Eagle Plains | Black Diamond - Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc Exploration

Black Diamond | (Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc)

The Black Diamond property is located in the Purcell Mountains 35 km west-southwest of the community of Invermere, B.C., approximately 5 kilometers east of the historical Mineral King Mine.

The 3500ha property covers a prominent mineralized structure that has been traced over 12km with vertical continuity of over 1,000m and hosts high-grade silver, lead and zinc vein mineralization, with gold values up to 7.1 g/t. The property also has significant potential to host classic manto or replacement-style ore bodies similar to the nearby Mineral King Mine. The Black Diamond boasts a number of mineral occurrences which may be linked by a common structure.

The claims are owned 100% by Eagle Plains. Access is by all weather road with a network of logging and historical roads and trails providing additional access to the individual mineral showings.

Geology
The claims cover a mineralized system hosted by the Dutch Creek Formation of the Proterozoic Purcell Supergroup. The Black Diamond structure is exposed within the Delphine, Toby and Copper Crown drainages, exhibiting a NNW/SSE strike and near-vertical dip over 12km. The structure shows evidence of multi-phase silica emplacement suggesting the presence of a large pre-existing structure which became the locus for later mineralization.

History
Significant historical workings dating back to the late 1800s exist in four areas along the structure and consist of tunnels, pits and trenches. These areas are Hot Punch, Black Diamond, Silver Spray and Charlemont/Melody. Highlights from individual workings at the various showing areas are as follows:

Hot Punch Zone:
The Hot Punch Zone includes the Hot Punch and Star occurrences. Mineralization consists of galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite and chalcopyrite in a set of fissure veins hosted in sheared dolomite. At the Hot Punch, three separate adits and two small shafts were driven between 1908 and 1926. A total of 74 tonnes of ore were mined averaging 1467 g/T silver and 0.8 g/T gold, plus lead, and zinc. At the Star, 3 tonnes averaging 1607 g/T silver were produced from a single adit.

Exploration conducted by Eagle Plains in 1996 returned grab samples grading up to 7.09 g/t Au and 1655 g/t Ag.

A geochemical survey in the same year is interpreted to have defined the mineralized structure over a strike length of approximately 600 meters.

Black Diamond Zone:
A total of 47 tons of ore averaging 1280 g/t (40.0-oz/t) silver was produced from the Black Diamond vein from 1906- 1907. Seven adits were driven into the main Black Diamond structure over an elevation of approximately 570 meters. Development at the “Battleship” Zone, an 8m wide mineralized quartz occurrence, included two small tunnels, a raise and several open cuts. This zone was the focus of the 1995 drill program.

Silver Spray Zone:
At the Silver Spray, galena, tetrahedrite, cerussite, spalerite and copper carbonates occur in a series of vertical, bedding parallel veins up to 20cm width.

Charlemont Zone:
The Charlemont mineral occurrence is located on the north side of Toby Creek approximately 2km from the main Black Diamond showing area. Mineralization on the Charlemont has been exposed in a series of shallow trenches, pits and three small adits and consists of steeply dipping quartz carbonate veins with galena, sphalerite and tetrahedrite. A sample of vein material from one of the adits returned values of 3.19 g/t Au, 2286.1 g/t Ag, 2.42% Cu and 44% Pb.

Nettie M Zone:
The Nettie M occurrence has been explored with 7 small adits. Galena and chalcocite are associated with a north trending, fault hosted quartz vein up to 1 meter in width. A total of 61 metric tonnes of production were reported in 1905-06 which averaged 9.7g/t gold, 4287 g/t silver, plus lead and copper.

Red Ledge Zone:
The Red Ledge prospect consists of seven small veins and fractures containing galena, tetrahedrite, sphalerite and pyrite. One of the occurrences consists of dolomite hosted, massive galena and tetrahedrite within an irregular, steep, northerly plunging pipe-like body with an average diameter of 0.5 metre. A 1 meter chip sample across the mineralized pipe assayed 706 grams per tonne silver, 27.2 per cent lead, 1.89 per cent zinc and 0.22 per cent copper.

Eagle Plains Exploration
In 1995 a 180m (600’) drill program was conducted along the Black Diamond vein in the Battleship quartz zone. Results from hole BD95-02 returned values of 93.7 g/t Ag, and 5.22% Zn over 3 m from 28.0-31.0m. Also a 3m continuous chip sample taken of exposed vein material in the 2270 adit returned values of 1652.6 g/t Ag, 44.20% Pb and 9.44% Zn.

In 2004 the area was covered by a high resolution VTEM airborne geophysical survey. Results from the survey imaged the trace of the Black Diamond structure, as well as a northeast trending structure.

The 2006 an exploration program included prospecting and mapping along the Black Diamond structure, on the north side of Toby Creek. Mapping defined relatively simple stratigraphy with phyllitic dolomitic siltstone dominant in the valley bottom, transitioning upwards into thicker bedded dolomite at the mid level workings from 1800 to 2000 m, and finally upwards into quartz rich phyllitic siltstone and massive quartzite exposed in the upper working at around 2250m. The mapping was also successful as a first pass ground truthing of the 2004 airborne geophysics survey.

Compilation of the 2006, 2004 and 1995 data, has allowed a refinement of the location of the Black Diamond mineralized structure. The vertical magnetic data and 2006 field data can tentatively be used to interpret a NNW trending anticline/syncline couplet with wavelength of approximately 350m. Relationships between the Black Diamond fault and folding remain uncertain.

2012 Field Program
In June 2012, a 400m drill program was carried out to further test the Black Diamond structure.

Results include:

•	Hole BD12-01 intersected 2.83m grading 4.34% lead, 5.13% zinc and 111.1g/t silver from 170.43m to 173.26m, with true thickness calculated to be 1.58m.
•	Entire mineralized interval returned 3.98 % combined lead-zinc and 49.3 g/t silver over 17.37m (true thickness 9.8m), from 164.46m to 181.83m

Subsequent to the beginning of the 2012 drill program, Eagle Plains acquired additional mineral tenures in the Black Diamond area. The staking focused on covering the NW – SE projection of the main Black Diamond structure as well as acquiring a number of mineral occurrences identified through research. The result was the amalgamation of the Black Diamond and Hot Punch properties and the addition of the Charlemont, Nettie M and Red Ledge mineral occurrences. A one day field program was conducted to assess the Charlemont and Silver Spray Zones and the trace of the Black Diamond structure was assessed from the air.

Future Work

•	detailed prospecting, mapping and sampling at the Nettie M, Red Ledge and Charlemont Zones. This work will focus on defining structural controls for the high grade silver and gold mineralization defined by historic work
•	silt and soil sampling, mapping and prospecting along the inferred trace of the Black Diamond fault zone to locate new mineralization and identify potential structural traps for ore bearing fluids
•	comprehensive data compilation to identify targets for diamond drill testing of both the main structure and historic mineral occurrences

At the Black Diamond property a number of high grade precious and base metal showings appear to be related to a common district scale structure. The current Eagle Plains tenure holdings mark the first time these occurrences have been consolidated by one company.

This property is available for option.

Updated November 8, 2012

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