The Swan East occurrence is located about 16 kilometres east of Aiken Lake and approximately 90 kilometres northeast of the community of Germansen Landing.
At the showing, finely disseminated galena occurs with coarsely crystalline barite within coarsely crystalline limestone and dolomite of the Ordovician to Lower Devonian Echo Lake Group or Lower Cambrian Mount Kison Formation (Atan Group). Area rocks are marked by rusty weathering.
In 1996, drillhole ST96-04 intersected extremely broken ground of Mount Kison Formation rocks and a strong fault at 44.5 to 45.7 metres downhole. The hole was abandoned at 57.9 metres due to severe ground conditions. Although no visible sulphides were observed, very strong zinc zap reaction was encountered in the extremely fractured rocks. Numerous intervals greater than 1000 parts per million (ppm) zinc and 1.0 ppm silver occur over the length of the hole. An interval of intensely fractured dolomite from 19.8 to 21.9 metres assayed 4 grams per tonne silver, 0.58 per cent lead and 2.06 per cent zinc. A limonitic zone of heavily eroded and pitted core displayed a strong reaction with zinc zap in the boxwork. This zone occurs between 33.5 and 35.0 metres and assayed 3.2 grams per tonne silver, 0.12 per cent lead and 3.45 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 24875).
The earliest reported work was conducted by Cominco Ltd. in the 1960s. This work discovered most of the known showings, some of which were subsequently trenched.
During 1972, Serem Ltd. conducted a regional lead-zinc stream sediment geochemical program throughout the Omineca Mountains which lead to the staking of three small properties the Swan, Knoll (094C 141) and Rain (094C 074), which are all within the current Swan property. In 1973, Serem conducted programs of line cutting, soil geochemistry, geological mapping, trenching and ground geophysical (horizontal shootback electromagnetic) surveys on each property and in 1974 drilled 13 holes totalling 657 metres on the Rain property.
In 1992, the Swan property, covering all known showings as well as intervening areas and extensions, was staked. A program carried out by Firesteel Resources comprised soil geochemical sampling and limited geological mapping and was conducted in the area of the old showings. In 1992, regional mapping by Ferri et al. of the British Columbia Geological Survey covered the area of the Swan property as part of a larger survey; limited silt sediment sampling and analysis was undertaken as part of this program. In 1993, the property was sold to Stratabound Minerals Corp. which optioned it to Cominco Ltd. Cominco carried out a soil geochemical survey and geological mapping over a grid established by compass and hip chain in the area known as the Swan grid. Reconnaissance geological mapping and contour soil sampling were conducted in the areas of the Rain and Knoll prospects and areas known to be underlain by the “Gilliland Tuff”. A regional silt sampling program was undertaken, and old trenches were excavated, mapped and sampled. Cominco subsequently dropped their option on the property. Target Exploration Services Ltd. conducted a rock and soil geochemical survey in 1995 on behalf of Stratabound Minerals Corp. The program involved collecting duplicate soil samples which were analyzed by a conventional ICP method and by a technique known as enzyme leach. During 1996, a diamond drilling program (763.3 metres in six BQTW drillholes) on the Swan property tested the Swan East zone (094C 143), the Swan 93 Trench and the surrounding stratigraphy. A reconnaissance geochemical soil sampling (110 samples) program was conducted simultaneously. In 1997, on behalf of Stratabound Minerals Corp., work conducted on the Swan property comprised a helicopter borne five-frequency electromagnetic and high-sensitivity magnetic survey (597 kilometres) over the entire claim area, followed by 12 kilometres of gravity surveying over selected magnetic anomalies.
