The Aurora occurrence is located on the western side of Moyie Lake, approximately 24.5 kilometres south of Cranbrook.
The area is underlain by clastic rocks of the Helikian Purcell Supergroup. The units are dominantly siliclastic sedimentary rocks of the Lower and Middle Aldridge formations. In the southeast, the right-lateral reverse Moyie fault juxtaposes Aldridge rocks with a conformable package of younger Creston Formation siltstones and argillites. The Proterozoic Moyie Intrusions are gabbro sills and intrude the Lower Aldridge Formation and the lower part of the Middle Aldridge Formation. Regional metamorphism is upper greenschist facies.
Locally a fault-related vein system strikes east and dips about 60 degrees south. The country rock is composed of Helikian Middle Aldridge Formation (Purcell Supergroup) turbidites, quartzites and argillites on the western limb of a northeast plunging anticline. The stratigraphy locally strikes northeast and dips approximately 50 degrees northwest.
The Aurora occurrence is a westerly extension of the fracture zone controlling the St. Eugene mine (082GSW025) on the east side of Moyie Lake, and related to the Guindon vein (082GSW027), 450 metres to the north. Mineralization consists of massive lenses and veins of galena and sphalerite within a quartz gangue with minor pyrite.
The workings produced 2230 tonnes of ore from 1910-1911 and 1926-1927, resulting in 301,264 grams of silver, 312,448 kilograms of zinc, and 183,024 kilograms of lead (BC METAL MM00521).
WORK HISTORY
The Aurora group, comprising the Etna, Durango, Aurora, Horseshoe, and Portland claims (Lots 7015-7017, 7022, 7205, respectively) was owned from 1898 or earlier by I.B. Sanborn of Portland Oregon and associates Misters Johnson and Rader. Development work was begun in open cuts and a drift adit. The claims were Crown-granted in 1906. Aurora Mining and Milling Company, Limited, incorporated in 1908, acquired an option on the property and development work continued into 1910. The workings included 3 adits totaling about 290 metres of drift and crosscut. Between No. 2 and 3 adits a shaft was sunk 24 metres with 55 metres of drift to the west. Five claims staked adjoining on strike to the west (Lots 2167-69, 2330, 2331) were Crown-granted to F. Guindon, J.A. Harvey and associates in 1910; no development work is reported on these claims. The Guindon, Ferole, and Alice Fr. claims (Lots 6127, 9806, 1907, respectively), located adjoining the Aurora group on the north, were Crown-granted to F. Guindon, J. Gosselin and associates in 1914. By 1923 the workings included about 290 metres of drift and crosscut in 2 adits on No. 1 vein, and a 122 metres of drift adit on No. 2 vein. St. Eugene Extension Mines, Limited was incorporated in 1929 to acquire the Guindon group, an option on the Aurora, and a lease on the St. Eugene. A winze was sunk from the Aurora No. 2 adit and the upper (No. 3) adit was extended. St. Eugene Mining Corporation, Limited was incorporated in 1939 to acquire the holdings of the former company. A geological survey was carried out and some of the adits on the Aurora and Guindon groups were re-opened and examined. Diamond drilling was done in 2 holes on the Aurora in 1940.
In 1947, Saint Eugene Mining completed a program of geological mapping and a 10 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Moyie property. St. Eugene Mining Corporation carried out joint exploration in 1962-1963 with Consolidated Mining and Smelting, owner of the St. Eugene property on the east side of the lake. Falconbridge Nickel Mines, Limited in 1965-1966 carried out geophysical and geochemical surveys and diamond drilling under an agreement with the above companies. The 1960s work was confined mainly to the east side of the lake.
In 1990, Cominco completed a 16.5-line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey on the area. In 2006, Saint Eugene Mining completed 697 line-kilometres of airborne combined magnetic and electromagnetic surveys over 2 grids that covered the St. Eugene (082GSW025), North Zone (082GSW086), Guindon (082GSW027), Aurora (082GSW023), Fors (082GSW035), and Smoker (082GSW041) (Assessment Report 28450). Several weak conductors possibly associated with mineralization were reported. In 2007, St. Eugene Mining completed a lone drillhole, totaling 242.6 metres.
