Project :: Queen Victoria
Copper, Silver, Gold
Nelson, B.C.
The Queen Victoria project is a potential prospect for a copper silver deposit. It is conveniently located approximately 11 km southwest of the city of Nelson and one km off of Highway #3A.
Malachite and calchopyrite in boulder near old Queen Victoria adit
The old Queen Victoria mine area was discovered in 1890 and mining was done intermittently on the southern portion of the property from 1907 to 1918. In 1956 a mill was set up and most of the mining concentrated on the high grade core of the mineralized zones. The total documented production was 45,352 tonnes @ 672 metric tonnes of copper, 950,010 g silver and 7,651 g of gold from 1907 to 1961. (BC MINFILE O82FSW082)
The following chart shows the years of production but the information is historic and consequently not NI 43-101 compliant.
| Year | Tonnes Mined | Mineral | Gms Recovered |
| 1914 | 7,194 | Cu | 91,247,000 |
| Ag | 88,799 | ||
| Au | 156 | ||
| 1915 | 810 | Cu | 15,686,000 |
| Ag | 20,404 | ||
| Au | 778 | ||
| 1916 | 1,772 | Cu | 38,297,000 |
| Ag | 37,199 | ||
| Au | 93 | ||
| 1917 | 210 | Cu | 4,344,000 |
| Ag | 16,702 | ||
| Au | |||
| 1918 | 44 | Cu | 1,111,000 |
| Ag | 1,897 | ||
| Au | 62 | ||
| 1926 | 26 | Cu | 608,000 |
| Ag | 871 | ||
| Au | 31 | ||
| 1927 | 30 | Cu | 686,000 |
| Ag | 715 | ||
| Au | |||
| 1956 | 4,397 | Cu | 22,696,000 |
| Ag | 300,082 | ||
| Au | 1,586 | ||
| 1961 | 54 | Cu | 2,365,000 |
| Ag | 2,488 | ||
| Au |
The local geology is a repetition sequence of tuffaceous sediments in the west, with lenses of augite flows (Evans, 1990). Moving eastward and the sequence becomes volcanic flow material with abundant pyroxenite. Mixed pyroclastics and banded tuffs are next, followed by massive volcanic flows. A mixture of pyroclastic flows and sediments of both the Elise and Ymir Groups occur on the eastern edge of the sequence.
Queen Victoria Folded Vein System (in back)
The main mineralized zone is described as irregular bands of garnet, epidote and actinolite with minor disseminated grains of magnetite and pyrrhotite (Minfile # 082FSW082). These bands alternate with other bands of quartzite and schist material and vary in width up to 15 meters. The footwall material is generally highly fractured k-spar porphyry, while the hangingwall is of altered quartzite composition.
Copper mineralization occurs in an easterly dipping folded sequence of silicified limestone, dark grey quartzite and argillites of the Ymir Group (Minfile # 082FSW082).
The irregular disseminated and clusters of chalcopyrite, pyrite, with minor bornite mineralization are most abundant at the contact with the granodiorite A number of small exploration projects were conducted over the years of 1955, 1960, 1967 and 1990. Most notable was the 1960 program which included a short 12 hole diamond drill program of which the Minfile record states that four of the southwest holes intersected a 12 meter thick mineralized zone but did not explain the grades.
Copper mineralization occurs in an easterly dipping folded sequence of silicified limestone, dark grey quartzite and argillites of the Ymir Group. (MINFILE 082FSW082) The irregular disseminated and clusters of chalcopyrite, pyrite, with minor bornite mineralization are most abundant at the contact with the granodiorite.
Two chip samples collected approximately 200 meters north of the old QV adit in September 2007 by 49er Creek Gold Corp (former owner of the claims from whom Liberty purchased them) returned values of 5.99% copper with 66 g/t silver and 1.98% copper. (BC MINFILE O82FSW082)
Three surface chip samples collected by L. Buss PGeo in August 2008 returned values of 0.60% copper and 4.6 g/t silver; 3.34% copper and 28.6 g/t silver; and 1.83% copper and 17.8 g/t silver. (Eco Tech Lab Certificate of Assay AK 2007-1106
The geological setting of the property does appear favourable for large tonnage - low grade copper - silver, porphyry type deposit. Geological mapping resulted in the location of a mineralized syenite porphyry, along the western perimeter of the main folded mineralized zone. The syenite unit has not been explored much and the potential for other porphyries on the property are likely. The workings on the main fold lense are relatively shallow, and still contain good grade on the walls. Only the high grade core was mined.
Very little is known regarding this tenure group as most exploration was concentrated around the adit. Liberty intends to correlate and interpret all the historic data, conduct further geochemistry and a geophysical survey over the area in anticipation of delineating a more comprehensive drill program on the property.
Year round access to the Queen Victoria is excellent as it is located only a kilometer off the main highway with abundant logging roads throughout. A large hydro generation station is immediately south of the property on the Kootenay River and the Trail smelter is less than 50 km away.