The Ace property is located on the south side of the Little River, approximately 35 kilometres northwest of Likely. It was discovered by Louis Doyle in 1993. Work on the property includes sampling, some geophysical surveys, soil geochemistry and considerable trenching. Access to the property is via gravel logging roads bearing northeast from Likely.
Two deposit types are apparent: (1) semi-massive to massive sulphides and (2) gold-quartz sulphide veins. Both occur in sericitic schists, chloritic schists, minor quartzites of the Downey Succession (Cambrian?) of the Paleozoic Snowshoe Group. So-called "felsite" intervals are also reported as a host to mineralization.
Intervals of massive sulphide up to 0.25 metre and semi-massive sulphide up to 1.2 metres thick are hosted by the schists and the "felsite" intervals, the latter occurring over drillhole thicknesses of 5 to 70 metres. Interbeds of siltstone-argillite up to several metres thick and marble up to 0.5 metre thick are also present.
'Massive' sulphide mineralization comprises dominantly pyrrhotite, minor chalcopyrite and pyrite +/- sphalerite in a granular quartz-feldspar-biotite schist. The schist is commonly banded due to either variable sulphide or possibly biotite content. This banding appears to be a tectonic rather than a primary fabric. The schist comprises dominantly plagioclase (andesine and albite) and quartz with varying amounts muscovite, sericite, biotite, ankerite, calcite and opaques. Several per cent apatite is common, with local concentrations greater than 20 per cent.
Numerous white quartz veins, locally with abundant sulphides, occur on the Ace property. Some are folded along with their hostrock while others are clearly post tectonic, cutting across foliation. Veins contain variable amounts of quartz and pyrite, generally minor base metal sulphides and muscovite, biotite, chlorite and tourmaline. The gold veins contain some sulphides and are anomalous in gold, silver, arsenic, lead, bismuth and tellurides. The mineralized quartz veins occur along a 5-kilometre northwest trending strike length.
Although the sulphide layers intersected in 1998 and 2002 drillholes carry less than 0.1 per cent each of copper, lead and zinc, and less than 1 part per million gold, grab samples of massive sulphide boulders from the Ace property contain up to 9.9 per cent zinc and 7.7 per cent lead (with less than 0.1 per cent copper and less than 1 part per million gold) (Assessment Report 27655, page 15). Also present on the Ace property are boulders containing gold-rich quartz-sulphide veins; grab samples contain 2 to 29 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 27655, page 15). Similar veins have been uncovered in trenches.
In 1993 and 1994, grab sampling of mineralized quartz veins in outcrop yielded values of up to 0.355 gram per tonne gold from the F Road area (sample 1124), 0.41 and 0.36 gram per tonne gold from the slopes above the end of the F Road area (samples 1148 and 1150), 1.52 and 6.05 grams per tonne gold from the Colleen Road area (samples 1287 and 1289) and 0.140 to 0.425 gram pe tonne gold from the Main Cirque area (samples 1176, 1195 and 1196)(Assessment Report 23733; Turna, R. (2009-10-11): Technical Report on the Ace Property). Sample 1150 was reportedly from a 0.5 to 2.0-metre wide rusty vein that was traced for approximately 100 metres along trend.
In 1996, rock samples from Test Pit 30 on the F Road yielded values up to 1.386 grams per tonne gold, while rock samples from Trenches A and G on the Collen and Hardychick (S) roads yielded values up to 0.296 and 0.213 gram per tonne gold, respectively (Assessment Report 24989; Turna, R. (2009-10-11): Technical Report on the Ace Property). Also at this time, a trench exposure on Ace Grid (6+00W 0+30N) on Ace 63 claim (on Hardychuck Road) is reported to have exposed significant galena mineralization.
In 1998, diamond drilling yielded intercepts of up to 0.28 gram per tonne gold over 0.2 metre and 5.5 grams per tonne silver over 0.3 metre in hole 98-03 (Turna, R. (2009-10-11): Technical Report on the Ace Property).
In 2002, drilling yielded intercepts of 0.745 and 0.692 gram per tonne gold from 7 and 7.5-centimetre wide quartz veins in holes ACE-02-01 and -02, respectively, while drill hole ACE-02-04 intercepted a 10 metre interval of mineralized felsite yielding values up to 0.066 per cent copper, 0.086 per cent zinc, 0.070 per cent lead and 0.575 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 27125; Turna, R. (2009-10-11): Technical Report on the Ace Property).
Work History
In 1979 and 1980, the area was prospected as the Big Chris claims. This work identified large mineralized boulders with bornite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and pyrite occurring on a logged north facing slope between 120 metres from the Little River to an elevation of approximately 1170 metres.
In 1993, the area was prospected by L.E. Doyle. Later in 1993 and in 1994, Barker Minerals Ltd. conducted a program of prospecting, geological mapping, petrographic studies and stream silt, soil and rock sampling on the area as the Ace claims.
During 1995 through 1998, Barker Minerals conducted programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical sampling, test pitting, 1364 metres of mechanized trenching, seven diamond drill holes, totalling 1,260 metres, and ground magnetometer, induced polarization and VLF-EM surveys on the Ace property.
In 2000, Barker Minerals Ltd. completed 140 line-kilometres of line cutting and HLEM and magnetic surveys over the Ace, Frank Creek (093A 152) and SCR (093A 203) target areas.
In 2002, Barker Minerals drilled 5 holes, totalling 646 metres, and completed limited magnetic, HLEM and gravity surveys on the property.
In 2003, Barker Minerals completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical sampling eleven trenches, totalling 428 metres, on its Ace, Frank Creek, SCR and Rollie Creek (093A 163) (VMS) prospects.
In 2004, Barker Minerals conducted a “TITAN-24” geophysical survey over part of its Frank Creek (VMS) prospect. Detailed geological studies and some trenching occurred on the Ace project in 2004.
