The Hailstorm (London) silver occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 2200 metres on the south western spur of Hailstorm Peak, approximately 14.5 kilometres east of the Lower Arrow Lake community of Burton.
The area is underlain by highly deformed Triassic and older (?) volcanic and sedimentary rocks of and younger aplite and feldspar porphyry dikes, and granitic intrusions. The volcanic rocks are the oldest units and are tentatively assigned to the Slocan or Kaslo Group, while the younger sedimentary rocks are correlated with the Slocan Group.
Locally, wackestone, tuffs, argillaceous tuffs, limy tuffs, marbles and porphyritic flows, ranging in composition from syenite to dacite to diorites and occasional quartz monzonite, host skarn zones mineralized with pyrite, pyrrhotite, galena, sphalerite, arsenopyrite and minor chalcopyrite and stibnite. Alteration minerals include garnet, diopside, actinolite, muscovite, biotite, carbonate, and quartz. Sulphide mineralization occurs as disseminations to coarse-grained aggregates. The mineralization has been traced for a strike length of greater than 100 metres.
In 1929, sampling of the adit yielded 1.4 grams per tonne gold and 509.6 grams per tonne silver over 6.0 metres (Property File - Roy V. Beavon [1982-10-28]: Geological Evaluation of Hailstorm, Londonderry, and Golden Rodd #2 - Hailstorm).
In 1982, sampling yielded an average of 800 grams per tonne silver and 2.2 grams per tonne gold over 23.4 metres, while grab samples yielded up to 2397 grams per tonne silver and 18.4 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 11141).
The following year, a sample from the face of a short drift off of the main adit assayed 352.3 grams per tonne silver and 3.4 grams per tonne gold (Property File - *R. A. Dujardin [1984-01-03]: Correspondence re: Hailstorm). While chip sampling (sample T-3-1) of trenches yielded up to 376.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.8 gram per tonne gold over 12.3 metres (Property File - unknown [1983-01-01]: Geological sketches and cross sections - Hailstorm)
Three claims, the Hailstorm, Londonerry and Golden Rodd No. 2 (Lots 5875-5877 respectively), were held from 1899 or earlier by J. D. Jamieson and T. Matthews. The claims were Crown-granted in 1903. Exploration work was done in trenches and a short adit, at an elevation of 2190 metres, was driven on the east slope of the mountain. Early in 1929, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited optioned the Crown-grants and four located claims. A crosscut adit at 2270 metres elevation on the west slope of the mountain was driven for 275 metres during the year. Further crosscutting and some raising was done in 1930. This work failed to locate values similar to the main outcrop, although most of the crosscutting was from a raise directly under the outcrop; the option was abandoned.
The area was acquired by Roxwell Gold Mines Ltd. in approximately 1981. In 1982, Esperanza Explorations, in conjunction with Suncoast Petroleum and Roxwell Gold Mines, completed a program of geological mapping and geochemical sampling on the area as the London claims. The following year, Grey Wolf Mountain Explorations completed a program of rock and soil sampling and geological mapping on the area immediately east, as the Caribou claims. During 1980 through 1987, the area was prospected by Alex Strebchuck. In 1987 and 1988, Esperanza Explorations completed programs of road building, surface sampling and 24 diamond drill holes, totalling 2776 metres, on the area as the Strebe property. In 1997, Baron Gold Corp. drilled six holes totalling 779.1 metres on the area. This work was centered on the Strebe-Caribou (MINFILE 082FNW255) gold occurrence to the southeast.
