The Sunset-Trade Dollar occurrence is exposed on the Sunset and the Trade Dollar Crown grants (Lots 1164 and 1432). This property has been developed in conjunction with the Bell occurrence (082FNW028).
This property comprises a group of 6 Crown-granted claims extending across the divide at the head of Jackson Creek, between elevations of approximately 1830 and 2135 metres. Mining commenced here in the late 1890's and a considerable production, chiefly from the Sunset and Trade Dollar claims was obtained in the early years of this century. In the case of the Bell claim (082FNW028), the principal producing years were 1916, 1917 and 1918. After 1918 little work was done on any of the claims until the autumn and winter of 1926-27, when lessees shipped over 91 tonnes from old workings on the Trade Dollar.
The principal workings on the Sunset and Trade Dollar claims are 12 adits, 4 of which have been driven from the northern slope of the ridge on the Sunset claim, and the remainder from the southern slope on the Trade Dollar claim. The elevation of the main lode at the summit of the divide is 2127.5 metres, nearly 305 metres above the lowest or No. 8 Trade Dollar adit. Altogether at least 2347 metres of underground work, including drifts, crosscute and raises has been done on these claims. In 1927, these workings were partly inaccessible, particularly in what had proved the more productive sections.
Little or no work has been done on the Sunset and Trade Dollar claims since 1927. On the Bell claim, several hundred tonnes of high-grade zinc ore were recovered from old dumps, and pillar and stope remains in the underground workings during 1943, 1944 and 1945.
Regionally, the area lies on the western margin of the Kootenay Arc, in allochthonous rocks of the Quesnel Terrane. In the vicinity of the occurrence, the Quesnel Terrane is dominated by the Upper Triassic Slocan Group, a thick sequence of deformed and metamorphosed shale, argillite, siltstone, quartzite and minor limestone. Rocks of the Slocan Group are tightly and disharmonically folded. Early minor folds are tight to isoclinal with moderate east plunging, southeast inclined axial planes and younger folds are open, southwest plunging with subhorizontal axial planes. The sedimentary sequence has been regionally metamorphosed to lower greenschist facies.
South of the occurrence, the Slocan Group has been intruded by the Middle Jurassic Nelson intrusions which comprise at least six texturally and compositionally distinct phases ranging from diorite to lamprophyre. The most dominant phase is a medium to coarse grained potassium feldspar porphyritic granite. Several feldspar porphyritic granodiorite dikes, apparently related to the Nelson intrusions, also cut the sedimentary sequence near the occurrence (Paper 1989-5).
The Sunset and Trade Dollar Crown grants are underlain by quartzite, calcareous argillite and slate of the Slocan Group. The strata generally strike northwest, dip 43 to 58 degrees southwest and are folded in a northwest-trending syncline. The central portion of the syncline is underlain by quartzite and calcareous argillite which host most of the ore. Beneath the core of the syncline are slate and thinly banded argillite which are cut by numerous felsic porphyritic intrusions.
The occurrence consists of a vein striking 073 degrees and dipping 60 degrees southeast. The vein varies from a few centimetres up to 2 metres in width and branches out into several subparallel veins. The vein was widest in the upper level of the mine within the more quartzitic beds and narrowed quickly within the thinly banded argillite. All veins have well-developed walls marked by gouge seams, some up to 30 centimetres thick. Sulphide minerals are crudely zoned with galena being more prominent in the upper levels of the mine and sphalerite dominating in the lower levels. Pyrite is common throughout. The main underground workings include five adits on the Sunset Crown grant and nine adits on the Trade Dollar Crown grant. At least 2350 metres of development work has been carried out on the vein in total.
Production from the Sunset-Trade Dollar between 1900 and 1927 yielded 10,737,751 grams of silver, 1,684,797 kilograms of lead and 58,114 kilograms of zinc from 2519 tonnes mined. Minor production between 1916 and 1918 was included with the Bell mine production
