The Halifax (Lot 3042), Manitou (Lot 1753) (082ESE098) and Eva Bell (Lot 2031) (082ESE169) are adjacent claims in the south-central part of the Burnt Basin camp. This small mining camp is situated approximately 13 kilometres northeast of Christina Lake and roughly 25 kilometres west of Trail. Access to the property is via Highway 3 from either Grand Forks or Castlegar to the Paulson Bridge. From a point 0.4 kilometre southwest of the Paulson Bridge a dirt road extends along the eastern side of the claims and across the southern part of the property. Elevations range from 1300 metres on Halifax claim to the highest point in the immediate area at 1450 metres on the Eva Bell claim.

The Halifax zone lies approximately 600 metres west of the Eva Bell Production zone. The sulphide mineralization comprises both massive lenses and disseminations of galena, sphalerite, magnetite and pyrrhotite within irregularly bedded limestone. Previous development work consists of several trenches and short drillholes that have partially delineated a number of subparallel 1 to 2.5 metres wide galena and sphalerite-rich pods grading 100 grams per tonne of silver, 7 per cent lead and 12 per cent zinc. Further exploration in 1988, by Ram Explorations Ltd., near the main trench, exposed massive magnetite in grey to black siliceous limestone along the contact with a brown pyroclastic? unit. Pods of massive sphalerite and galena, up to 75 centimetres across, occur within the magnetite-rich limestone adjacent to this contact - the contact being characterized by rusty limonite and black manganese staining. Samples of the host limestone show patches of steely grey, very fine-grained magnetite grading to finely disseminated magnetite accompanied by pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite. Sphalerite occurs as pale brown, fine sugary grains intergrown with fine to medium-grained crystalline galena.

The Halifax - Eva Bell deposits include the Emmismore zone, the Halifax zone, and the Eva Bell Production and Northwest zones. Burnt Basin is underlain by a variety of bedded rocks and igneous intrusions. The sedimentary and volcanic bedded rocks are mostly in the southern part of the camp. These units are assigned to the Carboniferous to Permian Mount Roberts Formation and include clean and dirty grey limestone beds of variable thickness interlayered with siltstone and minor chert. North of these units is an area of mostly massive andesitic volcanic rocks. Fragmental textures are found in places in the volcanic rock commonly associated with a carbonate matrix and small limestone lenses. These beds are cut by numerous felsic dikes and sills related to the Eocene Coryell Plutonic Suite.

Mineralization on the Halifax and Eva Bell claims includes magnetite/sulphide replacements, and sulphide disseminations. Disseminated pyrite is occasionally seen in the volcanic rocks, and scattered pyrite and pyrrhotite is common in hornfels. Replacement deposits occur in recrystallized limestone and the volcanic rocks. The altered limestone is characterized by coarse sparry calcite and garnets 1 to5 millimetres in diameter. The volcanic rocks host skarn minerals in the form of epidote-garnet patches accompanied by pyrite and calcite. The pyrite generally comprises 1 to 2 per cent of the rock (rarely as much as 10 to 20 per cent). Most of the old workings are small replacements developed in limestone adjacent to dikes. These bodies were mined principally for silver, although they contained significant but erratic zinc, lead, copper and gold values.

The Ennismore and Havana zones are located approximately 250 metres north west of the Halifax zone and comprise several pits, open-cuts and an adit exposing a 1-metre thick zone of massive sphalerite-magnetite mineralization within a limestone. The mineralization trends 340 degrees and dips 55 to 60 degrees north east and is on strike from and parallel to the Halifax zone.

The Hastings zone, located on the Golden Age (L.3044) Crown grant approximately 550 metres south of the Halifax zone, comprises a caved adit, a 6-metre deep shaft and several pits and trenches, believed to date to 1929. The workings explore a 1 to 1.5-metre wide zone of massive magnetite-sphalerite mineralization that trends 030 degrees and dips steeply in a black argillaceous limestone host.

