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File Created: 24-Jul-1985 by BC Geological Survey (BCGS)
Last Edit:  01-Apr-2022 by Karl A. Flower (KAF)

Summary Help Help

NMI
Name WARSPITE, PRIVATEER MINE LIMITED, WARSPITE (L. 9560) Mining Division Cariboo
BCGS Map 093H003
Status Prospect NTS Map 093H03W
Latitude 053º 01' 57'' UTM 10 (NAD 83)
Longitude 121º 29' 10'' Northing 5876958
Easting 601518
Commodities Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc Deposit Types I01 : Au-quartz veins
I05 : Polymetallic veins Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au
Tectonic Belt Omineca Terrane Kootenay, Cariboo, Slide Mountain
Capsule Geology

The Warspite showing lies within the Barkerville Terrane of the Omineca Belt. The Barkerville Terrane is in thrust contact with Triassic Quesnel 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 Warspite adit is near the north corner of the Warspite claim (Lot 9560) at approximately 1684 metres elevation and is located about 1.2 kilometres southwest of the mouth of Shy Robin Gulch on the north shoulder of Mount Proserpine, 4 kilometres south of Barkerville.

The Warspite quartz vein showings are underlain by the Hadrynian to Paleozoic Snowshoe Group. On the Warspite claim the Snowshoe Group grades from largely phyllite to micaceous quartzite with interbedded phyllite.

Northwest striking quartz veins (A veins) are up to about 3.8 metres in width and are intersected by several narrow northeast striking quartz veins (B veins) up to about 0.6 metre in width. The veins contain variable amounts of pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena and sphalerite mineralization. Selected samples returned high gold values. Also, a 9 metre bed of white silicified and pyritized quartzite has been traced by underground drifting and surface drilling for 120 metres. The veins have been explored with more than 400 metres of underground workings, several thousand metres of trenching, and numerous pits, shafts and diamond-drill holes. In 1926, a selected sample taken from the junction of an A and B vein assayed 22.8 grams per tonne gold. A selected sample of the altered quartzite intersected in a drillhole assayed 3.4 grams per tonne gold (Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 149; Assessment Report 24135).

The Warspite (Lot 9560), Hard Cash (Lot 9564, 093H 052), and Independence (Lot 9563, 093H 051) are three of the most important of a group of forty-one Crown-granted claims and fractions on southeastern Mount Proserpine and northwestern Antler Mountain. The property was owned by Proserpine Mines Limited, which is controlled by Pioneer Gold Mines of B.C. Limited through Barkerville Mining Company Limited (ca. 1955). Mount Proserpine was one of the localities first prospected, but little was done in the area of the Warspite property except the exploration of some veins at the head of Grouse Creek, where several small adits were driven. The first intensive work was done by E.E. Armstrong, who located the Independence in 1916 and other claims to the southeast thereafter. In 1917, Tregillus, Blair, and Carey located the Kitchener (Lot 10558, 093H 050), Warspite, and other claims covering the ground between the Proserpine group and the Independence. In 1919, both groups of claims were optioned by Mining Corporation of Canada Limited which did some exploratory work but dropped the options the following year. Minor work directed by W.R. Wilson and Sons was done until 1933 when the same claims were optioned by the Proserpine Syndicate. Small adits were driven on the Warspite and Independence claims. In the same year, Premier Gold Mining Company Limited did some surface stripping on claims on Antler Mountain which are now part of the group. In 1934, the Proserpine Syndicate incorporated as Proserpine Gold Mines Limited and did more surface and underground work, particularly in the Bell and Newberry adits on the Independence claim. In 1939, the company drove an adit more than 305 metres long on the Hard Cash claim from Grouse Creek. In 1940, Privateer Mine Limited optioned the Proserpine Gold Mines Limited holdings and did 10,973 metres of bulldozer and hand stripping, and some underground work in the Warspite adit. In 1945, Proserpine Mines Limited succeeded the former company, and twenty-one claims (Rex, Elsie, and Hen groups) were recorded northeast of the Crown-granted claims. In 1945-46, approximately 16,459 lineal metres of bulldozer stripping and road building, 274 metres of drifting in the Warspite adit, and 518 metres of diamond drilling were done. No work has been done since, and most of the recorded claims have lapsed (ca. 1955).

