INTRODUCTION

The Harper Basin Prospect is a hot-springs type precious metal occurrence

located in northern Malheur County, approximately 10 miles south of the town of
Harper, Oregon. The prospect consists of eight lode claims, held by Therone M.
Faris, of Vancouver, Washington. The eight HF claims are located in the west half of
Section 23, Township 21 S., Range 42 E. Property is located at an elevation of about
3,800 feet, along the west flank of Freezeout Mountain on land administered by the
Bureau of Land Management. The claims lie 0.7 miles east of one of the main BLM
roads that traverses the Freezeout Mountain area.

Figure 1: Location map showing known hot springs-type gold exploration

targets of middle to late Miocene age.
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Figure 2: Google earth image showing locations of the Grassy Mountain, Fenceline,
and Harper Basin properties. Harper Basin lies at the intersection of major northsouth, northeast-, and northwest-trending topographic lineaments. Hot spring
systems at Grassy Mountain, Fenceline, and Harper Basin were all active during the
middle to late Miocene in age.

Gold mineralization at Harper Basin was discovered during a stream sediment

sampling program conducted for the BLM by Barringer Resources in 1984. Claims
were located later in 1984 by two different groups, Sherry and Yates Inc. and Pat
Whelan. Atlas acquired a lease on the Whelan claims in 1988. ACNC acquired the
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exploration rights on the Sherry and Yates, INC and adjoin Norman Lavery claims in
the same year. ACNC and Atlas conducted separate exploration programs on the
adjoining properties. Atlas drilled five reverse circulation drill holes in 1989 while
ACNC drillied six reverse circulation and five core holes. Properties were returned to
owners in 1990 and 1991; last assessment work done on any of the claims was in
2004. No further work was done on the property until November 2011, when seven
lode claims were located. An additional claim was located in December, 2011.

GEOLOGIC SETTING
Harper Basin lies in a geologic setting similar to the better known epithermal
gold systems at Grassy Mountain, Quartz Mountain, and Red Butte. These middle to
late Miocene epithermal systems lie stratigraphically within a sequence of
complexly interbedded sediments and lavas that accumulated during the formation
of the middle Miocene Oregon Idaho graben (Ferns and others, 1993; Cummings
and others, 2000). Sedimentary sequences within the graben include the Kern
Basin, Deer Butte, and Sucker Creek Formations of Corcoran and others (1962) and
the Drip Springs Formation of Kittleman and others (1967). The sedimentary
formations include locally-derived sediments (mafic volcaniclastic sandstone and
siltstone, silicic tuff, and palagonitic breccia) that are interbedded with thick
sequences of exotically-derived, fluvial arkosic sandstone and conglomerate.
Sedimentary sequences contain dacitic and rhyolitic tuffs and ashflows and are
bracketed by basalt, basaltic andesite, and andesite lava flows of the Grassy
Mountain Basalt and Owyhee Basalt of Corcoran and others (1962). Epithermal, hotsprings within the sequence are defined by enclosed mounds of hot-spring
chalcedonic sinter, sinter breccia, and laminated pyritic chert that are overlain and
flanked by silicified arkosic sandstone beds.

Figure 3 Panorama of Harper Basin claims looking to the northeast. Dark outcrops
in foreground are the silicified arkose sandstones near the top of the Drip Springs
Formation that define the hot spring system at Harper Basin. Ridgeline is made up
of older mafic lava flows that are interbedded with palagonitic tuffs, siltstones, and
arkosic sandstones within the lower Drip Springs Formation. Foreground is underlain
by younger basin-fill sediments.
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LOCAL GEOLOGY
Mineralization at Harper Basin is defined by discontinuous ledges of silicified
arkosic sandstone that occur near the top of the Drip Springs Formation. The
silicified arkoses are exposed along a major northeast-trending fault zone that has
down dropped younger tuffaceous sedimentary rocks of the late Miocene Bully
Creek Formation of Kittleman and others (1967), a bedded sequence of light-colored
tuffaceous siltstone, diatomite, and tuff that regionally unconformably overlies the
Oregon Idaho graben-filling units. The Bully Creek Formation is in turn overlain by
a series of thin olivine basalt flows.

