Description of Mineralization on the Konkin Silver
The main Konkin occurrence consists of carbonate, quartz, barite, galena, sphalerite and rare ruby silver and native silver in a bow-shaped structure spanning 114 feet. High silver values are most closely associated with galena which occurs as fine coatings on fractures, as coarse crystalline blebs and as disseminated grains. Maximum thickness of the feature appears to be in excess of 33 feet. In 1995, the Konkin showing was tested by a series of very shallow holes from a single set-up. One of these intersected 10 feet grading 5.02 oz/ton silver. At the formerly producing Torbrit silver mine to the south in the Kitsault River valley, similar silver mineralization also occurs in a bow-shaped structure, which, most notably, becomes wider and longer (along strike) with increasing depth. The Torbrit was Canada’s 3rd largest silver mine during the 1950’s. The Niknok and Onkkin showings were discovered in poorly exposed outcrop on the opposite valley slope from the Konkin Silver showing. The Niknok mineralization consists of coarse crystalline galena with lesser sphalerite within quartz-carbonate/minor barite stockworks. The zone is present in an area of abundant intrusive dykes and appears to have a relatively gentle dip into the hillside. At the mostly overburden-covered Onkkin showing, the surrounding soil has a distinctive dark brown-black colour suggesting the presence of manganese.
Two other silver-bearing zones were also discovered by prospecting, situated south of the Konkin Silver showing. These are the King Konk and Yoggi showings, the latter having had only very minor work to date. In 1994, east of the silver-bearing structures, a promising quartz breccia zone mineralized with tetrahedrite was discovered situated along a contact between volcanic and sedimentary rocks. A chip sample from this zone returned 0.202 oz/ton gold and 16.4 oz/ton silver over a 13.1 foot width.