The NCu (West-Central Fox) occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1540 metres on a northeast-facing slope, west of the Coquihalla Highway and approximately 2.3 kilometres west of the south end of Surrey Lake.

The area has been mapped as Upper Triassic Nicola Group (western facies) rock consisting of mafic to felsic plagioclase-phyric flows, pyroclastic and epiclastic breccias, tuffs, argillite, sandstone and local carbonate. This belt is intruded to the east and west by the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Nicola and Guichon Creek granodiorite batholiths, respectively.

Locally, at the Malachite zone, a chlorite-epidote±hematite–altered basaltic tuff with malachite staining and possible chalcocite has been identified in outcrop and subcrop for approximately 100 metres along a logging road.

Another zone of mineralization, referred to as the Native Copper zone, is located approximately 630 metres west-southwest of the Malachite zone and comprises a basaltic tuff with pinhead or larger flecks of native copper and minor bornite with malachite staining.

In 2011, six float/subcrop grab samples (545618 through 545623) from the Malachite zone yielded from 1.03 to 1.91 per cent copper and 5.8 to 14.0 grams per tonne silver, whereas a lone subcrop grab sample (545624) from the Native copper zone yielded 0.281 per cent copper (Assessment Report 32518).

In 2014, a chip sample (NCU-14-02) from an outcrop on the Malachite zone yielded 1.21 per cent copper and 6.2 grams per tonne gold, whereas a chip sample (NCU-14-08) from the Native Copper zone yielded 0.137 per cent copper (Assessment Report 35612).

In 2018, a sample (S851312) from the Native Copper zone yielded 0.285 per cent copper (Assessment Report 38107).

A third, poorly described and located zone of mineralization, referred to as the JW claims, is located approximately 3.5 kilometres northwest of the Malachite zone. The zone comprises a trench exposing a shear zone, striking south 70 degrees east and dipping steeply to the south, in a diorite hosting pyrite with minor chalcopyrite and bornite. Another zone of mineralization, referred to as the Dunmore zone, is reported approximately 800 metres north-northeast of the previous zone and comprises a historical opencut and shaft exposing a vesicular flow hosting copper mineralization.

Work History

The area has been explored in conjunction with the nearby Fox (MINFILE 092ISE191) occurrence and a complete exploration history for the area can be found there.