The Mount Barham occurrence is located on the southern flank of Mount Barham, at the head of Ruby Creek north of Surprise Lake, about 40 kilometres northeast of the community of Atlin.
Mineralization occurs in dark grey-green to black, massive, fine grained andesites to basalts of the upper Mississippian to Permian Nakina Formation of the Cache Creek Complex. These rocks are near the contact with upper Mississippian to Permian ultramafic rocks of the Cache Creek Complex composed of light green to brown, often serpentinized peridotite. The contact is often highly fractured and sheared and the peridotite is often serpentinized. A contact breccia has been reported in one location. Some marble has been identified as float and is inferred to represent small, recrystallized limestone lenses interbedded with the andesites and metamorphosed by the intrusions. A dioritic dike striking 010 degrees crosscuts the andesite.
Mineralization consists of disseminated pyrrhotite and pentlandite associated with silicification and fine quartz veining, plus or minus chlorite and epidote, and may be fracture controlled. Up to 2 per cent pyrite and possibly arsenopyrite are also present. Some quartz vein float has been reported with some pyrolusite but no significant sulphide mineralization is reported.
The Fox claims, which cover the showing, were staked in 1968 and were worked for only one year in 1969 by Arctic Gold and Silver Mines Ltd. Results from soil geochemistry surveys revealed two copper and one lead anomaly but they were not substantial.
The area has been explored in conjunction with the nearby Adanac Molybdenum (MINFILE 104N 052) mine and a complete regional exploration history can be found there.
During 2016 through 2018, Global Drilling Solutions Inc., on the behalf of Stuhini Exploration Ltd., completed programs of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, and diamond drilling on the area as part of the Ruby Creek project.
In 2020, Stuhini Exploration Ltd. explored the area with a Mag-EM survey, prospecting, and geochemical surveying. At the Mount Barham occurrence disseminated to semi-massive pyrrhotite and trace to minor chalcopyrite mineralization was encountered. The mineralization resembles skarn or carbonate replacement alteration rather than an orthomagmatic deposit that could host nickel. Assay results showed no anomalous nickel mineralization. A small soil sampling program was conducted south of Mount Barham, in the area referred to as “North Cirque” and encountered anomalous gold values as high as 174 ppb and 215 ppb. A total of 53 rock samples and 91 soil samples were taken (Assessment Report 39374).
