The R.E. Lee occurrence is situated on the crest of the divide between Carpenter and McGuigan creeks, on the north face of Mount Payne at 2135 metres elevation on the west of the divide between Carpenter and McGuigan creeks, in the Slocan Mining Division. The underground workings are near the western boundary of the Duluth Crown grant (Lot 1019).
Development of this claim commenced in 1892. Work was first confined to investigating a well-defined fissure-vain lode on the McGuigan Creek slope at the ridge. Subsequently, (about 1898); a long crosscut tunnel was run from the Carpenter Creek slope to tap this lode at a depth about 122 metres below the lowest workings on the north slope. This crosscut is reported to have intersected the lode at a point 609.6 metres from the portal.
Regionally, the area lies on the western margin of the Kootenay Arc, in allochthonous rocks of the Quesnel Terrane. In the vicinity of the occurrence, the Quesnel Terrane is dominated by the Upper Triassic Slocan Group, a thick sequence of deformed and metamorphosed shale, argillite, siltstone, quartzite and minor limestone. Rocks of the Slocan Group are tightly and disharmonically folded. Early minor folds are tight to isoclinal with moderate east plunging, southeast inclined axial planes and younger folds are open, southwest plunging with subhorizontal axial planes. The sedimentary sequence has been regionally metamorphosed to lower greenschist facies.
South of the occurrence, the Slocan Group has been intruded by the Middle Jurassic Nelson intrusions which comprise at least six texturally and compositionally distinct phases ranging from diorite to lamprophyre. The most dominant phase is a medium to coarse grained potassium feldspar porphyritic granite. Several feldspar porphyritic granodiorite dikes, apparently related to the Nelson intrusions, also cut the sedimentary sequence near the occurrence (Paper 1989-5).
The property is underlain by quartzite and argillaceous quartzite of the Slocan Group and several small quartz and feldspar porphyritic dikes. The sedimentary rocks generally strike 115 degrees and dip 50 degrees southwest. The occurrence consists of a fissure vein striking 072 degrees and dipping steeply southeast. The vein varies from a few centimetres up to 1 metre in width and consists mostly of crushed and brecciated wallrock cemented by quartz and siderite. Bands of galena, sphalerite and pyrite up to 50 centimetres wide are concentrated along the vein walls. The vein was strongly oxidized near the surface. The vein has been explored with at least two adits.
Production records are incomplete but past records indicate that about 1080 kilograms of silver, 176,230 kilograms of lead and 729 kilograms of zinc were produced from 280 tonnes mined between 1895 and 1981. Production between 1951 and 1956 is documented from Discovery Fraction, which is located near the summit of Mount Payne. Thus, this production is attached to this occurrence.
