CLEAR HILLS IRON ORE   Worsley Pit - 2 diamonds found

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Is this a mountain of iron?

I prospected Clear Hills and Peace River country for many years.
Arriba was instrumental in assembling the minerals land package that became Ironstone Resources Ltd.
I am an investor and first President of Ironstone. Here is some of the history about the iron.

East Clear Hillsscouting around and samplingUpper Clear Hills Iron Ore outcropping in stream Notikewan Fire Tower 2800 feet ASLheli reconnaissance
iron boulder sample transport screening in Rambling Creek Worsley Iron Ore Pit Old Ore Hauling Road south of Rambling Creek Van transporting samples

Road to Notikewan Tower,upper ironstone outcrop in Rambling Creek,tower at TUL airstrip,helicopter reconnaissance,
lower unit ironstone,Ross Blusson,Jim Stapleton,Rob Stapleton,Ian Tempany surveying,
Worsley Pit and outcrop,old ore hauling road

IRONSTONE RESOURCES is Operator of the Clear Hills Project. Ironstone solved drilling problems that previous companies had with swelling clays above the iron ores. Ironstone moved ahead with the mineral measuring program, to prove as much of the resource-base as possible during the Winter drilling season of 2008. The program was successful and the results should be on the http://www.ironstoneresources.com website.

The iron was proven to be 7-9 meters in thickness and the Ironstone core showed that drilling in the 60s accurately described the iron ore beds.

History of the Bad Heart Iron

The ores outcrop on Rambling Creek as a 20 foot bank, being the exposed northeast extent of the iron. Here are photos from our seven years of reconnaissance in the 90s, sampling and conducting geophysical work in the Clear Hills of Alberta.

The Clear Hills and the Bad Heart Iron Ores have possible potential for recovery of some gold and there is a possiblity that they harbour a kimberlite-type pipe. Two diamonds were recovered from a south outcrop at the Worsley iron ore pit. However, recent studies, dating of the Bad Heart Formation and an evaluation of the ores Rare Earth Elements, has resulted in a positive evaluation of the 1.2 billion ton reserve of iron with vanadium.

Clear Hills broad view

Clear Hills

Field Notes
Observer: Jim Stapleton

Date: August 20, 1998
900:00, MST clear bright sky, 8 degreesC.
Reconnaissance East Clear Hills
Twp 90-91 Rge 4-5 W6M

Heli traverse to Notikewan Tower
- TUL Petroleums Ltd airstrip
- cached 90 gallons of fuel
Ferry 3 field crew to Rambling Creek
Sample 100 meter intervals 2mm mesh strainer and 5 gal buckets
Section 1-91-5-W6M from: To:
picked locations where heavies accumulate
10 samples from creek over 1000m
RC-100-98 to RC-109-98
sediments screened to buckets & sealed
grey clays south side of creek(bentonite?)
quartzite gravels, Upper Tertiaries?
no volcanics, no visible gold.

sketch map

RC-100-98 fine sediments screened GPS-
RC-101-98 float,oxidized iron boulder GPS-
RC-102-98 bar sediments, panned GPS-
RC-103-98 iron outcrop chip sample GPS-
RC-104-98 seds at base of 103-08 GPS-
RC-105-98 panned seds 100 N of 104 etc.

12 foot deep Worsley Pit upper ironstone outcropping in Rambling Creek ironstone from Rambling Creek sampling and screening sediments below (east of) the old ore pit

CLEAR HILLS IRON ORE DEPOSIT/Bad Heart Formation

Clear Hills Iron Ore Deposit, Peace River Country, Alberta, Canada.

The Clear Hills are the uplands that extend from northwest of Grimshaw, Alberta to the BC border. Elevations are as high as 3000-3500 ft. ASL

The Clear Hills Iron Ore Deposit is one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world. Clear Hills Iron Ore Deposit occurs in the Bad Heart Formation, dated at 86-88 Ma.

History: The history of the Clear Hills Iron Ore Deposit and associated information, can be found in files we donated to the Ghallagar Geological Library at the University of Calgary. They have drill logs, aero mag surveys and isopach maps.

There are long time rumors of gold in the Peace River Country and in the Clear Hills around Fairview. Also, diamonds in the iron ores. Blocks were designated and studied in the 50s. About 240 core holes were drilled in and around north half Twp 90, Rge 5 W6M and in the Worsley area. An ore reserve of 1.2 Billion tons was estimated.