Work History

Six claims, the Halifax, Jenny Lind, Golden Age (Lots 3042-3044), Havana (Lot 2131), Ennismore and Arlington (Lots 2595-2596) are included in this property. The first reported work was on the Arlington claim in 1899. Two Crown grantings are reported; to Frank Asprey in 1903 and to Henry P. Jackson in 1921. The Ennismore claim, adjoining the Havana on the northwest was reported owned in 1901 by The Avon Mining and Milling Company Limited. The working at that time comprised 30 metres of adit and a 15-metre shaft. The claim was Crown granted in 1904 to Esdras N. Quinette. The Halifax, Golden Age and Jenny Lind claims were Crown granted in 1903 to Arthur Jordan. A lease on the property was held by Geo. and Henry Jackson during 1927-1929. A crosscut was driven 33 metres by the Jacksons. The property was optioned by Joseph Grafton, of Rossland, in 1930 and considerable work was reported. By 1937 Mr. Grafton held a total of 21 claims in the area. The Halifax and several other claims were acquired or leased by W.W. Schwartzenhauer and associates in 1948. Some ore was shipped in 1948 and 1949. Christina Lake Mines Ltd. incorporated June 1964, acquired a large block of claims in the area. However, since 1965 several operators have explored the showings and shipped small quantities of ore (mainly from the Eva Bell claim). In 1965, Christina Lake Mines Ltd. completed geological, geochemical and magnetometer surveys and a minor amount of diamond drilling. This was followed in 1968 by Dalex Mines Ltd. that did an induced polarization survey, considerable stripping and trenching and 7 drillholes totalling 653 metres. A few years later in 1971 Burnt Basin Mines Ltd. undertook a program of geological mapping, a magnetometer survey, trenching and stripping, drilling that included 5 holes totalling 200 metres, and production of 43 tonnes of ore grading 210 grams per tonne of silver, 16 per cent zinc and 8 per cent lead. In the period 1972 to 1975, Donna Mines Ltd. reported line cutting and a magnetometer survey on the Eva Bell and Halifax claims and five short drillholes, cat trenching and percussion drilling on Eva Bell. At this time the company shipped 13,50O tonnes of ore. In 1975 to 1976, Alviji Mines Ltd. operated the property and shipped 485 tonnes of ore grading 106 grams per tonne of silver, 4.45 per cent lead, 6.75 per cent zinc and 21.5 per cent magnetite. In 1977, Paulson Mines Ltd. completed 457 metres of drilling on the Halifax claim and published intercept values, up to 2 metres, grading 420 grams per tonne of silver, 19.7 per cent lead and 14.9 per cent zinc. In 1978, Oliver Resources Ltd. completed 10 kilometres of electromagnetic, induced polarization and magnetometer surveying and the following year Granges Exploration Ltd. did 291 metres of diamond drilling on the Eva Bell and BP No.2 claims.

In April 1986, Westrim Resources Inc. acquired an option agreement on the property, the object being to evaluate the Mother Lode (Lot 1508) (082ESE081), the Eva Bell and Halifax claims. The program included a detailed fill-in soil geochemical survey in the Halifax/Eva Bell area. In the Halifax/Eva Bell area, detailed soil sampling was carried out across the Halifax and Eva Bell claims and the intervening Manitou claim (Lot 1753). The results indicate a more or less continuous belt of mineralization 1500 metres long and 100 metres wide across the three claims, that includes, from east to west, the Eva Bell Production and Northwest zones, the Halifax zone and the Ennismore zone.

In 2006 and 2007, Newport Gold Inc. conducted a work program on the Burnt Basin property. Samples from trenches on the Halifax zone yielded up to 2.29 per cent zinc, 1.69 per cent lead and 41.7 grams per tonne silver over 7 metres; samples of dump material from the Ennismore and Havana zones assayed up to 38.5 per cent zinc, 10.4 per cent lead and 129 grams per tonne silver and a select grab sample (50373) of dump material from the Hastings zone assayed 17.9 per cent zinc, 1.21 per cent lead and 16.3 grams per tonne silver (MacIntyre, D. (2018-11-26): Technical Report - Molly Gibson Lode Property).

In 2018, Rich River Resources, on the behalf of Golden Lake Exploration Inc., completed a program of prospecting and geochemical (rock, soil and silt) sampling on the area as the Molly Gibson-Golden Lode property. Two samples (32036 and 32037) from the Ennismore zone assayed greater than 30 per cent zinc, each, with values of up to 0.354 per cent lead and 8.03 gram per tonne silver, while four samples (32016 to 32020) from the Hasting zone yielded values from 0.338 to 16.75 per cent zinc, 0.017 to 5.48 per cent lead and 2.6 to 45.6 grams per tonne silver (MacIntyre, D. (2018-11-26): Technical Report - Molly Gibson Lode Property).