The Harper (Wah Wah-Area A) occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 920 metres on the south face of a hill east of Harper Creek and approximately 2.8 kilometres northeast of the creeks’ mouth on North Barriere Lake.
The area is underlain by metavolcanics and metasediments of the Devonian Skwaam Bay Unit of the Eagle Bay Assemblage. The rocks consist of phyllites and schists derived from felsic to intermediate calc-alkaline volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks. The strata forms a homoclinal sequence with a moderate, uniform southwesterly dip. The Cretaceous Baldy Batholith lies to the north.
Mineralization occurs as stratabound bands of massive sulphides consisting of pyrrhotite and pyrite and lesser chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena. Two main sulphide bands, trending northwest and dipping southwest at 25 to 45 degrees, occur within quartz-sericite schist.
The westernmost sulphide band strikes more than 100 metres, with up to 8-metre widths and greater than 50-metre depths. The easternmost sulphide band has a length of 210 metres, a vertical depth of at least 20 metres and variable widths. This band lies 175 metres northeast of the western band.
In 1976, drilling of an electromagnetic anomaly, located approximately 400 metres northwest of the west sulphide band, intercepted a zone of narrow bedded pyrrhotite-pyrite lenses yielding copper values from 0.15 per cent over 7.9 metres to 0.84 per cent over 4.9 metres (Hole 149-76-1; Assessment Report 6177). This drillhole is also reported to have intercepted 0.30-metre section of bedded pyrite-sphalerite mineralization in argillite near the top of the hole that yielded 0.93 per cent zinc, 0.188 per cent copper, 7.5 grams per tonne silver and 0.27 gram per tonne gold over 1.2 metres, whereas a nearby float sample of similar mineralization yielded 3.48 per cent zinc, 0.255 per cent copper and 5.5 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 6177).
In 1983, a 1-metre chip sample from an adit wall on the westernmost band yielded 0.41 per cent copper, 6.86 grams per tonne silver and 0.14 grams per tonne gold, whereas a grab sample from the northern end of the eastern band yielded 2.1 per cent copper, 24 grams per tonne silver and 0.37 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 12442).
In 1984, rock samples (54444 and 54449) yielded values of up to 1.85 per cent copper, 19.4 grams per tonne silver and 2.80 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 12567). No sample descriptions or locations were provided.
Work History
In the early 1900s approximately 90 metres of drifting was reported to have been performed in three adits.
During 1962 through 1965, Barriere Lake Mines Ltd. is reported to have completed programs of trenching and 30 diamond drill holes, totalling approximately 1350 metres, on the area. No records of this work are known. In 1966, Scurry Rainbow is reported to have completed a program of trenching, ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys and 12 diamond drill holes, totalling 984 metres. In 1969, Barriere Lake Minerals Ltd. completed a further five diamond drill holes, totalling 194.4 metres.
In 1970, Royal Canadian Ventures Ltd. completed a program of soil sampling and 17.5 line-kilometres of ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys on the area as the NB and Ultima claims. In 1972, Craigmont Mines Ltd. completed a 13.3 line-kilometre ground induced polarization survey on the area. In 1976, Canadian Superior Exploration Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, soil sampling, 8.0 line-kilometres of combined ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys and three diamond drill holes, totalling 322.0 metres, on the area as the DC claims.
In 1982, a lone drillhole, totalling 30 metres, was completed on the area as the NB 1 claim. During 1983 through 1987, Westech Resources Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, trenching and ground electromagnetic and magnetic surveys on the NB 1-5 claims. Also in 1985, Noranda Mining and Exploration Inc. completed a 280 line-kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey on the area.
During 1989 through 1991, Falconbridge Ltd. completed programs of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, geological mapping, 97.7 line-kilometres of combined ground magnetic, electromagnetic and induced polarization surveys, trenching and at least nine diamond drill holes, totalling 2619.2 metres, on the Bluff, Bet, Mac, Raven, Rust and Percy claims.
During 2005 through 2010, the area was prospected and (rock, silt and soil) sampled as the Stellar claims.
