The Garnet and Ruby groups of claims are located on the northwestern end of the peninsula between Fairfax and Botany Inlets, Tasu Sound, at an elevation of between 91 and 290 metres.
In 1908 the property was staked as the Ajax group by Messrs. Chapman, Kitson, and Husband. At that time a 21-metre adit (Tommy adit) was driven on the southern boundary of the claims.
Five claims, the Garnet 1 and 2, and Ruby 1-3, were located in 1953 by R.E. Wolverton for The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited. Intermittent exploration by trenching was carried out over the next few years. The claims were retained by Mr. Wolverton after the company's interest terminated.
In 1962 Silver Standard Mines Limited optioned the five claims. Work done between November 12 and December 10 of that year included drilling four packsack holes totalling 65 metres, cleaning out some trenches, and conducting a magnetometer survey. The option was subsequently dropped.
Bardale Mining and Development Ltd., by an October 1964 option agreement, acquired the Garnet 1 and 2, and Ruby 1-3 claims from R.E. Wolverton and R.F. Sandner. Additional staking was done to a total of 61 claims. By an agreement of August 1965 the above option was assigned to Moresby Mines Limited. Work during the period 1964-1966 included 3353 metres of trenching, 21 kilometres of line cutting, a magnetometer survey on a 61 by 15 metre grid, geological and geochemical surveying and mapping, and 496 metres of diamond drilling in 12 holes.
From June 1967 to August 1968, the 61 claims were under option to Canadian Superior Exploration Limited from Moresby Mines Limited. During that time the work done included mapping the surface workings, geological mapping on an area 914 by 732 metres on the Ruby 1, 2, and 4 and Garnet 15, 17, and 19, an induced polarization survey covering 15 claims, a magnetometer survey covering 6 claims, geochemical sampling on 6 claims, 13 trenches, totalling 62 metres, and drilling of 6 holes totalling 600 metres.
From February 1971 the claims were operated by Imperial Oil Enterprises Ltd. Development work by the company included topographical and geological mapping, a geochemical survey, an induced polarization survey, and 10 holes drilled totalling 650 metres. The option was dropped in 1972.
The Dowa Mining Co., Ltd. optioned the property in 1974. Three holes were diamond drilled a total of 215 metres on Garnet 1 and 2.
Alyska Resources Corporation mapped and sampled the property in 1997.
Greenstones of the Upper Triassic Vancouver Group, Karmutsen Formation are intruded by quartz diorites of the Middle Jurassic San Christoval Pluton. The greenstones are overlain by massive grey limestone of the Upper Triassic Sadler Formation (Kunga Group), which forms a northwest trending synclinal keel west of the batholith. Diorite dikes cut the volcanics and sediments.
Three main types of mineralization occur in several showings on the property. Massive magnetite, with minor gold and silver and varying amounts of pyrite and chalcopyrite, is best represented by a showing trenched and drilled in 1966 by Moresby Mines. A 60 by 10 metre mineralized body within greenstones and limestone at the northeast margin of the limestone keel averaged 1.3 per cent copper, 23.7 per cent iron and 20.6 grams per tonne silver. A 150 by 6 metre body, with similar mineralization, 250 metres to the southwest, averaged 2.1 per cent copper, 48 per cent iron and 6.9 grams per tonne gold (Elwell, J.P., 1964).
North of the latter body, by about 100 metres, is a wide zone (over 25 metres) of massive sphalerite with varying amounts of magnetite, chalcopyrite and pyrite and minor gold-silver values, within altered limestone, near the limestone-greenstone contact. The zone strikes roughly 125 degrees for about 150 metres and dips about 60 degrees to the east. A 24-metre wide chip sample at the southern end of the zone assayed 12.05 per cent zinc, 2.30 per cent copper, 12.40 per cent iron, 89.1 grams per tonne silver and 0.69 gram per tonne gold. Drill results were poor (Elwell, J.P. 1964).
The third type of mineralization occurs north east of the massive magnetite zones, in an area measuring about 1500 by 500 metres, within the San Christoval quartz diorite over the northern most 2 kilometres of the Corlett Peninsula. Mineralization consists of pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite disseminated and on fractures associated with quartz, chlorite, actinolite and sericite. Mineralization occurs in zones up to about 10 metres wide that are separated by barren quartz diorite. Thirty-three rock samples averaged 0.029 per cent copper, with gold values ranging from 0.14 gram per tonne to less than 0.005 gram per tonne (Assessment report 25123, page 9).
Smaller scattered occurrences of skarn mineralization are widespread throughout the area. They typically form lenses, pods, veins and somewhat irregular replacements of limestone, almost always adjacent to faults occupied by basalt to andesite dikes.
