The Bar occurrence is located on a ridge seperating Palmer Bar and Kiakko creeks, approximately 11.5 kilometres south west of Cranbrook.
The area is underlain by metasediments of the Middle Proterozoic Purcell Supergroup, Creston Formation. The rocks are intruded by rocks of the mid-Cretaceous Bayonne plutonic suite. In addition to the numerous typically granodiorite intrusives representing the Bayonne plutonic suite, much more alkaline syenite and quartz syenite intrusives (stocks and dykes) occur in this area.
The mineralization on the Bar property is situated (on surface) within a zone up to 60 meters wide followed for at least 1000 meters along strike. The widest portion of this mineralized zone extends for about 300 meters and apparently corresponds to the intersection on the east-west trending Cranbrook Fault (marked by syenite dykes and/or apophyses) and another-west-northwest trending fault zone. The mineralized zone has a minimum vertical extent of roughly 100 meters, identified in exposures at least 100 vertical meters apart.
The widest portion of the mineralized zone has been exposed by 1990-1991 trenching. Mineralization consists of auriferous quartz, quartz-pyrite and lesser quartz-pyrite-galena-bearing stockwork, vein, breccia and dissemination zones occurring in syenites and surrounding metasediments. Especially intense mineralization is found in and close to the northern contact zone of the larger east-west trending syenite body. This contact is tectonic in origin and is manifested by a several meters thick zone of intensely limonitic, oxidized fine gouge.
In 1983, the area incorporating the present Bar 19 claim mineral showing was staked by J. Leask and associates. In 1985, Noranda Exploration Company optioned the whole (Bar l-19) property, and drilled the lead-zinc showings to the south but also conducted a limited soil grid sampling (49 samples) over the present Bar 19 claim.
In 1990 and 1991, White Knight Resources Ltd. and Therm Exploration Ltd. conducted another soil geochemistry program and outlined a large area of anomalous soil geochemistry in both gold and lead. Follow-up trenching uncovered strongly altered, gold-bearing, quartz syenite dykes. Highlights of the trenching included: 4.52 grams per tonne gold over 26.0 meters, including 7.42 grams per tonne gold over 11 meters; 3.08 grams per tonne gold over 18.0 meters; 2.09 grams per tonne gold over 16.0 meters; 1.54 grams per tonne gold over 30 meters (as reported in Assessment Report 27264). The gold mineralization has been traced in trenches for 280 metres along strike and remained open-ended. In addition, a soil geochemistry survey was conducted to the west of the trenches indicating further extension of the mineralization in this direction.
By 2002, only the Bar 19 claim remained in good standing; the Bar 1-18 claims having lapsed. Late in 2002, Chapleau Resources Ltd. entered into an option agreement to acquire a 70% interest in the Bar 19 property. The 2002-2003 exploration program involved the drilling of 15 diamond drill holes of HQ and NQ size, totaling 3153.72 meters. Access involving clearing/reestablishing an old road, bridge re-construction and establishing the new roads and drill pads was done. In addition, an extension of the mineralized structure further west and east was confirmed by surface rock sampling establishing a total strike length of the mineralized structure in excess of 1 kilometre. Highlights of reported assays from the first eight holes include 7.23 grams per tonne gold over 1 metre in hole B-03-03A, and 5.2 grams per tonne gold over 1.06 metres in hole B-03-04A (Exploration and Mining in BC 2003, page 42). The property was returned to the vendor before the end of 2003.
Chapleau Resources reports that the Bar (Bar 19) prospect drilled by Chapleau in 2002-2003 and the Lookout prospect cover completely different mineral showings. According to Chapleau, the Lookout prospect (also known as Belleville, Hamilton vein, or Nord is actually MINFILE - 082GSW001. Chapleau also states that further confusion has resulted as the Bar (former Bar 1-18 claims) prospect is actually situated 3 kilometres or more south of the present Bar (Bar 19) and is the property that has actually been drilled by Swift Minerals Ltd. and Goldpac Investments. See Assessment Report 27264 for further clarification.
