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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  19-Jun-2012 by George Owsiacki (GO)

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NMI 103P13 Ag1
Name GOLD CLIFF, UNITED EMPIRE, LUCILLE-THOMPSON, TRITES, BAYVIEW, LUCILLE NO. 1 (L. 4185), BETH (L. 4186), ANITA PIT, JAMES PIT, UPPER ADIT ZONE, BRINDEL CUT, GOLD CLIFF NO. 2 FR. (L. 4990), GOLD CLIFF NO. 4 (L. 4988), RIVA ADIT Mining Division Skeena
BCGS Map 103P091
Status Past Producer NTS Map 103P13W
Latitude 055º 58' 21'' UTM 09 (NAD 83)
Longitude 129º 59' 24'' Northing 6203461
Easting 438213
Commodities Silver, Zinc, Lead, Gold Deposit Types I05 : Polymetallic veins Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au
Tectonic Belt Coast Crystalline Terrane Stikine, Plutonic Rocks
Capsule Geology

The Gold Cliff occurrence is located 3.5 kilometres due north of Stewart on the east slope of Mount Dolly. Several shipments of high grade silver ore were made from this occurrence between 1925 and 1936.

A mineralized shear zone is developed in Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation (Hazelton Group) sedimentary and volcanic rocks just north of the contact with Eocene granodiorite of the Hyder pluton (Coast Plutonic Complex). The Unuk River Formation in this area consists of hornfelsed argillites and tuff with minor volcanic breccias, andesitic flows and limestone.

Mineralization is contained in a 550 metre long shear zone known as the Trites zone (Lucille-Thompson vein). The zone trends approximately 140 degrees, with individual strikes varying from 128 to 173 degrees and dipping 45 to 85 degrees southwest. It extends downdip for a vertical distance of 240 metres and varies in width from less than 0.3 metre to 2.4 metres. The southeast end of the shear zone terminates within granodiorite just south of the contact with the Hyder pluton.

Mineralization consists of pyrite, pyrrhotite, galena and sphalerite with minor arsenopyrite, tetrahedrite and pyrargyrite. Mineralization occurs as stringers, disseminations, blebs and massive lenses up to 0.76 metre wide. Mineralization infrequently occurs in a gangue of quartz with minor calcite and adjacent wallrock has been pyritized and variably silicified. The mineralization is better developed where shearing and fracturing is more intense.

A 2.4 metre chip sample assayed 3.4 grams per tonne gold, 2280 grams per tonne silver, 11.0 per cent lead and 9.0 per cent zinc (Property File - Guernsey, 1934, page 16).

Approximately 35 rock samples were taken from surface exposures and from the Riva adit during 1990 exploration by Hyder Gold Inc. Two samples were anomalous: R1028, a chip sample across a 0.46 metre siliceous shear yielded 0.6 gram per tonne gold, 333.7 grams per tonne silver, 0.47 per cent lead and 0.33 per cent zinc; R1030, a grab sample, analysed 3.79 grams per tonne gold 1.24 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 20991).

Between 1925 and 1936, 163 tonnes of hand sorted ore was mined from the Trites zone. This tonnage averaged 2.10 grams per tonne gold, 1136.7 grams per tonne silver, 7.35 per cent lead and 5.78 per cent zinc.

The history of the Bayview (103P 051)-Gold Cliff claims dates back to the early 1920s. The original Bayview Mining Co. made a small high-grade shipment in 1925, but not until 1928 did development accelerate, when the United Empire Gold and Silver Mining Co. consolidated the various properties. Following continued exploration, major expenditures were made in 1933 and 1934 for construction of buildings and installation of a tramline. This program culminated in production shipments of 169 tons between 1934 and 1936. Exploration in the form of prospecting, rock sampling of the old workings, and surveying was conducted during 1981 and 1983 by Bayview Resources Ltd. During 1983, some packsack drilling and 457 metres of BQ diamond drilling was completed on the Trites zone of the old United Empire Mine workings. Some high-grade ore was mined from the upper Bayview pits. In 1990, Hyder Gold Inc. conducted exploration on the Bayview-Gold Cliff property consisting of prospecting, geological mapping, rock sampling and minor silt sampling.

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1920-54; 1923-78; 1924-71,366; 1925-94,99,100; 1927-87,88; 1928-98; 1929-95,505,506; 1930-105; *1933-53,54; *1934-B18,B19; 1935-B28; 1936-B59; 1963-1
EMPR ASS RPT 2386, *12620, *20991
EMPR BULL 10, p. 53; 58; 63
EMPR FIELDWORK 1983, pp. 149-163; 1984, pp. 316-341; 1985, pp. 217,218; 1986, pp. 81-102; 1988, pp. 233-240; 1990, pp. 235-243; 2005, pp. 1-4
EMPR GEM 1970-76; 1971-126
EMPR MAP 8
EMPR OF 1986-2; 1994-14
EMPR PF (Starr, C.C. (1929): Report of an Examination of the Gold Cliff Group, 10 pp.; Workings on and near property, 1929; *Guernsey, T.W. (1934): Geology Report; Mandy, J.T. (1934): Maps and cross-sections of surface and underground workings)
EMR MIN RES FILE MR-Ag 301.00 B.C., Silver Producing Mines in British Columbia, June 1930, pp. 66,68
EMR MP CORPFILE (Pacific Mines; Petroleum & Development Co. Ltd.; Bayview Mining Co. Ltd.; United Empire Gold & Silver Mining Co. Ltd.; Athena Mines Ltd.)
GSC MAP 215A; 307A; 315A; 1385A
GSC MEM 159, pp. 38,39; 1975, pp. 149,150
GSC OF 864; 2931; 2996
GCNL #177, 1983; #119,#131,#142, 1984

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