The Baera occurrence area is underlain by Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation (Hazelton Group) volcanics. The volcanics are predominantly tuffs, agglomerates and grey to green andesites. Minor porphyritic (plagioclase and/or hornblende) flows and interflow sedimentary rocks are also present. The volcanic rocks are intruded by narrow quartz feldspar porphyry dikes which are 1 to 3 metres wide and strike northeast. The dikes, fine to medium-grained, are possibly related to the Eocene Kastberg Intrusions.
In 1996, Imperial Metals reported that northwestern claim block, Chaco Bear 1, was host to areas of multiple carbonate-quartz shear/breccia veins, with three main areas of interest, Bernx (094D 003), the Higrade zone (094D 223) and the Area B (Baera) (094D 226).
In the Baera area there are a number of vuggy quartz-carbonate shear/breccia veins which range in width from 0.05 to 1 metre and have been traced for several hundred metres of strike length. Grab and chip samples from these veins have returned a number of anomalous gold-silver-copper assays in samples RR96-7 to 19. These results were reported to demonstrate the ability of the veins to carry economic grades of gold and copper. Although generally narrow, the veins are clustered together and may have a source at depth that coalesces into a larger, singular vein or a deeper porphyry style vein stockwork.
Grab sample RR96-16 of a 50-centimetre-wide vein graded 7.35 grams per tonne gold, 392.2 grams per tonne silver and 6.94 per cent copper (Table 2, Assessment Report 24882). Sample RR96-13 was a grab of a 50-centimetre-wide vein, located about 550 metres to the southeast of sample RR96-16, that assayed 7.69 grams per tonne gold, 1.4 grams per tonne silver and 0.3 per cent copper (Assessment Report 24882). A 3- to 4-metre-wide sample of wallrock adjacent to sample RR96-13 vein graded 0.06 gram per tonne gold, 6.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.32 per cent copper (Sample RR96-12, Assessment Report 24882).
Refer to Bearnx (094D 003) for related geological information and a common work history.