Figure 4: Onlap sequence of younger Bully Creek Formation sediments and

capping olivine basalt flows (left) and older sequence of silicified arkose sandstones
(Drip Springs Formation) and mafic lava flows (right) at the north end of the Harper
Basin Prospect.
The lower part of the Drip Springs Formation is exposed west of Harper Basin
where mafic lava flows are interbedded with accumulations of palagonitic tuff and
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breccia mark small mafic tuff cones and maar complexes. Upper part of the Drip
Springs Formation exposed at Harper Basin includes mafic volcaniclastic sandstone
and siltstone and micaceous arkosic sandstone
The Drip Springs Formation at Harper Basin is cut by a series of northeastand north-trending faults. Surface mineralization is defined by very large (>3 m)
blocks of silicified arkose sandstone along the west edge of Section 23.
Discontinuous exposures of siliceous sinter and interbedded tuffaceous sediments
can be traced for some 3,000 ft along the high-angle fault that juxtaposes lava flows
to the east against arkosic sediments to the west (ACNC, 1992; Sherry and others,
1992). The silicified arkosic sandstone blocks appear to form a thin resistant cover
that drapes a underlying, faulted sequence of slightly altered finer-grained siltstones, palagonitic breccias and paleosoils, and lava flows. The belt of sandstone
blocks may thicken to the southeast.

Figure 5: Sketch map showing distribution of silicified sediments at Harper Basin.

These are interpreted to be fossil hot spring sediments that are unconformably
overlain by younger tuffaceous and diatomaceous sediments of the Bully Creek
Formation. The hot springs vented along a series of northeast-trending, do-to-thewest faults.

GEOCHEMISTRY
Barringer Resources reported that the highest gold value (57 ppb) collected in
their regional stream survey of the Northern Malheur Resoruce Area-Vale District
came from the Harper Basin area (Robinson, 1984). Rock chip samples of
mineralized sandstones collected by ACNC in 1989 show anomalous values of gold
(10 to 1.09 ppm) (American Copper and Nickel, 1992; Sherry and others, 1992).
Rock chip samples also displayed anomalous levels of arsenic (< 1400 ppm As) and
mercury (< 9.5 ppm Hg). Drill holes, including two by Atlas encountered mineralized
intervals in sediments containing as much as 435 ppb Au; 1,000 ppm As; and 3,300
ppb Hg. No feeder veins were encountered during drilling.

Figure 6: Sketch map showing altered rock and extent of anomalous gold in soils.
Map pattern is from a report by ACNC (1992) on file at the Eastern Oregon Field
Office, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.

EXPLORATION POTENTIAL
The exploration target at Harper Basin is modeled on the Grassy Mountain
deposit. Model interprets the silicified arkoses as fluvial sediments that were
deposited marginal to a hot springs system. Surface expression of the hot springs
system is partially defined by reed-bearing sinter deposits that are strung out along
the northeast-trending fault referred to as the East Boundary Fault, which crosses
through claims HF-3 and HF-4. Sinter deposits are interpreted as local vent areas
that marked a hot spring system which migrated laterally along an active fault
system. Focus to the hot spring system may be defined by the thickest
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accumulation of silicified arkosic sandstone. The thickest accumulation of arkose

blocks at the north end of HF-1 may mark the focal point to the hot spring system.
Exploration target will be mineralized veins/breccias below the focal point. Such
veins may well cut the mafic lava flows that here underlie the arkosic sedimentary
sequence. Potential also exists for mineralization within what were formerly
permeable intraflow breccias along contacts between lava flows.

Figure 7: Sketch map showing the distribution of silicified arkosic sandstone blocks
at Harper Basin. Red lines mark locally mineralized faults. Dots are locations of
exploration holes drilled by ACNC and Atlas. Map patterns from files at the Eastern
Oregon Field Office, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.

