The Moly (Mal) occurrence is located near a small creek west of Legerwood Creek, approximately 4 kilometres north of Malakwa and at an elevation of 850 metres.
Regionally, area lies near the western margin of the Shuswap Metamorphic Complex. The occurrence area is underlain by Hadrynian(?) to Paleozoic deformed metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of the Eagle Bay Assemblage (Formation). This sequence has been intruded by two plutonic phases and later stage derivatives.
Locally, a 6- metre long adit intersects a mineralized and altered shear zone in relatively massive metagranitoid rock. The shear zone is sericite and clay- altered, and strikes northerly with 20 to 45 degree dips to the northwest. The metagranitoid grades conformably into quartzofeldspathic gneiss, which is in gradational contact with unaltered granodiorite gneiss. Below the adit, altered granodiorite gneiss has been intruded by lamprophyre dikes. The pyritic shear zone is 1.2 metres wide and is wholly within the metagranitoid. Molybdenite, with trace quantities of fine-grained chalcopyrite, occurs as smears and coatings on shear fractures and as fine to medium-grained flakes and blebs in metagranitoid between shears.
In 1980, chip samples of visibly mineralized areas of the main shear zone analysed from 0.1 to 0.4 per cent molybdenum over narrow intervals (Assessment Report 9585). While, diamond drilling cored quartzofeldspathic gneiss, altered granodiorite gneiss, augen gneiss and altered shear zones. The metagranitoid was not intersected but the shear zone (un-mineralized locally) was intersected at the projected down-dip depth. Visible molybdenite and chalcopyrite in crosscutting quartz veins and structures were also intersected with the best intercept yielding 0.115 per cent molybdenum over 0.1 metre and 0.160 per cent tungsten over 0.3 metre in hole 80-1, while hole 80-2 intercepted 0.140 per cent copper and 1.2 grams per tonne silver over 3.1 metres (Assessment Report 9585).
The area was originally staked in 1938 by W. Lynes and O. Hoglund. A 6- metre long adit and a series of open cuts were completed by the following year. In 1959, Amax Exploration completed a program of reconnaissance mapping and 42.7 metres of packsack drilling. During 1971 through 1973, Darva Resources completed programs of soil sampling and a 21.1 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Moly claims. In 1980, BP Minerals completed two diamond drill holes, totalling 177.0 metres, on the area as the Mal claims.
