Harrison Hot Springs and its famous spa resort have been one of south western BC’s most popular tourist spots since the late 1800’s. It’s not the kind of destination mining companies usually explore for gold deposits but a local geologist says that Bear Mountain, located just a few kilometers north east of the resort has potential to become a significant gold mining centre.  In an article published in the Harrison – Agassiz Observer in 2020 (https://www.agassizharrisonobserver.com/business/local-miner-eyes-bear-mountain-for-gold/), Carl von Einsiedel says that mining could co-exist with the town and its residents without interfering with the tourism sector.

The project has a history of gold mining and was operated as a small high grade mine called the RN by local prospectors in the late 1970s.  When Vancouver’s junior mining companies realized there was significant potential near Harrison they used forestry roads on the west side of Bear Mountain for access and spent millions of dollars on drilling and underground work to explore the area around the mine workings.  Although they made several significant discoveries declining gold prices in the 1990’s and the proximity to the resort community discouraged other mining companies from following up.

Carl von Einsiedel thinks the project has far more potential than previous explorers realized.  If he’s right and multiple commercially viable deposits are discovered he says they could all be accessed by constructing a short road from the No.7 highway to the east side of the Bear Mountain and driving a three kilometer long underground decline for mining.  This approach would make even a large underground mining operation almost invisible to local residents.

In a bid to realize his vision, von Einsiedel arranged for the project to be spun out from a dormant TSX listed shell as a private company called Bear Mountain Gold Mines and has spent more than a million dollars to prove his theory that there may be a belt of gold deposits extending through Bear Mountain.  The 3D model in Plate 3 shows the known intrusions and “gold in soil” anomalies that define the Bear Mountain Gold Belt and the location of the conceptual access from Highway 7.  The geometry of the diorite intrusions and the location of sheeted vein mineralization that is illustrated in the Intrusion Related Gold Model shown in Plate 4 is strikingly similar to the style of mineralization that was encountered by the historic drilling programs that were completed during the 1980’s.

During 2022 the Company plans to raise $2 million by way of a public financing to fund an extensive drilling program (permitting in place) to fully delineate the mineralized zones that were discovered in the 1980’s.  With permitting also in place for underground work it will be interesting to see if there are extensions of the high grade zone that was mined at the historic RN Mine.

The proximity to Vancouver makes Bear Mountain unique.  Over the last few years there has been increasing pressure on mining companies to make more of an effort to create economic benefits for local residents and surrounding communities. Even during the evaluation stage of this project there will be opportunities to work cooperatively with local communities and help Vancouvers educational institutions provide hands on learning opportunities.  If the project develops into a commercial mine it could become one of the Canadian mining industry’s best opportunities to showcase ESG in mining.

The project currently comprises 5,017 hectares of mineral tenures that cover Bear Mountain and parts of Hicks Mountain to the east.  As part of the permitting process the Company submitted water and rock samples from the existing underground workings for acid rock drainage testing and retained a geotechnical consultant to assess potential impacts of the proposed exploration work.  Results showed that the rocks in the mine workings are not acid generating and that drilling can be completed safely.

Most of the previous exploration work was completed at the north end of Bear Mountain between 1983 and 1990 by Abo Oil Corp., Kerr Addison Mines and Bema International Gold Corp. with some additional work completed in the early 2000’s by Eagle Plains and Northern Continental Resources, consisting of soil sampling and drilling (19,000 m in 161 holes) and about 400 m of underground development work.

Drilling encountered an unusual style of mineralization consisting of widespread, sub horizontal, gold-bearing quartz veins localized in small, finger like diorite intrusions. Several mineralized intrusions were identified but the projects exploration potential was poorly understood.

In more recent literature, such as Baker (2003), Hart (2005) and Milkereit (2007) the presence of gold bearing sheeted veins in finger like diorite intrusions related to a larger felsic intrusive complex are characteristic features of a new class of gold deposits referred to as Intrusion Related Gold Deposits.  Plate 4 shows the Intrusion Related Gold System exploration model which illustrates the fact that gold bearing sheeted vein deposits can occur at various elevations within the finger like diorite intrusions.

Close spaced drilling of one of these intrusions (referred to as the Jenner Zone) returned wide intervals of intermediate grade mineralization and narrower intervals of high-grade mineralization which clearly warrant follow up.  Select intercepts included DDH 85-36, which averaged 3.54 g/t over 102 metres and DDH 88-121 (one of the deepest intercepts reported) which averaged 13.50 g/t over 9.0 metres. A technical report commissioned by Bema in 1989, concluded there was sufficient continuity to estimate resources for part of the Jenner Zone and that underground extraction could potentially be viable. The Jenner Zone drilling cross section shown in Plate 5 illustrates the 2 meter composite grade intervals which reflect the relative density of quartz veining and the finger like geometry of the Jenner intrusion.

The style of mineralization on Bear Mountain is uncommon but exhibits many characteristics of the large intrusion related gold systems that have been explored in the Yukon.  Although the geological setting isn’t exactly the same as the Yukon deposits these kinds of systems can host multi-million ounce deposits because most of the related intrusions in these systems tend to be mineralized.

Careful analysis of the historic exploration work showed that the known diorite intrusions are localized along a regional shear zone that extends for more than six kilometers through Bear Mountain.  As shown in Plate 3 the regional shear zone appears to dip steeply east towards a large diorite batholith which is the most likely source for the gold bearing diorite intrusions that have been identified.  Soil geochemical surveys completed by Bear Mountain Gold Mines in the central and southern parts of the regional shear zone identified multiple “gold in soil anomalies” which suggests there may be a large number of intrusions that have not been drill tested.  The presence of potentially dozens of untested intrusions combined with the fact that individual intrusions may contain more than one mineralized zone indicates exceptional exploration potential.

Bear_Mountain-Gold-Project-Corporate-Brochure_20230510-1

Carl von Einsiedel and Lawrence Roulston are providing information for investors interested in finding out more about the Company and the upcoming financing and the Company’s Lawyer, Jeff Lightfoot, a partner at Owen Bird Law Corporation is advising the Company regarding its plans to complete a public offering in 2022. Carl von Einsiedel is a professionally registered QP who lives in Harrison Hot Springs and has decades of exploration experience. Lawrence Roulston has 40 years of experience in the mining industry as an analyst, newsletter writer and executive.

The Company has retained Andy Randell’s consulting firm, SGDS Hive to guide ongoing geological work and Bruce Wright’s, consulting firm, Nova Pacific Environmental to guide the Company’s environmental impact studies.

For more information about Bear Mountain Gold Mines please email the Company or contact either Carl von Einsiedel or Katherine Witter directly.

 

Bear Mountain Gold Mines Ltd:  info@BearMountainGold.com

Carl von Einsiedel:  info@BearMountainGold.com

 

WEBSITE: WWW.BearMountainGold.com  UNDER CONSTRUCTION – COMING SOON