The Chum showing is situated on the Melba property, northwest of Lac le Jeune and the Coquihalla highway, approximately 20 kilometres east of Logan Lake and 25 kilometres southwest of Kamloops.

The Chum showing area covers a poorly exposed Triassic alkaline stock within Upper Triassic Nicola Group volcanic rocks. The intrusive rocks are composed of pyroxenite, gabbro, diorite, monzonite and monzonite-diorite breccia. Nicola rocks consist of augite porphyritic basalt flows with minor bedded basaltic tuff. These rocks trend northeasterly and dip moderately to the west. Pyrite and weak chalcopyrite mineralization occurs peripheral to the stock within Nicola Group rocks and within the intrusive rocks. A zone of pyrite and minor chalcopyrite with a 3-metre-wide surface exposure occurs within highly fractured diorite and monzonite-diorite breccia and chloritized basalt.

The first documented exploration in the area took place in the early 1970s; however, several historic hand-excavated pits of unknown age have been located on the property. From late 1970 to 1971, Canadian Johns-Manville Company Limited carried out an extensive exploration program of grid preparation, electromagnetic and magnetic geophysical surveying, 12.9 line kilometres of induced polarization surveying, geochemical sampling and diamond drilling on the Pine, Fir and Hill claims situated to the east and covering the eastern portion of the GA claim area. In total, 1084 soil and 98 twig samples were collected and four diamond drill holes were completed. Four small, moderate induced polarization anomalies were delineated in the area of the M-8 claim; several small, weak soil and twig geochemistry anomalies were delineated in the area of the GA claims.

In 1972, Texal Development Limited carried out a 249-sample soil geochemical survey on the WT claims situated in the western portion of the Melba property. No significant results were obtained.

Between 1977 and 1978, Cominco Limited carried out extensive exploration programs on the Chum claims, staked over a previously unrecognized alkaline stock bearing pyrite and trace chalcopyrite. The Chum claims were situated over the Walloper property’s M-2 to M-5, GA-7 and GA-8 claims. During that time, Cominco completed geological mapping, prospecting, 71 kilometres of grid preparation, 65 kilometres of magnetic surveying and 25 kilometres of induced polarization surveying.

In 1987, the M & R claims were staked by the Afton Operating Company to cover the ground previously held by Cominco Limited. The following year, Afton Operating Company completed a program of reconnaissance soil sampling and percussion drilling. Three percussion drill holes were completed on the northern portion of the M-2 claims over a previously identified magnetic anomaly. An additional six-hole, 250-metre reverse circulation drill program was carried out in 1991 to test the southern portion of the alkaline intrusive.

In 1992, three diamond drill holes totalling 383 metres tested aeromagnetic and ground magnetic anomalies on the M & R claims on behalf of Teck Corporation.

In 1996, Walloper Gold Resources Corporation focused on the precious metal potential of the M and GA claims area and discovered mesothermal and epithermal quartz vein and breccia float with anomalous gold values (up to 700 parts per billion). The mineralized float was found on the south grid area (MINFILE 092INE090) and contained galena with trace pyrite and sphalerite. Work that year consisted of geological mapping, very low-frequency electromagnetic (85.5 kilometres) and ground magnetometer (90.3 kilometres) surveys, grid work (94 kilometres), and soil (1281 samples), rock (115 samples) and silt (19 samples) geochemistry.

Between 1998 and 2000, minimal work programs were carried out for assessment purposes. These programs consisted of establishing grid lines (8.5 kilometres) and very low-frequency electromagnetic (7 kilometres) and ground magnetic (6.8 kilometres) surveying.

In 2001, Walloper Gold Resources Limited completed nine mechanical trenches totalling 2822.1 square metres and 11 NQ2 diamond drill holes totalling 484.58 metres, constructed and rehabilitated 1.2 kilometres of road and analyzed 1783 soil samples collected during the 1996 exploration program. In total, 217 rock and 221 core samples were collected and sent for analysis. Eight of the 11 drillholes tested the chalcedonic breccia zone exposed during trenching.

By 2008, the property was held by HTI Ventures Corporation and known as the Melba property. That year, an eight-hole NQTK diamond drill program totalling 780.75 metres tested the north and south ends of the chalcedonic breccia zone at the Walloper showing (MINFILE 092INE090).

In 2013, Essex Minerals Inc. completed a 702 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the area as the Melba property. The following year, a 10 line-kilometre ground magnetic and electromagnetic (VLF-EM) survey was completed.