EXISTING DATA
Existing data includes geochemical data, sample maps, and drill hole data
from the 1989 1990 ACNC and Atlas exploration programs that are on file at the
Eastern Oregon Field Office of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral
Industries. A low resolution ground magnetometer survey is also available.
EXPLORATION CONSIDERATIONS
The 1989 drilling campaigns at Harper Basin were hampered by fragmented
property positions and competing exploration programs. The present-day eight core
claims consolidate the property into a single package that includes the more
geologically interesting features. The Harper Basin prospect is situated on BLM
lands in reasonable proximity to the small community of Harper, Oregon and well
away from any prospective wilderness or special concern areas. Lands are currently
used for grazing cattle; the property is bordered on the southwest by adjoining
private ranch lands. Access to the property is via improved jeep trails. Drilling to
date indicates substantial displacement by post-mineral faulting. The major
northeast-trending fault that truncates the mineralized zone on the west (Freezeout
Mountain Fault) apparently displaces basin-fill alluvium and weakly mineralized
Bully Creek Formation sediments.
The exploration targets at Harper Basin targets are hypothetical feeder zones
to a hot spring system that evolved along the west flank of Freezeout Mountain. The
hot springs developed over time along an active fault system. The targets are
concealed by a combination of a draping blanket of late-stage silicified arkose
sandstone and younger, post-mineralization poorly consolidated sedimentary
deposits. Host-rock beneath the arkose blanket is a series of mafic lava flows with
minor amounts of interbedded tuffaceous and arkosic sedimentary rocks. Although
it is assumed that mineralization post-dates mafic volcanism, possibility of older hot
spring sinter within the sedimentary interbeds cannot be discounted.

REFERENCES
American Copper & Nickel Company, Inc., 1992, Harper Basin Project (Au) Malheur
County, Oregon; 10 p, plus figures.
Corcoran, R.E., Doak, R.A., Porter, P.W., Pritchett, F.I., and Privrasky, N.C., 1962,
Geology of the Mitchell Butte quadrangle, Oregon: Oregon Department of Geology
and Mineral Industries Geological Map Series GMS-2, cale 1:125,000.

Cummings, M.L., Evans, J.G., Ferns, M.L., and Lees, K.R., 2000, Stratigraphic and
structural evolution of the middle Miocene synvolcanic Oregon-Idaho graben:
Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 112, p. 668 682.
Ferns, M.L. and OBrien, J.P., 1991, Geology and mineral resources map of the
Keeney Ridge quadrangle, Malheur County, Oregon: Oregon Department of Geology
and Mineral Industries Open-File Report 0-91-03, scale 1:24,000
Ferns, M.L., Brooks, H.C., Evans, J.G., and Cummings, M.L., 1993, Geologic Map of
the Vale 1:100,000 Quadrangle, Malheur County, Oregon and Owyhee County,
Idaho: Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Geological Map Series
GMS-77, scale 1:100,000.
Sherry, R.A., Yates, E.A., and Lavery, N.G., 1992, Harper Basin Gold Prospect, T21S,
R42E, Malheur County, Oregon: Harper Basin Corporation Project Update, 8 p.
Kittleman, L.R., Green, A.R., Haddock, G.H., Hagood, A.R., Johnson, A.M., McMurray,
J.M., Russell, R.G., and Weeden, D.A., 1967, geologic map of the Owyhee region,
Malheur County, Oregon: Eugene, Oreg., University of Oregon Museum of Natural
History Bulletin 8, scale 1:125,000
Robinson, M.L, Meyer, W.T., Lovell, J.S., and Klazwitter, A.L., 1984, GeologyEnergy_mineral Resource survey Northern Malheur Resource Area Vale District,
Oregon: Barringer Resources Inc. report to the BLM, contract No. YA-551-CT344038, 4 volumes.

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