The Opal occurrence is located southeast of Starvation Lakes.
The area is underlain by undivided sedimentary rocks and dolomitic carbonate rocks of the middle Proterozoic Creston, Kitchener and Grinnell formations (Purcell Supergroup). Much of the host stratigraphy was historically reported as Grinnell Formation.
Locally, bornite, chalcocite, and covellite with secondary malachite and azurite occur in a quartzitic sandstone as disseminated sulphides within argillite pebbles and as sulphide rims to the pebbles. Galena occurs in diorite dikes and sills of the Proterozoic Moyie Intrusions. Anomalous radioactivity is associated regionally with zones of sulphide mineralization.
Samples are reported to have assayed up to 0.41 per cent copper (Property File - unknown [unknown]: Geological Sketch Map of Clark Range and locations of principal stratabound mineral occurrences - SE BC).
WORK HISTORY
In 1975, a rock sample (A-266b) of talus below a large cliff, located approximately 1 kilometre to the west-southwest, assayed 2.40 per cent lead and 0.84 per cent zinc (Property File - Aquitaine Co. of Canada Ltd. [1976-02-02]: Report on Southeastern British Columbia Project 1975 for Aquitaine Company of Canada).
In 1975, Aquitaine Co. of Canada Ltd. completed a program of regional geochemical sampling, geological mapping and prospecting on the area. In 1977, Kintla Explorations completed a ground scintillometer survey on the area. In 1979, a ground radiometric survey was completed.
A ground radiometric survey was conducted over the Lin and Opal claims which were staked in 1969 by Kintla Exploration limited (Assessment Report 6521, 7678). The claims were located from Kishinena Creek south to Starvation Peak. In 1975, the Goble family (Kintla) reported that they discovered uranium in the red beds of the Grinnell Formation, and in some of the copper bearing beds of the Grinnell. In 1975, three short holes were drilled on the Opal claims totalling 65.5 metres (Assessment Report 5696). Mineralization included bornite-chalcocite in quartzite and sandstone and minor disseminations and veinlets of galena and chalcopyrite in quartz diorite and diorite. In 1977 a preliminary, radiometric survey was conducted on the Lin Claims. In 1978 a more detailed examination was undertaken. Radiometric work was also carried out on the Opal claims between Starvation Creek and Montana
