The Bernice occurrence is located in the southwest corner of the Bernice (L.4502) Crown grant, approximately 600 metres west of the north end Shuta Lake.
The area is underlain by undivided volcanic rocks of the Western Volcanic facies of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group and fine clastic sedimentary rocks of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Ashcroft Formation, which have been intruded by Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic dioritic rocks. See the Old Alameada (MINFILE 092ISE094) occurrence for a regional geology summary of the Swakum Mountain area.
The occurrence area lies in the contact zone between volcanic and sedimentary sequences of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group. Precious metal mineralization occurs in garnet-epidote skarn zones. Pyrite, sphalerite and galena are the most common minerals, with minor amounts of tetrahedrite and chalcopyrite. As shown by ore in the dump, the deposit consists in part of narrow quartz veins within andesite. The wallrock is partially altered to ankerite along the veins. Pyrite, galena, sphalerite and hydrozincite are present.
A shipment, likely dating to the 1920s or 1930s, of approximately 27.2 tonnes averaging 0.7 gram per tonne gold, 1390 grams per tonne silver, 2.5 per cent lead and 6.2 per cent zinc is reported to have been made from the occurrence (Property File 10630).
Work History
By 1929, an inclined (65 degrees east) shaft had been driven for approximately 34.5 metres (to a depth of 18.6 metres) on the occurrence and a crosscut tunnel was driven approximately 91 metres north of the shaft.
In 1972 and 1973, Hesca Development Corp. Ltd. completed a program of rock, silt and soil sampling on the area immediately east of the occurrence as the Kay and Lyn claims of the Swakum Mountain property.
In 1979, the area was prospected by L. Trenholme as the Dartt 1-2 claims.
In 1981, S. Kelly completed a soil sampling program on the area immediately northwest of the occurrence as the Old Complex claims. In 1983 and 1984, Pacific Northwest Geotech Ltd. completed soil sampling programs on the area. Also in 1984, Mag-Ty Resources Ltd. prospected the area. In 1986, Atlar Resources Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys on the area as the Corona-Bob property.
In 1998, Ahura Mining Ltd. prospected and sampled the area as the How 1-10 and Corona claims. A rock sample (HOW-5) from the occurrence area yielded 6.00 grams per tonne gold, 1.80 per cent copper and 1.90 per cent lead (Assessment Report 25744). The following year, a program of geological mapping, rock sampling and a 27.2 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey was completed on the claims. In 2000, Ahura Mining completed a program of geological mapping and geochemical (rock and soil) sampling on the How property.
During 2011 through 2016, Plate Resources Corp. completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, airborne and ground geophysical surveys and diamond drilling on the area as apart of the Lucky Mike property.
