes were completed by New Cinch Uranium Ltd. on the Gold claims.
In 1981, Brican Resources Ltd. conducted geological, geophysical and geochemical surveys and trenching. A magnetometer survey was completed in 1982. Drilling was conducted by Brican Resources in 1983. In 1984, the property was optioned by Kerr Addison Mines Ltd. who completed 11 diamond drillholes. In 1986, Brican Resources conducted surface exploration. In 1988, El Paraiso Resources Ltd. conducted geological mapping, rock and soil sampling, VLF-EM and IP surveys and 13 short drillholes.
In 1990, soil sampling, mapping and a 3 by 3 metre decline 126.5 metres long was excavated. In 1999, L.J. Caron completed a minor program of prospecting and rock sampling on the area as the Mac property.
In 2002, the Mac property was optioned by Cantech Ventures Ltd., later New Cantech Ventures Ltd., and the following year the company completed a program of trenching. In 2007, TMBW International Resources Corp. completed a minor program of prospecting and geochemical (rock and silt) sampling on the Mac property.
In 2017, Nation Gold Corp. completed a program of prospecting, minor rock sampling and a 324.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic survey on the area as the Top property.
