The Perkins vein occurs within the Barkerville Terrane of the Omineca Belt. The Barkerville Terrane is in thrust contact with Triassic Quesnellia Terrane rocks to the west and Hadrynian to Lower Paleozoic Cariboo Terrane rocks to the east. The Barkerville Terrane in this region is underlain by the dominantly metasedimentary rocks of the Hadrynian to Lower Paleozoic Snowshoe Group. In this area the Snowshoe Group comprises limestone, phyllite and quartzite. These rocks have been regionally metamorphosed to greenschist facies.
The area is underlain by silver-grey sericitic quartzite, fissile grey quartzite and thinly laminated argillaceous quartzite. These strike 155 to 160 degrees and dip 15 to 40 degrees to the east. Quartz veins occupy two fracture sets, one strikes 15 to 25 degrees and dips 70 degrees west and the other strikes 50 to 60 degrees. The veins carry ankerite, pyrite, galena and free gold. Higher gold values appear to be related to abundant pyrite. The veins vary in width up to about 60 centimetres. In 1902 recorded production was 311 grams of gold. Trenching on the Perkins vein in 1981 resulted in a high assay of 45.5924 grams per tonne gold, 68.903 grams per tonne silver, 2.78 per cent lead, 0.97 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 8820).
HISTORY
In 1870, the discovery of auriferous quartz veins occurred
In 1878, J.C. Beedy selectively mines veins from surface and processed some ore using a quartz mill at Van Winkle. The veins contained high grade gold in association with pyrite and galena across of about 30 centimetres.
In 1880, J. Reid acquired the property after the death of J.C. Beedy: The Reid Adit was driven as a crosscut to intersect the Beedy veins 75 feet below the surface showings The adit was collared at an elevation of 5062 feet and driven on an azimuth of 108 degrees for a distance of 118 metres. A quartz vein (probably the central vein) about 30 cm in width, striking 205 degrees and dipping 62 degrees NW was drifted to the north for 6 metres at distance of 103 metres from the portal. A raise was driven to surface and probably some stoping was carried out on the vein. A grab sample of the vein in the adit assayed 13.7 grams per tonne gold and one of clean pyrite from the Reid Adit dump assayed 36.34 grams per tonne gold (Holland, 1948 (Bulletin 26)).
The Cohen veins, 457 metres northeast of the Perkins veins were mined prior to 1885. Workings, between elevations of 1600 and 1615 metres consist of several open cuts with associated shafts and mine dumps. Reports indicate that the shaft on the Cohen Incline was 21 to 27.5 metres deep. The open cuts were driven into the hillside along strike of veins less than 30 centimetres in width and with orientations 065 degrees/75 degrees southeast, 205 degrees/65 degrees west arid 190 degrees dipping steeply to the west. The veins contain high grade gold mrneralization in association with galena, pyrite and sphalerite.
Work on the Galena vein. Located at an elevation of 1580 metres and about 200 metres northeast of the Perkins veins, was probably also carried out at about his time. The original workings consisted of a mine dump an open cut driven northwest for 24 metres and a shallow drift of a vein oriented 230 degrees/55 degrees northwest for 24 metres. High grade gold mineralization with gold and silver was reported in association with pyrite. galena and sphalerite in a vein less than 45 centimetres in width.
It was reported that by 1895, E. Perkins had selectively mined the Beedy veins and processed ore using an arrastre for a number of years.
In 1902, C.J. Seymour Baker arid A.J.R. Atkins recovered about ten ounces of gold from ten tons of ore treated at the Government Reduction Works near Barkerville
In 1919, C.J. Fuller and D. Hawes acquired the property after the death of E Perkins.
In 1932, Burns Mountain Gold Quartz Mining Company Ltd acquired the property and extended the Reid Adit 15 metres and drove the Burns Mountain Adit as a crosscut to intersect the Perkins veins 84 metres below the surface showings. This adit was collared at an elevation of 1476 metres and driven 521 metres on an azimuth of 327 degrees and 120 metres on an azimuth of 284 degrees. A vein striking 197 degrees and dipping 70 degrees west was intersected 46 metres west of the Perkins showing and on to the north for 38.7 mettres.
Sometime after 1932 (and before 1946), R.E. MacDougall, W.E. North and J.J. Gunn of Wells relocated the ground after the Burns Mountain Quartz Mining Company Ltd allowed the property to lapse.
In 1946, Cariboo Rainbow Gold Quartz Mines Ltd completed 1066 metres of stripping and trenching using a bulldozer. The stripping showed that the Perkins area consisted of three narrow veins about 15 metres apart over a composite strike of about 120 metres. Shafts are associated with the west and central veins. The northern 46 metres of the central vein is marked by stopes caved to surface and was probably the source of most ore mined from the property
In 1979, L&G Resources Ltd contracted C. Ball to conduct one day of field work on the property and submitted a report of his recommendations.
In 1980, Spectrum Industrial Resources Limited trenched, sampled and mapped the Cohen, Galena and Perkins showings at a scale of 1:200; completed about 315 meters of diamond drilling in three holes; one on each showing. Drill hole S80-1 intersected a zone of vein quartz and fracturing (core length of seven meters) thought to be the Perkins structure about twenty meters above the Bums Mountain Adit but no gold values were obtained.
About 1990, M. Poshner excavated the main showings. The Perkins area is marked by a trench 6 metres deep and 180 metres in length- The Galena vein is trenched for about 90 metres.. The Cohen veins are in a stripped area about 180 by 45 metres.
Firstline Recovery Systems Inc. purchased the Burns I mineral claim from Doug Merrick of Wells in 1998 and staked more property in 1999. The company carried out some surface prospecting, completed an orientation — type soil geochemistry survey of about 150 samples covering the area between the Perkins, Cohen and Galena showings and ran several magnetometer and VLF geophysical survey lines across the Perkins and Galena showings. Vein structures show a distinct VLF signature. Gold values of 100-200 ppb in soils mark mineralized structures. In 2000, Firstline Recovery Systems Inc increased its property land holding by staking. In 2002, 734 line kilometers of existing grid was surveyed for self potential geophysical signatures in the vicinity of the historical Cohen, Beedy and Galena showings.
In 2006, Gemco Minerals Inc acquired Mount Burns claim group from Firstline Recovery Systems Inc in 2006. An aggressive trenching and prospecting program followed up with geophysics was conducted on the western parts of the large property.