The Valley and Ridge showings are located on the east bank of the Nass River south of Zolzap Creek. The area has periodically been explored for molybdenite mineralization.

The area is underlain by Middle Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous Bowser Lake Group argillaceous sediments intruded by the Ponder granodiorite pluton of the Tertiary Coast Plutonic Complex. Several molybdenum showings occur along the northern limit of the Ponder pluton and the Valley and Ridge showings are in this group.

There are several molybdenite showings in this area. Near the north boundary of the Valley and Ridge claims, two small circular stocks of porphyritic quartz monzonite occur 600 metres apart on opposite sides of a lineament (fault?). The stocks intrude granodiorite except along the northern margins where they are in contact with hornfelsed sediments.

Molybdenite mineralization is exposed in trenches near the central part of the Valley stock. The mineralization occurs in quartz veinlets and fractures and as disseminations in quartz monzonite porphyry, alaskite dikes and hornfelsed greywacke. Pyrite is common in the intrusions and chalcopyrite is present in trace amounts in quartz veinlets. Ferrimolybdate is occasionally visible on fracture surfaces and iron oxide staining is common. On other claims in the area, shear zones in sedimentary rocks contain pyrite, pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite. The intrusions are moderately fractured and, locally silicified and sericitized. In 1966, samples from drillhole V-11 over the entire length of the hole (from 4 to 121 metres) assayed 0.09 per cent MoS2 (Assessment Report 6232).

In 1968, stream sediment sampling by Riocanex up-creek of the Valley prospect returned anomalous molybdenum values. As the area was currently staked, Riocanex took no action at the time. In 1979, with the renewed interest in molybdenum, Riocanex staked the Zol claim to protect this anomaly and the Valley claim to the south in June 1980. After completion of staking, exploration of the two claims proceeded and consisted of soil geochemical sampling and reconnaissance geological mapping along lines 200 metres apart. In 1981, Noranda Exploration Company Limited established 3.4 kilometres of grid over the property and a soil sampling survey was carried out concurrently with a magnetic and geological survey.