The Copper Bell occurrence is located approximately 1.9 kilometres east-southeast of Aspen Grove and 2.8 kilometres northwest of the north end of Alleyne Lake.

Regionally, the area is underlain by the Upper Triassic Nicola Group, which regionally consists of alkalic and calc-alkalic volcanics and intrusions of island arc origin, and which is the principal component of the Quesnel terrane in southern British Columbia (Geological Survey of Canada Maps 41-1989, 1713A). The area lies in the Central Belt or facies of the Nicola Group (after Preto, Bulletin 69). This belt of rocks mainly consists of subaerial and submarine, red or purple to green augite plagioclase porphyritic andesitic and basaltic flows, volcanic breccia and tuff, and minor argillites and limestone. The volcanics are intruded by bodies of comagmatic Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic diorite to monzonite. The area is characterized by long-lived, primarily north-striking faults and related fracturing, which originally controlled intrusion emplacement. East-striking faults are subordinate, and commonly offset intrusive contacts.

Locally, an old shaft exposes a poorly defined shear developed in augite andesite porphyry of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group (Central Belt, Bulletin 69). The shear strikes north, dips steeply and exhibits abundant malachite staining. Three short holes collared 15 metres west of the shaft intersected minor copper mineralization in augite andesite porphyry and interbedded green and red laharic breccia. All holes commenced in andesite and intersected increasing amounts of breccia with depth.

Mineralization consists of native copper, chalcopyrite and bornite. Native copper forms tiny threads along fractures in andesite, and usually occurs in quantities of less than 0.05 per cent. Sparse chalcopyrite and bornite are irregularly distributed in thin calcite-filled conjugate fractures and small calcite-flooded breccia zones in both the andesite and the breccia.

Work History

This occurrence was initially prospected by Messrs. Low and Brown between 1900 and 1904.

During 1969 through 1972, Dawood Mines Ltd. and Amax Exploration Inc. conducted programs of geological mapping, soil sampling and ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys on the area immediately northwest of the occurrence as the Dote claims. Also in 1971, Frontier Explorations Ltd. and David Minerals Ltd. completed a program of soil sampling and a 32.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Halo, Ram, Lou, Chalco, Magnus and Touch claims of the Hans Haveroen Copper property.

In 1988, C.F. Graham completed three diamond drill holes, totalling 160 metres, on the areas the Dawn 100 claim. Drilling yielded up to 1.36 per cent copper and 5.6 grams per tonne silver over 1.5 metres (18.9 to 20.4 metres down hole) in hole 88-1, 0.58 per cent copper over 1.5 metres (12.2 to 13.7 metres down hole) in hole 88-2 and 0.23 per cent copper over 1.5 metres (10.7 to 12.2 metres down hole) in hole 88-3 (Assessment Report 18018).

In 1991, Northair Mines Ltd. completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the area as the Shear property. The following year, Placer Dome Inc. completed a program of geological mapping, trenching and soil sampling on the property. In 1993, Northair Mines Ltd. completed a further program of rock sampling on the property. In 1997, Christopher James Gold Corp. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and a 13.8 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the area as the Big Kidd property.

In 2008, Christopher James Gold Corp. completed a 1113.5 line-kilometre airborne magnetic-radiometric survey on the Big Kidd property.

In 2011 and 2012, Xstrata Copper Canada Corp., on the behalf of Jiulian Resources Ltd., completed programs of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and a 56.8 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the Big Kidd property. A sample (726-14) of chlorite-calcite–altered augite phyric volcanics with malachite staining from the occurrence area yielded 0.493 per cent copper and 5.9 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 33851).

In 2018, Jiulian Resources Ltd. completed an 84.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the Big Kidd property. The following year, an 18.0 line-kilometre induced polarization survey was completed.