The EBL occurrence is located approximately midway between the northern ends of North Barriere and East Barriere lakes, approximately 30 kilometres northeast of Barriere and 75 kilometres northeast of Kamloops.
The property is underlain by a sequence of interlayered and interlaminated chlorite schist, phyllite, quartz-sericite schist and minor amounts of skarnified limestone. These rocks are tentatively included within unit EBG (Map 56) of the Devonian or older part of the Eagle Bay Formation. The sequence is likely derived from mafic to intermediate volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks.
The metavolcanics and metasediments are intruded by diorite to granodiorite dikes ranging from a few centimetres to tens of metres in thickness.
Pyrite, pyrrhotite and lesser chalcopyrite occur over a 2.7-kilometre north-northwest strike length as disseminations and massive zones along foliation planes, as fracture fillings and within quartz-calcite veins. This type of mineralization occurs within a variety of lithologies but is most abundant within chloritic schists. Pyrrhotite-pyrite-chalcopyrite-magnetite mineralization within garnet-epidote-chlorite-quartz skarn also occurs, associated with amphibole and limestone.
Massive sulphide mineralization, up to one metre thick, occurs within a gossan zone 50 metres in length. Local foliation strikes north-northwest and dips 25 degrees westerly. Similar massive sulphide mineralization occurs over 4.3 metres in DDH 74-6, 1700 metres north-northwest of the gossan zone. Several earlier, nearby drillholes intersected good copper mineralization, one of which assayed 0.35 per cent copper over 65 metres (Assessment Report 2989). This hole, P70-9, lies 250 metres north-northwest of DDH 74-6.
A skarn zone 400 metres south of the exposed massive sulphide zone is exposed over a 20-metre length and a 10-metre width. Drillhole 74-6 also intersected skarn zones over an 18.3-metre interval.
Mineralization on the EBL property is similar to that on the Harper Creek property, 20 kilometres north, on the north edge of the Baldy Batholith. Recent mapping (Schiarizza, 1986) indicates that the Harper Creek deposit occurs near the contact between a metasedimentary sequence, possible equivalent to unit SDQ (Map 56) and overlying felsic metavolcanic rocks of unit EBA. Both units are intruded by Devonian orthogneiss and quartz porphyry sills, which might relate to mineralization. The EBL property might comprise similar SDQ metasediments intruded by Dgn orthogneiss, instead of the underlying unit EBG, referred to earlier.
The EBL occurrence was discovered in the 1960s by James Gourlay and Tom and George Moore while prospecting mineralized float north of East Barriere Lake. Much more work has been completed on the property than has ever been recorded. In 1986, Titan Resources Ltd. noted the existence of several thousand metres of drillcore stored on the upper logging road that could not accounted for in assessment reports. The area was mapped in 1962 and 1963 by R.B. Campbell of the Geological Survey of Canada.
The original claims were staked by Gourlay, Moore and Moore through Barriere Lake Mines and first optioned to Scurry Rainbow Oils of Calgary. In 1966, Scurry Rainbow cut 80.5 kilometres (50 miles) of grid and carried out electromagnetic and magnetic geophysical surveys over a portion of the grid. The claims were allowed to lapse and were restaked in 1968 by Gourlay, Moore and Moore, who completed five short AXT drillholes totalling 670.6 metres (2200 feet) on the claims before granting an option to Royal Canadian Ventures Ltd. In 1969, Royal Canadian Ventures completed an exploration program consisting of line cutting, ground magnetic geophysical surveys and soil geochemistry. Work continued the following year with more line cutting and an induced polarization geophysical survey. Later that year, Rayrock Mines conducted line cutting, soil geochemistry, induced polarization geophysical surveying, geological mapping and 12 percussion drill holes totalling 888.5 metres (2915 feet).
In 1971, Noranda completed soil geochemistry and ground magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical surveys on the property. Craigmont Mines Ltd. conducted an induced polarization survey in 1972. In 1973, Western Mines Ltd. carried out 212.4 kilometres of airborne magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical surveying over the area covering the EBL and Kayjun (MINFILE 082M 051) showings. In 1976, Kennco Exploration completed a soil geochemistry survey. Between 1981 and 1982, K.E. Northcote and Associates Ltd., on behalf of claim owners James Gourlay and George Moore, conducted a geological survey of the EBL property, a oetrographic study of drillcore from historic Drillhole 74-6 and relogging and sampling of historic Drillholes NE2 and NE8. Assays of the core samples returned no significant results for precious metals. During this time, core stored on the property from previous drilling operations was spilled and partially buried under a pile of debris during winter logging operations. Some core was recovered but could no longer be used for stratigraphic or structural analysis. Additional work completed in 1982 included prospecting, geological mapping and rock sampling. K.E. Northcote and Associates continued exploration in 1983 with ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveying, rock sampling and hand trenching, blasting and chip sampling at three sites. The trenches and pits were chip sampled at approximately 1-metre intervals and a total of 16 chip samples were collected.
In 1987, the property was acquired by Ram Vallabh and a group of investors (Almo Capital Corporation) and renamed the Moore property. Almo Capital Corporation completed soil sampling and geological mapping on the property in 1987, 1994 and 2001. In 1993, due to overstaking of the adjacent Norr property to the west, Agate Bay Resources conducted limited soil sampling and electromagnetic geophysical surveying over a portion of the property. In 2006, Almo Capital undertook a program of induced polarization and resistivity geophysical surveying to determine the response of known mineralization and to locate extensions of existing and new mineralized zones. Another induced polarization survey was completed in 2007. In 2008, a three-phase drill program started. Phase 1 consisted of nine diamond drill holes, three of which—DDH 08-04, DDH 08-05 and DDH 08-06—were sampled and sent for assay. The second phase of exploration took place in 2009. Of the 23 drillholes planned for phase 2, only eight were completed due to extreme heat and risk of forest fire. All eight holes were logged and five were sampled and sent for assay. The final phase of exploration took place in 2010, with the completion of 16 diamond drill holes.
