The Ben Ali mine is situated on the east side of the Bear River, 7.5 kilometres north-northeast of Stewart. A precious metal bearing quartz vein was periodically mined, on a small scale, between 1932 and 1941.
The deposit is hosted in a small stock of medium grained, porphyritic quartz monzonite probably related to the Eocene Hyder pluton (Coast Plutonic Complex) to the southwest. The stock intrudes epiclastic volcanics and lithic tuffs of the Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation (Hazelton Group). These are overlain, to the east, by argillaceous black siltstone of the Middle Jurassic Salmon River Formation (Hazelton Group).
The deposit consists of a lenticular quartz breccia vein, between 0.15 and 0.60 metre wide, developed in a shear zone which is up to 1.0 metre wide. The vein strikes 140 degrees for at least 107 metres, possibly up to 300 metres, dips 65 to 88 degrees southwest and extends downdip for at least 76 metres. A narrow, vertical crossvein extends northwestward from the main vein, striking 050 degrees.
Mineralization consists of pyrite and minor galena, sphalerite and chalcopyrite. The mineralization is more intense where the vein is cut by northeast striking fractures. A 5 metre chip sample along the length of the vein assayed 7.88 grams per tonne gold and 25.0 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 16633, page 20). The gold and silver values are higher near the wallrocks, which show minor silicification and propylitic alteration.
Approximately 4500 tonnes averaging 21.6 grams per tonne gold were mined between 1932 and 1941 (Assessment Report 7706, page 1).
Work History
On the Ben Ali claims, adits were drifted on four levels. The lowest adit (No. 4 level), lying approximately 200 metres above the Bear River Valley, drifted on a quartz breccia sulphide vein for 96 metres. Crossveining, which intersects the main structure from the north, was drifted on for 15 metres and overhand stoped for approximately 15 metres. The No. 3 level adit was drifted on for 12 metres and has since collapsed (ca. 1987). The No. 2 level was drifted for approximately 25 metres and subsequently overhand stoped until the No. 1 level was encountered. The No. 1 level was stoped to surface to produce a glory hole with a horizontal extent of 35 metres, an averaqe width of 2 metres and a depth of 20 metres. In 1949, an examination of the Ben Ali claims was completed by J.W. Young for Hedley Mascot Gold Mines. Young reported that three X-ray drillholes were completed on the property. One hole located just north of the No. 4 level portal intersected the vein but did not contain any "ore". Two holes were completed to the southeast of the No. 1 level stope. The first hole is reported to have intersected 15 centimetres of 155.5 grams per tonne gold; the second hole further to the southeast did not contain any mineralization. In 1987, Rose Spit Resources Ltd. established 14.2 kilometres of flagged control grid and conducted geological mapping, collected a total of 107 rock samples and 1226 soil samples, and completed 13.2 kilometres of ground magnetometer and VLF-EM surveying. In 1994, two days of mapping, rock and silt sampling on the Ben Ali group of claims was conducted by Prime Equities International.
During 2017 through 2020, Singer Resources Inc. and American Creek Resources Ltd. completed programs of geochemical sampling, a 13.5 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and a 438.5 line-kilometres airborne magnetic and LiDAR survey on the area as the Dunwell property.
