The Silver Switchback occurrence is located about 1 kilometre east of Kitnayakwa River, southwest of Howson Peak, about 54 kilometres east of the community of Terrace (Assessment Report 33699).
Outcrop on the Silver Switchback property has been exposed by logging and related construction of a logging road which transects the property, although exposure is otherwise poor within treed and vegetated areas. Rocks within the property boundaries consist of Lower Jurassic calc-alkaline volcanics of the Telkwa Formation (Hazelton Group), which are locally intruded by quartz monzonite and related felsic intrusive rocks of the Eocene Nanika Plutonic Suite.
The intrusive rocks outcrop within the northern boundary of the claim group as well as just outside of the claim group to the south. Lower Jurassic volcaniclastic rocks of the Eagle Peak Formation (Hazelton Group), in contact with Upper Jurassic fine clastic sedimentary rocks (mudstone, siltstone and shale) of the Ashman Formation (Bowser Lake Group) outcrop west and north of the claims. A northwest trending, steeply dipping fault transects the western extent of the claims in the valley along the Kitnayakwa River.
The volcanic rocks strike northerly and dip shallowly to the east. Local rock types include felsic to intermediate tuff and tuff breccia, as well as undivided felsic and intermediate volcanics. Occasional dacite dikes intrude the volcanic units, and contacts are generally gradational and trend east.
Geological mapping on the Silver Switchback property defined several sub-units of the mapped geological unit (calc-alkaline volcanic rocks of the Telkwa Formation, Lower Jurassic Hazelton Group) in the property area. These sub-units include intermediate volcanics, intermediate tuff breccia, felsic to intermediate tuff and felsic volcanics. Contacts between these sub-units were mapped as gradational. Additional bedrock showings with mineralization were discovered during the course of the mapping and sampling. The mineralized bedrock is now known to occur discontinuously over a distance of more than 1.4 kilometres in a north-northwest trend (Assessment Report 33699).
Sulphide mineralization occurs as disseminations throughout the volcanics and in narrow veins, veinlets and pods along steeply dipping joints and fractures within the volcanics. One set of structures strikes from 270 to 350 degrees and dips north at 77 to 86 degrees; another structure strikes at approximately 058 degrees and dips south at 84 degrees. The main mineralization consists of pyrite and chalcopyrite with occasional galena, arsenopyrite and some unidentified metallic (likely sulphosalts) minerals. Secondary minerals include hematite and malachite.
Rock samples yielded values as high as 627 grams per tonne silver and 4.39 per cent copper (sample N566238) and 139 grams per tonne silver and 2.31 per cent copper (sample N566240) from sulphide-rich veins cross-cutting the felsic to intermediate tuff/volcanics units in the northern extent (Switchback Area) of the property. These were confirmed in verification samples by values of 152 parts per million (ppm) silver and 2.48 per cent copper (sample SSWL12-03), and 171 ppm silver and 1.36 per cent copper (sample SSWL12-02) (Assessment Report 33699).
In 1994, Angel Jade Mines Ltd. staked an area which included the current property boundaries. The following year, Golden Hemlock Exploration Ltd. optioned the property and conducted a program of geological mapping and sampling. Golden Hemlock also conducted geophysical surveying and diamond drilling in an area outside of the current claims (Assessment Report 24175).
In 2006, Silver Quest Resources Ltd. acquired the claims and conducted prospecting and sampling during a reconnaissance program. Grab and chip samples defined continuous copper-silver mineralization over a length of approximately 300 metres.
In 2011, UTM Exploration Services conducted a soil survey on the claims immediately to the south of the Silver Switchback property (Assessment Report 32454).
In August 2012, Far Resources Ltd. optioned the property from the current owners, Multiple Metal Resources Ltd. A program of geological mapping, prospecting, outcrop sampling and a soil geochemical survey was carried and a total of 55 rock and 118 soil samples were taken.
