The HN 9 (Creek zone) occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1050 metres on a gentle northwest-facing slope overlooking Johnson Creek, approximately 2.5 kilometres southwest of the west end of Johnson Lake.

Regionally, the area is in structurally complex metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of the Paleozoic (Lower Cambrian and older(?) to Mississippian) Eagle Bay Assemblage. The assemblage has a complex deformational history involving multiple stages of thrust faulting and folding during the Jurassic-Cretaceous periods, which produced strongly foliated and overturned rocks trending northwest and dipping northeast. These Paleozoic rocks are intruded by mid-Cretaceous granodiorite and quartz monzonite (such as the Baldy Batholith approximately 30 kilometres to the north of the deposit), and Neogene quartz-feldspar porphyry, basalt, and lamprophyre dikes. These are all locally overlain by Miocene plateau lavas, now represented in the area by occasional erosional remnants.

The Eagle Bay Assemblage rocks include andesitic volcanic rocks of the Devonian to Mississippian Foghorn Mountain unit, greenstone and greenschists rocks of the Lower Cambrian Johnson Lake unit and Lower Cambrian mudstone, siltstone, shale, fine clastic rocks, limestone, and calcareous sedimentary rocks.

Locally, variably brecciated, silica-flooded, sericitized and dolomitized mafic volcanics, cherts, argillites and muddy tuffs hosting disseminated to semi-massive pyrite and trace sphalerite-galena mineralization, similar to the nearby Rea Gold (MINFILE 082M 191) and Samatosum (MINFILE 082M 244) occurrences, have been identified by drilling over a strike distance of approximately 650 metres.

In 1985, drillhole RG-52 yielded 0.480 per cent zinc, 0.035 per cent lead, 0.510 per cent barium and 1.7 grams per tonne silver over 1.75 metres of sericite-altered and quartz-flooded mafic volcanic hosting up to 35 per cent pyrite (Assessment Report 14185).

Later that year, another drillhole (RG-55), located approximately 200 metres northwest of the hole RG-52, is reported to have intercepted massive sulphide mineralization yielding 0.31 per cent copper, 1.00 per cent lead, 2.69 per cent zinc, 53.5 grams per tonne silver and 2.0 grams per tonne gold over 1.02 metres (Property File - A.D. [1986-01-01]: Map of Rea Gold Option January 1986 Drill Proposal and Longitudinal Section). Other drillholes, located approximately 200 to 450 metres to the southeast of hole RG-52, yielded intercepts including 0.09, 0.38 and 0.15 per cent copper, 1.43, 0.92 and 0.11 per cent lead, 2.82, 1.59 and 0.38 per cent zinc and 26.0, 168.0 and 45.0 grams per tonne silver with 0.21, 0.30 and 0.10 gram per tonne gold over 1.4, 2.7 and 3.15 metres in holes RG-51, RG-37 and RG-39, respectively (Property File - A.D. [1986-01-01]: Map of Rea Gold Option January 1986 Drill Proposal and Longitudinal Section).

In 1986, drilling yielded intercepts including 0.270 per cent zinc, 0.120 per cent lead and 4.7 grams per tonne silver over 0.6 metre and 21.3 grams per tonne silver with 0.425 gram per tonne gold over 0.2 metre in hole RG-58 (Assessment Report 14738). The mineralized intercepts comprised Rea Breccia (chert and argillite) with disseminated to semi-massive pyrite and trace sphalerite-galena. Also at this time, drillhole RG-60 yielded two intercepts of 0.415 and 0.100 gram per tonne gold with 1.0 and 11.5 grams per tonne silver over 1.3 metres of quartz breccia with pyrite and 1.9 metres of Rea Breccia (chert) with disseminated and semi-massive pyrite, respectively (Assessment Report 14738).

In 1989, drillhole RG-263 intercepted silicified, sericitized, dolomitized and faulted argillite, muddy tuff and chert, likely representing the lower portion of the Samatosum horizon, which yielded up to 0.016 per cent copper, 0.02 per cent zinc, 0.13 per cent lead, 2.4 grams per tonne silver and 0.14 gram per tonne gold over 2.30 metres (Assessment Report 19200).

In 1991, drillhole RG-409, located close to Johnson Creek to the northwest (grid coordinates 9+80N-114+00W), yielded 0.036, 0.070 and 0.016 per cent copper, 0.122, 0.519 and 1.053 per cent zinc, 0.100, 0.242 and 1.036 per cent lead and 4.5, 4.5 and 8.0 grams per tonne silver with 0.484, 0.046 and 0.022 gram per tonne gold over 0.70, 4.10 and 0.25 metres (42.8 to 43.5, 85.2 to 89.3 and 161.0 to 161.25 metres downhole), respectively (Property File - Minnova Inc. [1991-07-21]: Drill Hole Records for the Sam Project Holes RG308-RG437).

Work History

The area has been explored in conjunction with the nearby Rea Gold (MINFILE 082M 191) and Samatosum (MINFILE 082M 244) occurrences and a complete exploration history can be found there.

In 1985, Falconbridge Copper completed a lone drillhole, totalling 261.2 metres, on previously defined geophysical anomalies on the HN 9 claim. In 1986, a further four drillholes, totalling 570.4 metres, were completed on the claim.

In 1988, Rea Gold Corp. completed a lone drillhole, totalling 250.1 metres, on the HN 9 claim. Further drilling was performed later that year. The following year, a single drillhole, totalling 102.1 metres, was completed on the claim. In 1990 and 1991, Minnova Inc. completed further programs of diamond drilling on the area.

In 2017, a soil sampling program was completed on the area as the Johnson Creek property.