The Barb showing is situated west of the Marilla FSR logging road, approximately 1.7 kilometres north of Intata Reach and approximately 70 kilometres south of Burns Lake.
Upper Triassic Takla Group volcanics are overlain by Early to Middle Jurassic Hazelton Group calc-alkalic basalt to rhyolite volcanics. The Hazelton volcanics are, in turn, unconformably overlain by Eocene-age Ootsa Lake Group felsic to intermediate subaerial flows and pyroclastics.
The area is underlain by Eocene Ootsa Lake Group felsic to intermediate subaerial flows and pyroclastics. Outcrop is scarce due to considerable amounts of glacial till and outwash cover. The few outcrops that are present consist of felsic rhyolite with varying textures and alteration. Textures range from strongly flow banded to massive and chalky, and colours vary from buff to white to yellow. Locally, sections of fractured and broken rock (crackle breccia) occur with drusy, quartz-filled and lined open spaces.
At the Barb showing, the rock has undergone strong argillic alteration and fracturing with intense silica flooding. The silica varies in colour from clear to white to blue. Blue-hued silicas contain fine-grained sulphides. Two areas of silicification or vein systems hosted in a siliceous rhyolite breccia occur at the Barb showing. The two vein systems are up to 1 metre in width and trend approximately 140 and 40 degrees, respectively, and have unknown dips.
Mineralization consists of a very fine peppering of a metallic mineral, believed to be molybdenum after several geochemical samples returned anomalous molybdenum results. A notable section of fine sulphide was present in a light, grading to dark, blue silica. Drusy silica fills fractures and open spaces and often displays very fine banding. The presence of gold, along with arsenic and mercury, in the drusy silica indicates the showing is likely a low-temperature epithermal-style occurrence. No significant pyrite was noted.
Work History
The first documented work in the area was conducted by H.W. Tipper of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1949.
In 1980, Guichon Explorco Limited conducted exploration work in the area. Guichon Explorco staked the Mar claims over an area of epithermal gold potential. Two zones of epithermal alteration were identified based on rock-chip samples that returned elevated levels of arsenic, mercury, and minor gold. Further work was recommended but never completed, and the claims were allowed to lapse.
In 1985, Hudson Bay Exploration (later Mingold Resources Incorporated) followed up on the work conducted by Guichon Explorco and conducted an examination of the Mar claim area. Several samples of chalcedonic quartz float with anomalous gold values were found in the area to the east of the Barb showing on the former Mar 11 claim. The following year, Mingold Resources staked the Rhub 1 to 13 and Barb 1 claims over a region covering the mineralized area identified by Guichon Explorco and an area of anomalous gold values in rock identified by Mingold Resources.
In 1987, Mingold Resources Incorporated carried out a program of soil and rock-chip geochemical sampling and trenching on the Barb and Rhub claims. In total, 2452 soil samples (including 756 samples from the Barb grid) and 153 rock samples were collected from the property. Sampling on the Barb grid did not return any significant results. Twelve trenches, nine of which were able to reach bedrock, were dug on the Barb claim. Later in 1987 and continuing into 1988, Mingold Resources carried out a program of drilling and trenching. As a result, 16 reverse circulation drill holes totalling 1159.5 metres, including eight drillholes totalling 610.2 metres in the Barb zone, were completed on the property. Three holes—BRH-1, 2 and 8—intersected zones of significant mineralization (greater than 0.86 gram per tonne gold; Assessment Report 18189, p. 13). A rotary drill hole (BRH-1) on the Barb zone yielded 2.15 grams per tonne gold over 1.52 metres (Assessment Report 18189). Also at this time, three samples (4102, 4107 and Y4209) from hand trenches on the Barb zone yielded 0.565, 0.600 and 1.235 grams per tonne gold, 7.8, 6.7 and 8.0 grams per tonne silver with 0.100, 0.097 and 0.045 per cent molybdenum, respectively (Assessment Report 16593).
In 1989, on behalf of Alta Ventures Incorporated, Target Surveys Incorporated completed an induced polarization resistivity geophysical survey of the area and identified 10 anomalous zones. In 1991, Equity Silver Mines optioned the Rhub-Barb property from Mingold Resources Incorporated and completed a program of diamond drilling and road building on the Rhub property. In 1992, Cogema Resources Limited conducted a regional till geochemical sampling and prospecting program over the entire Nechako Basin.
In 1994, J. Greg Dawson staked the Ana claims, including the Ana 11 and 12 claims, which cover the current Barb 1 claim area. Dawson carried out soil and rock sampling over the property. One rock sample (GD09) collected from the Barb showing returned 0.32 gram per tonne gold and 0.0341 per cent arsenic (Assessment Report 23904). The soil samples did not return any anomalous results, likely due to the extensive cover of overburden.
In 2003, Southern Rio Resources Limited staked the Sam claims to cover the Rhub (MINFILE 093F 054) and Barb epithermal gold-silver showings. A total of 16.2 line-kilometres of ground magnetometer and very low-frequency electromagnetic geophysical surveys were performed on the Sam #3 claim to the east of the Barb showing. In 2006, Goldmember Ventures Corporation conducted a regional geophysical study program that involved reprocessing existing geophysical data and producing new three-dimensional inversion maps.
The Barb claim area was later acquired by prospector Ronald Bilquist. In 2011, Bilquist conducted prospecting and sampling on the Barb 1 (Intata) claim. Work focused mainly on the Barb showing area. Five rock samples, including three from the Barb showing, were collected and sent for assay. Only the samples collected from the Barb showing returned anomalous results.
Three samples collected at the Barb showing by Ronald Bilquist in 2011 returned anomalous values for gold, silver and molybdenum. All three samples also contained anomalous levels of arsenic and mercury. Sample IN002 returned 0.14 gram per tonne gold, 2.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.01559 per cent molybdenum; sample IN003 returned 0.19 gram per tonne gold, 1.4 grams per tonne silver and 0.01493 per cent molybdenum; and sample IN004 returned 0.23 gram per tonne gold, 1.4 grams per tonne silver and 0.02476 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 32951).
In 2015, John Kreft completed a program of biogeochemical and rock sampling on the area. A 0.3-metre chip sample (AGR-04) from a siliceous rhyolite cut by a weak quartz-pyrite stockwork yielded 0.42 gram per tonne gold and 0.051 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 35887).
