The Mardav (Elsiar West) occurrence is located on a east-west trending ridge separating the Little Cedar River to the north and the Kitsumkalum River to the south, approximately 20 kilometres north west of the north end of Kitsumkalum Lake.
The area is underlain by Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous black carbonaceous argillites and greywackes of the Bowser Lake Group which have been intruded by porphyritic quartz monzonite of probable Eocene age. Granodiorite of the Creatceous to Tertiary Coast Plutonic Complex lies to the west. The sediments trend north-northeast to north-northwest with moderate to steep west dips. They are locally graphitic and are weakly to moderately altered to biotite hornfels near the intrusive rocks. The plug-like and dike-like intrusions of quartz monzonite are strung out in a north-northeast direction.
Locally, a sequence of fine-grained siltstone/argillite with minor interbedded lithic arenite/wacke hosts limonite-altered quartz veins, stockworks and quartz breccia zones with trace to minor pyrite, chalcopyrite and/or galena. The sediments are cut by 1 to 3-metre wide feldspar porphyry and less common aplite dikes and/or sills. Previous work has indicated that molybdenite occurs in quartz veins and on fracture surfaces within the felsic intrusive rocks.
In 2008, a float boulder sample (FULCR001) assayed 0.238 per cent molybdenum, 0.386 per cent copper, 18 grams per tonne silver and 0.320 gram per tonne gold (Kenwood, S. (2011-01-07): 2010 Exploration and Geological Report for the Elsiar Cu-Mo Porphyry Property).
In 2010, a sample of vein material (JBLCR003) assayed 0.145 gram per tonne gold, 19.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.716 per cent copper, while a 0.5 metre long chip sample (AHLCR083) from a 3 metre wide quartz veined and brecciated zone in siltstone yielded 0.150 gram per tonne gold (Kenwood, S. (2011-01-07): 2010 Exploration and Geological Report for the Elsiar Cu-Mo Porphyry Property).
The area has been explored in conjunction with the nearby Macex (MINFILE 103I 021) occurrence and a full exploration/work history can be found there.
