The Top 12 occurrence is located about 65 kilometres southeast of Fernie and a few hundred metres north of Sage Creek.

The area is mapped regionally as being underlain by siltstone, argillite, and quartzite of the Helikian Creston Formation, Purcell Supergroup. The area was previously mapped as the Grinnell Formation.

At the Top 12 showing, stratabound chalcocite, chalcopyrite and bornite are disseminated within quartzite horizons. Malachite staining is common on weathered surfaces. Bornite and chalcopyrite also occur in patches and as veinlets in quartzites. Figure 3 (Assessment Report 3336) shows locations of mineralization on Grid 1 and near the Top 12 plot just north of Sage Creek.

Veinlets and patches of bornite and chalcopyrite (Samples SAG #4, and #9 to #24), are exposed in a 45-metre trench on Grid #1, 15-metres from the Sage Creek access road. SAG #4 graded 0.17 gram per tonne gold, 27.42 grams per tonne silver, and 1.46 per cent copper; the highest representative sample from this trench yielded 0.4 per cent copper over a width of less than 0.3 metre, with most chip sampling results lying in the 0.01 to 0.06 per cent range (Assessment Report 3336). Akamina Minerals Ltd. recorded assays of 0.14 to 0.5 per cent copper for their "Sage Creek Showing", believed to be this trench (PDF File 810672). The mineralization is mostly restricted to narrow quartzite bands representing about 15 per cent of the rock in the trench (See Figure 9, Assessment Report 3336).

WORK HISTORY

In 1970, Strato Geological Ltd., on behalf of Mark V Mines Ltd and Thor Explorations Ltd., carried out a reconnaissance silt and soil geochemical sampling and prospecting survey on their ABC, DEF, GHI, and JKL claims (Assessment Report 2746). A total of 31 rock, 28 stream silt and 60 soil samples were collected for analysis high copper values in silts were found in the areas of claim ABC 29 (082GSE054), ABC 17, and DEF 35 (082GSE093). The latter are correlated with and explained by a copper occurrence found during the 1971 program on Grid #2 (082GSE093).

In 1971, soil geochemistry and geological mapping was completed and approximately 240 samples were collected on behalf of Mark V Mines Ltd and Thor Explorations Ltd. Several anomalous zones were indicated on the ABC, DEF, GHI, and JKL claims (Figure 3, Assessment Report 3336).

In 1972, Mark V Mines Ltd. extended the geochemical work was extended on the company's Sage Creek property. The claims involved were the ABC 1 to 4, and ABC 11 to 34. The soil sampling results revealed four soil new anomalies, in addition to an extension of the 1971 Grid #3 soil anomaly (ABC 16, 082GSE100) (Assessment Report 3931).

Refer Commerce Zone C (082GSE047) for a work history of the nearby Tri and Commerce occurrences.