Overview

On the BA property, 182 drill holes have outlined a substantial zone of silver-lead-zinc mineralization located four km from the highway. Work this year was successful in extending the known mineralized zone.

Most of the original exploration occurred along the Bear River corridor.

In 1910, the Red Top showing was discovered north of the Bear River. From 1910 to 1916, tunnelling and open cutting were carried out on the prospect.  From 1919 to 1923, continued tunneling took place. The tunnel was reported to be 102 metres long in 1927. No further work was reported on the Red Top until 1967 when the adit was retimbered and 4 holes totalling 44.5 metres were drilled. The following year, surveying, geological mapping and more drilling took place. A total of 8 holes totalling 608 metres were drilled. Seven of the holes were drilled near the adit. The other hole was drilled to the west, near the Vet showing.

In 1910, the George Gold-Copper showing was discovered south of the Bear River. In 1919, a 35-metre-long adit was completed at the showing. Some trenching and mapping were performed in 1926. Between 1927 and 1929, 2,488 metres were drilled. A chip sample from both walls over 35 metres of the adit assayed 0.89% copper. Drill hole 1927-04, drilled sub-parallel to the stratification, intersected disseminated mineralization from 12.2 metres to 87 metres and from 332 metres to 407 metres. Drill hole 1927-06, also drilled sub-parallel to the stratification, intersected disseminated mineralization from 13.7 metres to 62.5 metres.

Above the George Gold Copper prospect are four copper and gold bearing veins between 1,300 and 1,500 metres. They are referred to as the “Blue”, “White” and “Jasper” veins and collectively referred to as the Grand View veins in this report. Six holes were drilled between 1927 and 1929, however due to the challenging terrain, the holes were not well located and failed to establish or disprove the continuity of the veins.

Prospecting and trenching began on the Heather claims, south of the Bear River in 1928 and continued on a limited scale through to 1935. In 1950, a 15-metre adit was completed.

Between 1976 and 1978, Tournigan Mining Explorations acquired many of the claims on both sides of the Bear River. During the summer of 1976, some mapping, trenching and drilling of two short holes were conducted on the George Gold Copper prospect. In 1978, geological mapping and sampling was performed on the property as well as 30 metres of trenching on the Red Top showing.

In 1990, a program of prospecting, rock sampling, silt sampling and geological mapping was carried out by Teuton Resources.  Many new showings were discovered in this program including significant silver, gold and zinc mineralization and anomalous lead, zinc, copper and silver. In addition, a cluster of silt samples were highly anomalous in gold, zinc and lead and moderately anomalous in silver. An airborne geophysical survey was also carried out.  Based on the success of the 1990 program, a 10 day follow up program of prospecting, rock sampling and silt sampling was conducted in 1991.

The first recorded exploration south of the Bear River valley area was by Bond Gold on the Sarah 3 to 6 and 7 to 10 claim groups in the south-western portion of the claim block between August 4th and September 9th, 1991.

Mountain Boy Minerals, Pinnacle Mines and Edward R. Kruchkowski started acquiring much of the current BA property in 2002.

In 2005, a three-day mapping, prospecting and sampling program was conducted on the BA property. In 2006, follow up mapping, prospecting and sampling led to the discovery of the Barbara Zone. Chip sampling was conducted over the initial discovery and yielded assays of 5.24% zinc, 0.66% lead and 55.2 grams per tonne silver over 1.7 metres, and 2.17% zinc, 0.41% lead and 13.5 grams per tonne silver over 1.2 metres. The host was finely laminated mudstone / limestone and chert with very fine-grained disseminated sulphide and abundant pervasive hydrozincite. A float sample composed of very strongly K-feldspar altered felsic fragments cemented by fine grained sulphides was found approximately 3 kilometres east of the above samples.  This sample assayed 6.9% zinc, 2.3% lead and 759.6 grams per tonne silver. Mineralized boulders were also found on the southern medial moraine of the Nelson Glacier at the eastern end of the property.

Mountain Boy Minerals acquired the property in the fall of 2006.  From the fall of 2006 to the fall of 2008, the Barbara Zone was drilled.  Over the three years, a total of 13,570 meters of BTW size core was drilled in 93 holes from 55 different drill pads.  Some trenching and surface sampling were conducted during this time.  Significant silver, lead and zinc mineralization was encountered both in drilling and on surface.

Great Bear Resources entered into a joint venture agreement with Mountain Boy in 2010 and conducted an aggressive exploration program that included an airborne helicopter time-domain electromagnetic survey, structural and lithological mapping of the Barbara zone and surroundings, minor prospecting and mapping of other areas of the property, drilling of the Barbara, Barbara North and BOD showings, and trenching of the Barbara, QSP and BOD zones. A total of 85 NQ holes were drilled in 2010, bringing the total up to 146 holes and 22,319 metres on the Barbara zone, 26 holes and 4,949 metres on the Barbara North zone, and 6 holes and 1,216 metres on the BOD zone. The Barbara North immediately north of the Barbara Zone consists of minor bedded sulphide above stockwork mineralization within a subvolcanic andesitic intrusion. The Bod Zone consists of brecciated volcaniclastics with quartz, carbonate and sulphide flooding and veining.

Highlights from the 2010 drill program include drill hole BA-2010-136, which returned 136 grams per tonne silver, 0.63% lead and 0.53% zinc over 3.05 metres, 82 grams per tonne silver, 1.06% lead and 1.20% zinc over 12.19 metres, and 62 grams per tonne silver, 0.54% lead and 1.72% zinc over 3.05 metres. Highlights from trenching include up to 105 grams per tonne silver and 0.80% copper over 0.5 metres have been returned from the BOD zone and 408 grams per tonne silver, 1.16% lead and 3.92% zinc over 2 metres and 190 grams per tonne silver, 1.98 grams per tonne gold, 0.048% copper, 1.57% lead and 5.16% zinc over 1.6 metres.

Prospecting to the east led to the discovery of the Nelson Zone, which is believed to be the source of the boulders found on moraines on the Nelson Glacier in 2006. Assays of up to 74.0 grams per tonne silver, 0.0704% copper, 1.41% lead and 0.618% zinc have been returned from float samples taken immediately below the showing.

In 2011 and 2016, Great Bear Resources conducted some prospecting, mapping and chip sampling on the Nelson, Grand View, Red Top and MG zones. Highlights include;

• 5 grams per tonne gold, 42.7 grams per tonne silver, 1.98% copper and >1% arsenic from the Grand View zone.
• 07% copper over 1.5 metres from the Red Top prospect.
• 9 grams per tonne silver and 2.06% lead over 1.5 metres at the MG (barite) zone.

In 2016, a preliminary resource of the Barbara zone was completed by Giroux Consultants on all the drilling. The surface trenching was not included in this resource. The result was 8.93 million tonnes of ore at 0.96% zinc, 0.017% copper, 0.30% lead and 36.77 grams per tonne silver, for a total of 188.60 million pounds of zinc equivalent (1.96% zinc equivalent).

• Continued mapping and prospecting of the ore equivalent horizon.
• SWIR analysis of select drill core and rock samples.
• Investigate pathfinder elements and element ratios for potential vectors toward further high-grade mineralization.
• Drill targets delineated by previous drilling and trenching, as well as any new targets identified by mapping and prospecting.
• Soil geochemical survey on the relatively flat ground above the Red Top and Superior showings.
• Lead isotope geochronology of galena from the Barbara zone.
• U-Pb Geochronology from the “green monster” hypabyssal intrusion at the Barbara zone.