Geological Description
The property contains Cambro-Ordovician metasedimentary rocks of the Meguma Supergroup which have been intruded by Late Devonian peraluminous monzogranite plutons. The Meguma sequences consist of metagreywacke with minor slate rocks of the Goldenville Group overlain by sulphide-rich slates of the Halifax Group. The lithologies in the Property area trend north to northwest in a synformal-like shape, which is atypical of the regionally folded, east-west striking stratigraphy. The bedding and schistosity in this area is reported to be sub-parallel, both striking north to northwest and dipping subvertical dominantly to the east in the central part of the property and south of the Country Harbour River but dipping steeply to the west adjacent to the north shore of the river.
The Country Harbour Fault, which is mostly obscured by the Country Harbour waterway, trends northwest and cuts all rock units in the area. Horizontal displacement is estimated to be at least 1.7 km with sinistral strike-slip kinematics. A report suggested that the property is underlain by a part of the Forest Hill Anticline and reoriented via the Country Harbour Fault. Geological mapping indicated that the concave orientation of stratigraphy in this area was not related to the apex of an anticline but caused by the Country Harbour Fault. Exposure of the Halifax Group would indicate the apex of a synclinal fold, which has been reoriented by drag folding along the regional northwest trending fault.
Mineralization
Mineralization on the Property is typical of Meguma-style gold occurrences, consisting of gold -bearing quartz veins hosted in metre-scale slate units (belts) within the dominantly metagreywacke rocks of the Goldenville Group. Gold occurrences are most abundant in veining within east-west trending anticlinal hinges and can continue down the fold limbs. The veins are typically bedding parallel with minor occurrences of angular and AC veins.
There are two historic mines in the central part of the Property, the Country Harbour Mine, also historically referred to as the Mountain Mine and the Narrows Mine. The Country Harbour Mine was mined in the late 1800’s and returned to in the 1930’s. Six belts consisting of gold bearing quartz veins hosted in dominantly slate rocks of the Goldenville Group were recognized: the Prince, Little Prince, Lawson, Blair, Antigonish, and Stewart belts/leads. The ore shoots were described as plunging 25 degrees to the south. The gold-bearing quartz veins are bedding parallel, striking north to north northwest and are sub-vertical. The veins contain free coarse gold associated with arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, sphalerite and galena.
Information on the Narrows Mine is sparse but a report indicates that veins from the Narrows Mine are also bedding parallel and trending north-south.
Mining
Gold was discovered in the Country Harbour area by J. Fraser in 1861 and by 1868, a small crusher was built and over several years small lodes were mined in the area.
Mineralization was discovered in the Johnson Brook area in 1889, and mining took place there throughout the 1890s, focusing on the Mason Belt and the Prince Lode.
Historic mining operations in the Country Harbour Gold District resulted in a total reported production of 9,959.7 oz of gold.
The last recorded exploration diamond drilling was in 1981.