Project Summary
High-grade surface discovery where 5 tons of lump stibnite were removed from a single trench. An assay of altered wall rock returned 10.9% antimony. The vein has been traced by bulldozing for over 300 feet along strike and remains open. The prospect has only seen limited surface work and merits further exploration.
The Bales Antimony project is located in Okanogan County, Washington, approximately 2 miles northeast of Carlton in the Methow Valley
Geology
The project targets a high-grade stibnite-bearing vein hosted within a hydrothermally altered hornblende-quartz diorite. The mineralized zone strikes northeast and dips steeply to the southeast, measuring up to 5 feet in thickness and bounded by shears. Mineralization occurs as lenticular masses and veinlets of stibnite.
The primary metal is antimony. The ore mineral is stibnite, which appears to be of good grade, with analyses showing low (0.2%) arsenic impurity. The vein is characterized by an intensely altered wall rock envelope composed of quartz, sericite, and iron oxides. An assay of this altered material from the discovery trench returned 10.9% antimony.
History
Discovered in the fall of 1947 by Theo. Smith and Ollie Scott, the Bales property consisted of one claim, now expanded to 8, to support continued development. All work to date has been confined to surface exploration. A discovery trench was excavated, from which approximately 5 tons of lump stibnite were removed. Subsequent bulldozing exposed the stibnite vein continuously for 200 feet southwest of the discovery trench and in another lens 100 feet to the northeast. No further exploration or development has been recorded on the property.