The HOPE occurrence is located in the headwater region of Hope Creek approximately 31 kilometres south-southwest of Gold Bridge and 32 kilometres northwest of Pemberton, B.C.
The area lies on the east flank of the Coast Plutonic Complex. Several large roof pendants of upper Triassic Cadwallader Group sediments and volcanic rocks are encompassed and intruded by large granitic intrusions. Lithologies include chloritic metavolcanics, likely derived from tuffaceous rocks. These are intruded by feldspar porphyry dikes.
Two types of mineralization include disseminated to semi-massive pyrite-sphalerite and skarn hosted magnetite-copper zones. The sulphide rich zone appears to be conformable to the schistosity of the host chloritic metavolcanics; narrow rhodonite veins occur. A 2.3-metre rock chip sample at No. 1 showing returned 0.4 gram per tonne gold, 24 grams per tonne silver, 0.024 per cent copper, 0.05 per cent lead and 0.9 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 25645). The second type of mineralization, 150 metres to the northwest (No. 2 showing), is related to a zone of strongly epidotized metavolcanics that hosts a north-northwest trending, steeply dipping band of semi-massive magnetite-garnet-epidote with chalcopyrite and malachite. A 2-metre chip sample yielded 0.168 per cent copper. Another magnetite occurrence, discovered 78 metres northerly (No. 2 North showing), returned 0.236 per cent copper and 0.14 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 25645).
In the 1990’s, Teck completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical sampling and airborne geophysical surveys on the area. The showings were discovered in 1997 by T. Illidge and prospecting, soil and rock sampling programs, trenching and minor drilling were conducted by T. Illidge and W. Gruenwald through to 2009. A single drill hole on the No.1 showing in 2005 intersected a 2 metre section of pyritic volcanics grading 0.19 gram per tonne gold, 7.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.35 per cent zinc. Trenching at the No.2 showing in 2007 revealed 3 continuous chip samples over a 2.5 metre strike length returning values of 0.21 per cent copper and 0.23 per cent zinc. Chip sampling across 4.5 metres in a trench at No. 2 North showing returned 0.12 per cent copper.
In 2008, Zab Resources Inc. drilled one 111.89 metre hole in the No. 1 showing and 2 drill holes (202.44 metres) in the No. 2 showing. DDH Hope 08-01, drilled to undercut a schistose sulphide-bearing zone at No. 1 showing, intersected low-grade (0.05 to 0.08 per cent zinc) as well as a 1.5 metre section grading 1.65 per cent zinc lower in the hole. DDH Hope 08-02 and 08-03 were drilled to undercut the epidote-rich fragmental volcanic rocks hosting a steeply-dipping copper-garnet rich magnetite band. DDH 08-02 returned 0.05 per cent zinc over 1.5 metres and DDH-08-03 returned 0.6 per cent zinc over 3.0 metres (Assessment Report 31258).
In 2013, a rock geochemical sampling program for C.Lynnes on his Metallic Ridge property, including the Hope No. 1 showing, returned 0.27 gram per tonne gold, 12.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.43 per cent zinc across a 0.6 metre width (Sample H13AR-14). A grab sample (H13AR-15) of quartz-sericite-pyrite altered rock at the No. 1 showing assayed 1.16 grams per tonne gold, 65.3 grams per tonne silver and 0.89 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 34313).
