The Bear occurrence is located east of Kitsumkalum Lake about 35 kilometres due north of the community of Terrace. This property area covers the northern and southern slopes of Maroon Mountain and Wesach Mountain, respectively.
The showing area is underlain by argillite, greywacke and conglomerate of the Jurassic to Cretaceous Bowser Lake Group. Narrow quartz veins lie conformably below a 35 to 75 metre wide conglomerate bed which strikes northeast and dips 50 to 75 degrees southeast. The veins are mineralized with galena, sphalerite, pyrite and pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite.
The Bear vein system is 0.5 to 2.0 metres wide and is about 350 metres long. It strikes 060 to 070 degrees and dips across foliation at 50 to 80 degrees southeast, parallel to subparallel to bedding, for at least 24 metres. Foliation in the argillite strikes 074 to 084 degrees, dipping 55 to 60 degrees north. The veining is disrupted by a 1.2 to 3.6 metre wide aplite dike which crosses and recrosses the vein. Wherever the dike crosses the veining, folding of the veins and concentrations of sulphides (galena, sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite) occur.
A 40-centimetre sample of the vein assayed 17 grams per tonne gold, 69 grams per tonne silver, 1.2 per cent lead and 6.0 per cent zinc (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1930). A grab sample of the dump assayed 14.4 grams per tonne gold, 823 grams per tonne silver, 4.24 per cent lead, 4.40 per cent zinc and 0.02 per cent copper (Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 329). Scheelite has been reported occurring in the vein.
In 1991, rock saw channel cuts were sampled across the mineralization in five separate locations along the length of the shear/vein system. One sample across 1.5 metres assayed 8.5 grams per tonne gold and 16.7 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 21742).
The Bear vein was historically explored by a number of trenches and by three adits comprising 85 metres of underground workings. The polymetallic vein prospects on the north slope of Maroon Mountain, now within the current Maroon property area, were investigated by geochemical and geophysical surveys and detailed trench sampling by Skeena Resources Ltd. in 1990 and 1991. The Maroon #1 claim was located by Richard T. Heard in June of 1995 as part of a larger claim group which effectively covered the ground previously held by Skeena Resources. A limited investigation of the 1995 claims, undertaken in late May of 1998, was severely hampered by extensive snow cover. Work completed consisted of the collection of rock, stream sediment and soil samples. Additional work in 1997 was directed to geological mapping and the collection and analyses of chip and character samples from a number of trenches along the Bear vein structure in the central part of the current Maroon #1. The Maroon #1 mineral claim has been maintained in good standing since its initial location in 1995. The owners of the claim entered into an option agreement with Seymour Exploration Corp. mid-2002 and this company undertook a drilling program in September and October. The Maroon #2, #3,#4, #5 and #8 claims were located in September of 2002.
Seymour Exploration Corp. drilled two core holes in 2002 from a set up 65 metres southeast of the uppermost adit. One hole intersected 0.61-metre of vein grading 26 grams per tonne gold. The second hole intersected two smaller veins (Press Release - Seymour Exploration Corp., October 23, 2002).