The main underground workings are the Warspite, Hard Cash, and Bell and Newberry adits, the last two being on the Independence claim. With the exception of the Hard Cash, the adits are situated on the upland slopes of Mount Proserpine and intersect earlier shallow prospect shafts. The Warspite adit has about 427 metres of workings, the Hard Cash 312 metres, the Bell 213 metres, and the Newberry 183 metres. A branch from the Cariboo Hudson Road at Conklin Gulch leads to the Warspite adit, where bulldozed strips lead to the other two adits on Mount Proserpine. A road leads up Grouse Creek from the Hudson Road to the Hard Cash adit.

The Warspite adit is near the north corner of the Warspite claim at approximately 1684 metres elevation. The adit crosscuts the strata at 051 degrees for 36 metres, and then turns southeastward and follows the strata at an average of 127 degrees for over 305 metres. A branch 97 metres from the portal follows a silicified zone for 46 metres to the east. A shaft 10 metres deep is intersected by the drift 49 metres from the portal. The workings expose about 61 to 91 metres of strata, of which the northeastern part is largely micaceous quartzite with interbedded phyllite and the southwestern part largely phyllite. Foliation strikes on the average 303 degrees and dips 60 to 80 degrees northeastward. The bedding, where it can be distinguished, is parallel to the cleavage.

There are two major veins and, particularly in the first 152 metres of workings, numerous small transverse veins and veinlets. The most interesting vein, well mineralized with pyrite, is a strike vein exposed in the shaft, crosscut, and drift. It is 40 metres long and averages about 0.3 metre wide. It strikes 300 degrees and dips 60 degrees northeastward. The other strike vein occupies a small fault which is subparallel with bedding and which, where quartz-filled, strikes 326 degrees. This vein is first seen in the drift 143 metres from the portal and continues for 36 metres. It is 0.3 to 1 metre wide and locally well mineralized with pyrite.

In 1987, Bonadventure Resources Ltd. conducted an exploration program consisting of 644.6 metres of NQ diamond drilling, 899 metres of trenching, rock chip sampling, and re-opened the Warspite adit. In 1995, Gold City Mining Corporation conducted an airborne survey (EM, VLF-EM, magnetics and radiometrics) over their entire Pans Property and also completed a 574 metre (5 holes) diamond drill program.

During 2000 through 2008, Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock, soil, moss and stream sediment) sampling, ground magnetic and self-potential surveys, trenching and 60 diamond drill holes, totalling 28,710.0 metres on the area as the Golden Cariboo property. A complete summary of exploration programs can be found at the Cariboo Hudson (MINFILE 093A 091) occurrence.

In 2005, diamond drilling yielded intercepts including 2.52 grams per tonne gold over 6.06 metres in hole PSP05-02, 2.36 to 2.53 grams per tonne gold and 0.34 per cent zinc over 3.0 metres in hole PSP05-11 and 4.81 to 5.06 grams per tonne gold over 0.95 metres in hole PSP05-16 (Brown, J. (2009-01-28): Technical Report on the 2000-2008 Exploration Programs on the Golden Cariboo Project).

In 2019, Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping and 109 diamond drill holes, totalling 45 641 metres, on the Cariboo Gold property. Drilling on the Warspite occurrence area yielded intercepts of up to 14.27 grams per tonne gold over 7.60 metres, including 125.50 grams per tonne gold over 0.60 metre in hole PSP-19-002 (Beausoleil, C., Pelletier, C. [2020-10-05]: NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Cariboo Gold Project, British Columbia, Canada).

Bibliography
EMPR AR 1917-129; 1918-134; 1922-117; 1928-520; 1934-C24; 1940-57; 1945-82; 1946-92
EMPR ASS RPT 7128, 10382, 12263, *16981, 24135, *24754
EMPR BULL *38, pp. 89,90; 47
EMPR EXPL 1978-207; 1984-312
EMPR FIELDWORK 2000, pp. 169-190
EMPR OF 2004-12
EMPR PF (Sutherland Brown, A. and Holland, S.S. (1956): The Structure of the Northeast Cariboo District, in 93H General Property File; Information letter from Clifton Resources Limited)
GSC MAP 1424A
GSC MEM *149, pp. 201,204,205; 181, p. 32
GSC SUM RPT *1932A, pp. 47,48,51
GSC OF 844
*Brown, J. (2009-01-28): Technical Report on the 2000-2008 Exploration Programs on the Golden Cariboo Project
*Beausoleil, C., Pelletier, C. (2020-10-05): NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Cariboo Gold Project, British Columbia, Canada

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