The Otto (Hunt Vein) occurrence is located on the north side of Blackbear Creek, approximately 2.7 kilometres east-south east of its junction with Spanish Creek.
The area is within the Quesnel terrane of the Intermontane Belt near its eastern margin, adjacent to the Precambrian to Paleozoic rocks of the Omineca terrane. The dominant lithologies comprise red-brown weathering phyllite, grey siltstone and interbedded felsic tuffs, which form the lowermost part of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Nicola Group. Formerly referred to as "black phyllite", this unit has been thrust onto the older rocks of the Omineca terrane, with which it has been deformed and metamorphosed, probably during the Middle to Late Jurassic.
Locally, a southwest-dipping unit of graphitic argillite hosts several quartz-carbonate veins and quartz-carbonate flooded zones, up to 7.62 metres wide, with sparse, patchy galena and pyrite mineralization and sericite alteration.
In 1988, select grab samples of mineralized quartz veins from the main showing yielded values up to 0.7 grams per tonne gold, 2302 grams per tonne silver and 66.5 per cent lead (Assessment Report 20062). The following year, significant silver-lead values were encountered by diamond drilling (DDH89-2) in narrow zones of strong galena mineralization with assays up to 422.4 grams per tonne silver and 14.5 per cent lead across 0.27 metre (Assessment Report 20062).
In 2008, a rock chip sample (86068) assayed 97.9 grams per tonne silver and 9.83 per cent lead over 0.15 metre (Turna, R. (2009-10-05): Technical Report on the Black Bear Property).
In 2010, a trench grab sample (H-14) yielded up to 2580 grams per tonne silver and 70.9 per cent lead; while a 1.0 metre chip sample (HV-02) assayed 1180 grams per tonne silver and 37.1 per cent lead (Assessment Report 32209). Also at this time, another zone of mineralization, located a short distance to the east, was trenched and yielded up to 1080 grams per tonne silver and 24.2 per cent lead (Assessment Report 32209).
Work History
The area has historically been explored in conjunction with the Providence (MINFILE 093A 003) past- producing mine. In 1967, a program of regional prospecting and sampling was completed by the Keweenaw Sydnicate. In 1972, Stokes Exploration completed a program of soil sampling on the area as the BG claims. During 1987 through 1989, the Otto, China and Boomer claims were located to cover these veins and others recently examined. In 1989, Priority Ventures Ltd. drilled six NQ-size holes totalling 294.4 metres.
During 1996 through 2000, Barker Minerals Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, reconnaissance rock and stream sediment sampling, geological mapping and ground geophysical surveys on the area. In 2008, Barker Minerals prospected and sampled the area. In 2010, Barker Minerals Ltd. completed a program of sampling and 2000 metres of trenching in 12 trenches on the area.
