Barker Minerals Ltd. reported that the 2012 drill program on its Providence prospect on the Black Bear silver/gold project has discovered significant alteration and mineralization which is typical of epithermal style gold deposits. The 100% owned project is located 74 km northeast of Williams Lake, in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. The project has excellent access and infrastructure nearby. The drill program was undertaken to test for shallow extensions of the high grade silver, gold and lead vein mineralization exposed in outcrop. Two holes have been completed to date with BB12-06 drilled to a depth of 90.5 metres and BB12-07 to a depth of 309.14 metres. BB12-06 has alternating zones of argillite/mudstones and felsic rocks throughout the hole with the dominant alteration patterns being pyrite, fuschite (chrome mica), calcite, sericite and silica. Gold pathfinder minerals identified by portable XRF analysis were bismuth, arsenic, antimony, cadmium, tin, mercury and selenium. A few narrow veins up to 0.49 metres in thickness occur with variable amounts of galena, pyrite and lesser amounts of molybdenum mineralization. BB12-07 also has alternating zones of argillite/mudstones and felsic rocks from surface up to 145 metres where the rocks change to intensely hydrothermally altered mafic volcanic and felsic rocks through to the bottom of the hole with the final 20 metres ending in an intensely altered siliceous zone. Alteration patterns consist of pyrite, fuschite (chrome mica), calcite, carbonate, sericite, bioitite, hematite, epidote, silica and magnetite. Minor amounts of tourmaline, titanium minerals and chromites were also observed. Associated gold pathfinder minerals identified by portable XRF analysis were silver, bismuth, arsenic, antimony, cadmium, tin, mercury, selenium, nickel, zinc and manganese. The top 90 metres of both holes were similar geologically and geochemically in alteration style and associated mineralization. Random spot checks with the portable XRF indicate that gold pathfinder minerals, together with the typical epithermal alteration patterns, continue to the bottom of BB12-07 and are still open at depth. The portable XRF analysis was undertaken with random spot checks in BB12-06 for gold and gold pathfinder minerals in the altered zones as well as in and around the veins. After the initial identification in BB12-06 of consistent high concentration of gold pathfinder minerals, as well as indications of gold itself, a more intensive program to create a continuous detailed geochemical down-hole profile is being undertaken to sample BB12-07 in detail, in its entirety. The XRF sampling in BB12-07 was undertaken by the spot checking method approximately every 0.3 metres with many samples being repeated. The XRF analysis reported various concentrations of gold from a depth of approximately 15 metres to 225 metres where detailed testing has been completed. Gold was not detected by XRF analysis in samples taken on or immediately near the galena veins and barren quartz veins. The XRF gold results indicate that gold mineralization may be dispersed through the various rock units, rather than in the veins themselves or favoring any individual particular rock unit. The gold pathfinder minerals are also widespread in the various altered zones through much of the 225 metres of detailed XRF sampling and are also present in the initial spot checks of the remainder of BB12-07. These are to be resampled in detail by XRF. The XRF analysis in BB12-07 between 15 metres and 225 metres had 524 readings showing gold results ranging between 1.12 ppm (1 ppm equals 1 gram per ton) and 125.00 ppm. Of the 524 gold readings 78 returned results from 1.12 ppm to 9.99 ppm, 380 readings were between 10.00 ppm to 14.99 ppm and 66 samples were reported over 15 ppm. Gold values reported vary in concentrations from one alteration pattern to another as well as with pattern changing pathfinder mineralogy. Drilling, XRF sampling and core logging are continuing and once completed samples will be sent to accredited labs for analysis to determine the levels of gold present in the drill holes and to confirm the gold pathfinder mineralization identified in the detailed portable XRF analysis.