The Tri and Commerce showings are located about 62 kilometres southeast of Fernie, and 5 to 10 kilometres east of the Flathead River.
The Commerce Peak area (Commerce Zone C) is host to three major types of mineralization (Assessment Reports 3160 and 4535): 1) copper-silver, as chalcopyrite-bornite-chalcocite disseminated within the quartzites and redbeds of the Helikian Purcell Supergroup (similar to Spar Lake mineralization). Significant localized concentrations appear confined to thin, 1- to 5-centimetre quartzite horizons and to the axial regions of tight folds. Anomalous molybdenum and uranium and/or thorium(?) (200-400 counts per second) are associated with high copper values. Copper may assay up to 0.2 to 0.3 per cent locally with silver in the range of 1 to 10 grams; 2) gold, with lesser amounts of silver, is associated with contact-related sulphide concentrations at the margins of Cretaceous syenite and/or diorite sills. Although gold values of over 34.28 grams have been reported, the anomalous values are usually one gram or less. Syenitic intrusions commonly host a fraction of a gram of gold regionally; 3) veinlets of quartz-carbonate (plus/minus siderite) crosscut the Grinnell and Siyeh formations and host local concentrations of copper sulphides. The veinlets may be as wide as 3 to 5 centimetres and assay up to 1 to 3 per cent copper.
Newer geological compilations (MapPlace versus GSC Open File 7476) show conflicting formation nomenclature usage for Purcell sub-units in this area.
WORK HISTORY
The Commerce ground was staked by Kennco Explorations (Western) Ltd. in 1967. Falconbridge Nickel Mines acquired the rights to part of the same claims and carried out limited evaluation in 1969 to 1970. 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).
In 1970, the exploration program of Alcor Minerals over the Commerce area consisted of sampling sediments in streams draining three Flathead River properties, including the Tri, Top, and Lion claims within an area bound by Commerce Creek and Sunkist Ridge, south to, and along Sage Creek (Assessment Report 3160). A total of 231 samples were collected and assayed for copper, lead and zinc. Thirty-one mineral occurrences were discovered on, and adjacent to, the Flathead River properties. Many of these mineral occurrences were reported as “unimportant” but still of interest.
Kintla Explorations Ltd. later carried out mapping and trenching of several showings in 1972 to about 1979. Some 64 claims on Commerce Peak were subsequently acquired by the Goble Bros. of Edmonton. Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited held an option on the property in 1970 and carried out diamond drilling totalling 76 metres in 5 holes on Commerce 9, 10 and 14 claims. The Goble Bros. incorporated Kintla Explorations Limited in January 1972. During the year the company carried out geological mapping, and a geochemical rock survey (124 samples) covering Commerce 1-16, 19-38, and 41-48. In 1973 further geochemical rock sampling was done from diorite dikes and sills in the Andradite-Gossan-Sill Mountain areas (435 samples) from a dolomite bed on Hopper Mountain (9 samples), and from 2 sandstone beds north of Commerce Peak (19 samples). Sampling from a copper-silver-bearing 2 to 2.4 metres thick dolomite bed outcrop (Commerce, 082GSE065) suggests an indicated reserve of 113,375 tonnes (125,000 tons) reportedly averaging 1.25 per cent copper and 8.6 to 17.1 grams per tonne silver (Northern Miner, February 21, 1974). Work done in 1972 and 1973 by Kintla Explorations Limited was completed over the Beth, Commerce, and Sunkist Claim Groups. Geological mapping and sampling were carried out (Assessment Report 4535). In 1973, geological exploration by Kintla that had been carried out on the Commerce claims from 1967 through 1972 was summarized. The report also presented data gathered during the 1973 field season (Assessment Report 5560). In 1973, gold exploration was centered on sulphide-bearing dioritic intrusives near the locations of high-gold assays located in 1972; sampling was concentrated in the Gossan Mountain area (Assessment Report 5070). Sampling was concentrated in the Gossan Mountain area. In 1976, a detailed scintillometer survey by Kintla Explorations Limited was partially completed during the spring. The results showed that uranium mineralization was related to the presence of copper in the lower Grinnell Formation quartzites (Assessment Report 5938). In 1976 Kintla Explorations Limited conducted a radiometric survey over the Commerce claims. Several interesting uranium anomalies were located, mainly in Claims 35 and 29 (Assessment Report 6398). At the same time as the mapping program was conducted a geophysical and geochemical survey was completed consisting of 13 samples and 46 kilometres of ground scintillometer surveying (Assessment Report 7567). This radiometric survey was a continuation of the survey begun in 1976, and carried through 1977 and 1978, and which was to continue through 1979 in search of Uranium. In 1979, Kintla Explorations Limited conducted a geological investigation of Zones D, E, F, G, H along with geological mapping (Assessment Report 8301). In 1984, Kintla Exploration Limited conducted mineralogical, petrological and geochemical studies on fifteen specimens of copper-bearing quartzite, copper-bearing dolomite and possibly gold-bearing intrusive igneous rocks. The samples were collected on the Commerce claims in 1983 (Assessment Report 12638).
BP-Selco staked the Sambo Claim in October 1984 to follow up previous reports of anomalous copper and gold values within the sedimentary and intrusive rocks. In 1985, BP-Selco carried out a program of geological mapping and rock chip sampling in the Commerce 8 showing area (082GSE043), west of Sunkist Ridge. Approximately 147 rock samples were collected. No significant economic mineralization has been identified. The highest copper value of 2370 ppm copper was obtained from a small pod of massive sulphide on a contact of diorite and limestone (Assessment Report 13978).
In 1999, Commerce Resources Corp. conducted a 140.4-kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey over their Comm 1-4 claims (Assessment Report 26277 and 26278). The airborne geophysical survey identified discrete magnetic anomalies coincident with electromagnetic conductive zones that Commerce Resources surmised may be near surface mineralized/altered intrusive plugs and/or structurally related mineralization.