Assessment: TUL Petroleums Ltd. assessed Metallic and Industrial Minerals Permits on the Clear Hills and at Notikewan Fire Tower (Notikewan Hill 2850 ft. ASL). We sampled Rambling Creek and surveyed parts of Twp 90-91, Rge 4-5 W6M. A literature search and summary report was prepared by TUL Petroleums Ltd. in 1995. (Kelly, Stapleton, 1995)

Outcrops: The Swift Creek deposit (Rambling Creek) outcrops on the north flank of the Clear Hills. Rambling Creek flows eastward in S1/2 Section 35 in Twp 90 Rge 5 and turns north through W1/2-36. The original ore test pit is straight west of the fire tower, just above the creek on the west side in LSD 9-2-91-5-6.

The upper section of the iron outcrops in NW 1, Twp 91, Rge 5 W6M below the barrow pit, at an elevation of about 2525 ft. ASL. The grey ironstone outcrops in the stream and causes a waterfall. About 100 meters north of that location, the lower iron outcrop appears in the creek banks as a more oxidized unit of the Clear Hills Iron Ore Deposit.

The Worsley Pit is on the south flank of the Clear Hills about six miles north-northeast of Worsley on the Rainy Lake Road. (LSD 12-35-87-7 W6M) It consists of 12-20 feet of iron laden sediments that outcrop in an abandoned wellsite on the norhteast side of the road.

The Clear Hills iron ore deposit is in the center of the West Peace Diamond Indicator Mineral (DIM)Trend according to assessment reports filed in 1997 and 1999.http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/ABSTRACTS/MIN_19990025.shtml These are available from Publications Department, Alberta Energy, Alberta Geological Survey.

If we knew the source of the iron we would have a better knowledge of the physical geometry of the resource. It may be a billion tons; it may be 3 billion tons. Not enough drilling or geophysical exploration has been done and very little stratigraphic logging has been completed. The area is a plateau in northern Alberta and is physically remote (wet in the summer) yet only a few miles from the Peace River Lowlands where towns, farms and ranches and a railhead is present.

PUBLICATIONS on the CLEAR HILLS IRON ORE DEPOSIT

Preliminary report on Peace River Iron Ore by D.B. McDougall (AGS links change, copy-paste please. They should work)
http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/ABSTRACTS/MIN_19540001.shtml

Drill hole logs, assays, maps for magnetic survey for Iron prospecting permit no. 7.
http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/ABSTRACTS/MIN_19560005.shtml

Maps for airborne magnetic survey over iron prospecting permit no. 8.
http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/ABSTRACTS/MIN_19570017.shtml

Iron prospecting permit no. 16, Swift Creek Iron Deposit by N.S.Edgar
A total of 115 holes were drilled on the Swift Creek Iron Ore deposit, 84 of which intersected ore.

http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/ABSTRACTS/MIN_19610002.shtml

Report on Clear Hills Iron deposits of Alberta by N.S.Edgar
A drilling program was conducted at Peace River Mining and Smelting Ltd.'s Iron ore prospecting permit no. 17 in 1961. A total of 120 holes were drilled on the south slopes of the Clear Hills, several of which intersected ore.

http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/ABSTRACTS/MIN_19620001.shtml

Report on Iron prospecting permit no. 22 by N.S.Edgar
Iron ore prospecting permit no. 22 in 1963. Four holes were drilled, two of which indicated limited thickness and extent of iron ore.

http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/ABSTRACTS/MIN_19630002.shtml

A drilling program was conducted at Peace River Mining and Smelting Ltd.'s Iron prospecting permit no. 20 final report by N.S.Edgar
An exploratory drilling program was conducted at Peace River Mining and Smelting Ltd.'s Iron ore prospecting permit no. 20 in 1963. Samples are similar to those from the Swift Creek iron ore which has an average grade of 34% iron.

http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/ABSTRACTS/MIN_19640001.shtml

Metallic and Industrial Mineral Assessment Report in Support of the Peace Diamond Project and the Iron and Gold Exploration in the Peace River Area by M J Stapleton and M J Kelly, 1995.
http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/ABSTRACTS/MIN_19950019.shtml

A 2001 Special Report

Alberta Energy and Utilities Board/Alberta Geological Survey
Publications Website
http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/publications_alberta_geological_survey.shtml
Clear Hill Iron Ore/Swift Creek Deposit/Rambling Creek

SPE 008 A Study of Potential Co-Product Trace Elements Within the Clear Hills Iron Deposits, Northwestern Alberta. Olson, R.A., Eccles, D.R. and Collom, C.J. 2001. $20.00

Contact: Jim Stapleton (403) 256-0659 Cell (403) 689-0659

Disclaimer: The author accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions in this web or any liability connected to the use of the information herein. Refer to the references and publications sited in this web and confirm the information from original sources. Field notes are from memories and recollections of the author and are meant as a general illustration only.

Copyright by Jim Stapleton - Arriba Land & Minerals Corp. 2004-2008. All rights reserved.