The Marten Creek occurrence is located approximately 18 kilometres east northeast of Fernie, British Columbia, in the Crowsnest coalfield.

Up to 5 coal seams are present in the Jurassic-Cretaceous Mist Mountain Formation (Kootenay Group) interbedded with sandstone, siltstone and shale. The lowest seam, seam 5, is split into an upper (5 U) and lower (5L) bench. Thicknesses range from 1.5 to 3.7 metres and 0.9 to 5.5 metres respectively, increasing from north to south. The shale parting increases in thickness in the same direction. Seam 7 ranges in thickness from 1.8 to 5.5 metres (ash contents are 11.4 to 32.9 per cent). Seam 8 is thin, 1.1 to 1.2 metres. Seam B is the uppermost seam, ranging in thickness from 4.6 to less than 0.5 metres in the north. Ash contents in Seam B are 13.0 to 22.7 per cent. Seams 7 and B are the main economic seams in the Marten Creek occurrence area. Coal seams are high volatile bituminous in rank.

Total reserves with 457 metres cover are 500 million tonnes and 56,695,000 tonnes at pitches 0 to 15 degrees and 15 to 30 degrees, respectively. Reserves with 457 to 762 metres of cover are 3,612,000 tonnes and 56,755,000 tonnes at pitches 0 to 5 degrees and 15 to 30 degrees respectively and with less than 762 metres of cover, 838,160,000 tonnes at 15 to 30 degrees pitch.

The coal-bearing strata are located on the east (west dipping) limb of a north to north-northwest trending synclinorium. Beds generally dip west. The strata are cut off to the east by the Marten Ridge (roughly north trending, sinuous, west dipping) thrust fault.

Work in the early 1970’s was completed by Kaiser Resources Ltd. (Coal Assessment Reports 343, 856) however no work has been reported since then. In the early 1980’s a coal reserve area was placed on a corridor through the Crowsnest coalfield encompassing the Marten Creek occurrence. This corridor was established for the 500 kilovolt transmission line (5L94) connecting Cranbrook, BC to Alberta. The transmission line has been in operation since 1985.