The Snow occurrence is located on the southwest flank of the French Peak mountain range, north of the Suskwa Pass, about 50 kilometres east of the community of Hazelton.
A Late Cretaceous multiphase granodioritic feldspar porphyry intrusion of the Bulkley Intrusions (Bulkley Plutonic Suite) has intruded shales, mudstones and conglomerates of the Lower Cretaceous Kitsuns Creek Formation (Skeena Group). Potassium/argon dating of biotite from the intrusion gave a date of 71 million years (Geological Survey of Canada Open File 2322).
Pyritization and fracturing is widespread in all rock types. Argillic alteration is well developed, with secondary sericite, quartz, and potassium-feldspar. Chalcopyrite, molybdenite, sphalerite, tetrahedrite, and galena are present as local disseminations and spatially associated with quartz veinlets and stockworks primarily in the porphyry intrusion and to some degree associated with hornfelsed sediments and volcanics. The intrusion is hosted in a graben-type fault setting and, based upon the presence of roof pendants and the types of alteration, the intrusion is thought to be in the process of being unroofed by erosion.
In 1971, one intersection obtained in a diamond drill program was 36.5 metres grading 0.2 per cent copper (Geology, Exploration and Mining in British Columbia 1971, page 191).
From 1966 to 1969, Mastodon-Highland Bell Mines Ltd. performed prospecting, geological mapping, soil and geophysical (induced polarization and magnetic) surveys and approximately 3000 metres of bulldozer trenching on the occurrence. The company allowed their mineral title to lapse in 1969 without filing a public assessment report.
In 1969, Silver Standard Mines Ltd. staked the prospect as soon as Mastodon's claim lapsed. In 1970, Silver Standard conducted rock sampling of trench exposures at 30-metre intervals. Copper values from these samples ranged up to 3600 parts per million. In 1971, soil geochemical surveys were conducted in an irregularly shaped grid, with samples taken in 12-metre intervals. The results of the surveys can be seen in copper, silver, and molybdenum anomaly contour maps produced by Arias (2001, unpublished Compilation Report on the French Claim Property, Global Tech Corp.).
Also in 1971, drilling of five holes totalling 458.7 metres occurred on the west side of a strong copper-molybdenum-silver anomaly. Drillholes 1 to 4 intersected pyrite-sericite feldspar porphyry, with varying levels of argillic alteration, pyrite-filled fractures and localized chalcopyrite (± sphalerite) stringers (Arias, 2001). The fifth drillhole intersected slightly magnetic, pyritic hornfelsed volcanics below the pyrite-sericite feldspar porphyry. Results from this drillhole included 0.1 per cent copper and 0.0065 per cent molybdenum over 6 metres in the feldspar porphyry, 0.16 per cent copper and 0.020 per cent molybdenum over 3 metres containing the contact, and 0.12 per cent copper and 0.014 per cent molybdenum over 3 metres in the hornfels volcanics (Arias, 2001). Drill core assays resulted in average copper and molybdenum contents of 0.1 per cent and 0.02 per cent, respectively. The top of drillhole 3 contained the highest copper grade at 0.2 per cent over a 29.57-metre interval, but copper values of 0.31 per cent, 0.29 per cent and 0.44 per cent were also found. Again, the mineral title was allowed to lapse without the filing of public assessment reports.
In 1984, Ryan Exploration Company Ltd. staked the RCM-1 claim and in August, proceeded with a one-day, 1:50,000-scale property evaluation program including prospecting, stream sediment and rock geochemical sampling. Results from 27 rocks collected showed one sample with copper values of up to 1.1 per cent, along with 0.0033 per cent molybdenum, 0.3 per cent lead, 0.77 per cent zinc, 0.03 gram per tonne gold, 51.1 grams per tonne silver and 0.2 per cent arsenic (Assessment Report 14583). In 1985, Ryan Exploration collected 65 trench rock samples during an eight-day mapping, trenching and sampling program. Rock results showed low base metal values in a high arsenic system. Copper values were commonly 100-300 parts per million, with 27 samples over 0.1 per cent and one with 0.48 per cent copper (Assessment Report 15252). Lead values ranged from 10-40 parts per million up to 0.23 per cent lead. Zinc values corresponded with lead assays (ranging up to 0.28 per cent zinc). Gold and silver values were weakly anomalous with gold highs including 0.11, 0.16 and 0.21 gram per tonne, and silver values of 2.0 to 7.9 grams per tonne found frequently (Assessment Report 15252).
In 2000, Valley Gold Ltd. explored the property as the French claim. Work included trench sampling of 42 widely spaced soil samples for verification of historical results, collection of 18 trench rock samples for petrography, whole rock geochemistry and ICP analysis (Assessment Report 26459). Results from the program include copper values exceeding up to 0.33 per cent, which are accompanied by high molybdenum values (Assessment Report 26459). The petrographic studies of indicated mineralization is associated with a high-level porphyry system.
In 2005, APEX conducted a reconnaissance exploration program, consisting of a compilation of all prior exploration in the area, and a brief field visit designed to verify the presence of historically reported mineralization. In total, 19 rock grab samples were collected, with values up to 0.08 gram per tonne gold and 0.2 per cent copper (Assessment Report 30035). Exploration during the 2006 field season consisted of the completion of a helicopter-borne electromagnetic and magnetometer survey over the French property.
The French property was staked by Robin Day in 2000, and title returned from optionee in the fall of 2017. During late September 2018, an induced polarization survey totalling 8 kilometres was undertaken. Overall, a 1-kilometre diameter chargeability high greater than 25 ms/s flanks and surrounds a core resistivity low, and is coincident with a copper soil anomaly.
