Dunwell

Dunwell

The 450 hectare property is located eight kilometres north of the town of Stewart BC, on the east side of the paved Highway 37A in the Skeena Mining Division. The principal Dunwell workings are accessible by four wheel drive vehicles with travel to the remaining portions of the property by foot. Exploration is possible year round with drilling using existing roads and trails.

The Dunwell property is underlain by argillites, graphitic black shales, dacitic volcanics, and possibly dioritic intrusives. Strong shear zones are developed in the graphitic rocks. A number of oblique trending intensely silicified and quartz -veined areas are present some of which are mineralized. Narrow lamprophyre dykes which are altered to a mixture of quartz, dyke material; chlorite and sericitic material are often associated with irregular masses of pyrite, galena, and sphalerite carrying precious metal values. Wide dykes, which are altered completely, are slightly silicified and pyritic. Altered dykes have been found in close proximity to all the mineralized concentrations and showings.

The primary mineralization of interest is gold-silver bearing quartz veins and breccias associated with variable amounts of galena, pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite and sphalerite. Massive sulphides occur in these quartz structures and veins along the wall of light green weakly mineralized dukes that strike parallel to the nearby north-westerly trending Portland Canal Dyke Swarm. Native silver, electrum, and argentite have been known to occur at or near the surface within the vein structures. The deposit consists primarily of two veins, the Sunbeam vein to the north and the Dunwell (number 23) vein to the south, with a number of other less important veins. The veins are developed en echelon adjacent to a major north striking, west dipping fault zone (West fault). The veins are commonly situated along one or both sides of parallel lamprophyre dykes which are up to 0.6 metres wide.

The mine was developed by 4 primary adits from the 520 m the No. 1 level ranging down to 381 m at the No. 4 level. Addition ore was extracted accessing a No. 4 sub-level down to 361 m using the No. 4 level.

The majority of production occurred between 1926 and 1937, 45,657 tonnes were produced averaging 6.63 grams per tonne gold, 223.91 grams per tonne silver, 1.83 per cent lead, 4.01 per cent zinc and 0.056 per cent copper. Potential exists to develop more reserves, along strike to the present workings and at depth below the No. 4 level. Drilling in 2010 has indicated a zone at least 300 metres long and 200 metres along dip with a true thickness of 6-7 metres. Gold grade of this new extension is probably 5-6 grams/tonne with appreciable silver, zinc, copper and lead.

The area of mining and drilling is part of an estimated 6.5 kilometre long shear zone that has only been partly explored.

Drilling is continuing at present with over 60 holes drilled to date. Assays are being awaited for 30 of the holes. Significant results from drilling are listed below:



Drilling in 2011 will fill in the area from the No 4 level down to the areas tested by the 2010 and early 2011 drilling.