The Knob 4-5 occurrence is located in the northeastern headwaters of Obling Creek, approximately 2.7 kilometres southeast of Knob Hill.
Regionally, the area is underlain by the Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group andesite to rhyodacite volcanics intruded by diorite of the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite. The structural setting comprises gentle folding and block faulting that, with the pervasive alteration, makes attitude determinations difficult. It is thought, however, that the volcanics generally strike northwest and dip southwest. A pyrite-clay-silica alteration zone extends the length of the volcanic belt and several mineral occurrences are associated with these volcanics.
Locally, as defined by drilling, disseminated pyrite, pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite, minor chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena and trace to 15 per cent magnetite mineralization is hosted in altered porphyritic feldspar andesite, rhyodacite, altered rhyolite, rhyolite breccia and tuff. The alteration assemblage consists of sericite, clay minerals, chlorite, epidote, biotite, quartz, pyrite and pyrrhotite with the sulphides replacing the mafic constituents.
In 1997, highlights of drilling included: 0.047 per cent copper, 2.75 grams per tonne silver and 0.38 gram per tonne gold over 24.0 metres of rhyolite breccia, including 0.159 per cent copper, 0.107 per cent zinc, 9.8 grams per tonne silver and 1.85 gram per tonne gold over 3.0 metres in hole 97-12 and 0.138 per cent copper with 4.2 grams per tonne silver over 18.0 metres in hole 97-16 (Assessment Report 25330).
The area has been historically explored in conjunction with the nearby Knob Hill (MINFILE 102I 005) occurrence. The Elk claims were originally staked in 1972 and a program of drilling and geophysical surveys were completed. In 1974, Cities Services Minerals Corp. completed an 11.0 line-kilometre geophysical survey on the area immediately northwest as the Deer claims. In 1975 and 1976, Chevron Standard Ltd. completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical (soil and rock) sampling,122 line-kilometres of ground geophysical surveys and five diamond drill holes, totalling 597.0 metres, on the Elk claims.
In 1980, Teck Explorations Ltd. completed a program of ground magnetometer and electromagnetic surveys and three diamond drill holes, totalling 83.82 metres, on the area. In 1990, Placer Dome Inc. completed a program of geochemical (soil and rock) sampling and geological mapping on the area as the Obling claims.
In 1993, the area was prospected as the Knob 1-24 claims by P.G. Dasler. In 1995, with support from the Explore BC Program, P.G. Dasler, P.Geo. completed 30.3 line-kilometres of magnetic surveys and collected and analyzed 1657 soil samples. This work, concentrated in the central part of the property to fill in and compliment previous work, defined extensive gold and arsenic anomalies coincident with a copper anomaly identified by Chevron in 1972. The data so far assembled points strongly to a high-level, porphyry-related, Le Panto-style gold deposit (Explore B.C. Program 95/96 - M95). In 1996 and 1997, First Choice Industries Ltd. and Kamaka Resources completed programs of soil sampling, ground geophysical surveys and 30 diamond drill holes, totalling 2505 metres, on the area.
