Trenching followed by drilling is recommended to determine the extent and grade of the sulfide-bearing vein both along strike and down dip (Degenhart and others, 1978).
Location: The Frost prospect is located along both sides of Frost Creek, an east-flowing branch of a northwest tributary of the Omar River. It is in sections 15, 16, and 22, T. 24 N., R. 9 W., of the Kateel River Meridian. The coordinates are for the approximate center of deposit. Schmidt and Allegro (1988), location 156 and Grybeck (1977), location 9.
Geology: The Frost prospect consists of discontinuous pods or lenses of barite in a zone 30 feet wide and 5,000 long. An iron-stained silicified zone surrounds the barite and is weakly mineralized. The silicified zone dips 25 to 45 degrees W and contains disseminated sphalerite and chalcopyrite, and sulfide-bearing quartz-calcite-barite veins. These veins trend N. 70 E.. Bedrock consists entirely of Devonian, light- to dark-gray limestone and medium- to coarse-grained, stratified dolomite and marble (Degenhart and others, 1978). An 8-pound sample of barite assayed 96% BaSO4 and 0.5% Zn. A sample from an 8-foot-wide, quartz-calcite-barite-sulfide vein assayed 0.49% Cu, 13.2% Zn and 20.7% Ba. This vein could only be traced for about 10 feet along strike before disappearing under talus (Degenhart and others, 1978). Analytical results from three rock samples (Schmidt and Allegro, 1988) follow: 1) sample T, a limestone boulder with disseminated sulfides contains 110 ppm As, greater than 100 ppm Cd, 230 ppm Sb, greater than 2000 ppm Zn, 1 ppm Ag, 1000 ppm Ba, 500 ppm Cu and 3000 ppm Pb; 2) sample V, a boulder with quartz-fluorite-sphalerite-galena-bornite contains 40 ppm As, greater than 100 ppm Cd, 130 ppm Sb, greater than 2000 ppm Zn, 0.7 ppm Ag, greater than 5000 ppm Ba, 500 ppm Cu, 200 ppm Pb and 5000 ppm Sr; 3) sample X, a boulder containing vein galena and fine-grained pyrite and sphalerite contains 80 ppm As, 70 ppm Cd, 170 ppm Sb, greater than 2000 ppm Zn, 5 ppm Ag, 1000 ppm Ba, 700 ppm Cu, 5 ppm Mo and 7000 ppm Pb.
Workings: The Frost deposit was discovered in 1963 by Bear Creek Exploration during a regional stream and soil sampling program. Exposure in the area is poor. Preliminary geologic mapping and sampling have been done on the occurrence. An IP survey was done in 1965 (Walters, 1969). During an investigation of the prospect by the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1978, over 140 soil, silt and rock samples were collected and analyzed (Degenhart and others, 1978). Detailed mapping and sampling were done by the U. S. Geological Survey during the AMRAP program in the late 1980's (Schmidt and Allegro, 1988; Zayatz and others, 1988).
Age: Devonian.
Alteration: Silicification.
Reserves: Possible reserves estimated to be from 1 to 10 million tons of barite (Walters, 1969).

Commodities (Major) - Ba, Cu, Zn; (Minor) - Ag, Pb
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Kipushi Cu-Pb-Zn (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 32c).

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Commodity List

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Mineral List

7 valid minerals.