The IXL occurrence is located 57 kilometres north of Grand Forks on the north western slopes of Mount McKinley.

The area is underlain by crystalline limestone of the Devonian-Triassic Harper Ranch (Franklin) Group, which is intruded by granodiorite of an unnamed Middle Jurassic Intrusion. Younger volcanics of the Eocene Marron Formation (Penticton Group) are exposed on either side of the limestone and Eocene conglomerates are exposed to the southeast. Strong northwest- trending cross-faulting or shearing occurs on the property.

Locally, at the IXL occurrence, a minor amount of garnet-epidote-pyroxene skarn contains small amounts of sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and magnetite. The skarn zone is associated with a remnant of limestone in a siliceous pyritic feldspar porphyry that contains trace to 5 per cent pyrite and lesser amounts of chalcopyrite and malachite as disseminations and fracture fillings. The mineralized area is 600 by 200 metres in size. A rusty mineralized quartz vein with minor galena is also reported to be exposed in a nearby creek.

In 1969, chip sampling of trenches yielded up to 44.5 grams per tonne gold, 153.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.52 per cent copper over 3 metres in trench no. 1 and 0.95 per cent copper over 3.6 metres from trench no. 2 (Property File - G.W.H. Norman [1969-01-01]: Franklin Project Grand Forks Area - 1969 - Field Work, Geological Considerations and Results - Geochemical Soil & Stream Sediment Survey). Check assays for gold on these samples yielded much lower results, as much as a factor of 10 less. Diamond drilling, during this time, is reported to have yielded up to 0.26 per cent copper over 1.5 metres (Property File - L. Lee [1989-11-01]: Summary Report - Burrell Creek).

In 1970, a continuous chip sample over 21 metres of the feldspar porphyry assayed 0.78 per cent copper (Property File - R.W. Phendler [1970-06-19]: Report on the Franklin Camp Grand Forks, British Columbia for Great Plains Development Co. of Canada Ltd.).

In 1989, a sample from the northern mineralized skarn yielded 2.03 per cent copper, 1.67 per lead, 8.13 per cent zinc, 52.2 grams per tonne silver and 0.33 gram per tonne gold, while a sample of the mineralized vein assayed 0.13 per cent copper, 3.30 per cent lead, 49.5 grams per tonne silver and 0.14 gram per tonne gold (Property File - L. Lee [1989-11-01]: Summary Report - Burrell Creek).

In 1991, samples of the porphyry assayed up to 1 per cent copper and 1.6 gram per tonne gold, averaging 0.12 per cent copper and 0.16 gram per tonne gold, while 14 samples of the skarn zone yielded an average grade of 0.24 per cent copper, 0.36 per cent zinc, 0.088 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21768).

Two distinct mineralized epidote-chlorite-magnetite skarn horizons were exposed by trenching in 2004. The Lower zone was known prior to the 2004 program, from Newmont work in the late 1960s. During the 2004 program, six trenches were dug to test the Lower zone. Mineralization was exposed at the Lower zone by trenching intermittently over a strike length of 390 metres. Subsequent drilling showed that the zone has a limited depth extent due to a thick feldspar porphyry sill that truncates the horizon at depth. On surface, the horizon is only intermittently present due to the erosional level, which has removed the horizon locally and exposed the underlying feldspar porphyry sill. Where exposed, the Lower zone ranges in thickness from 3 to greater than 20 metres. The southern-most trench (No. 7) on the zone had the highest gold grades, with an average grade of 0.8 per cent copper and 3.85 grams per tonne gold over 5.5 metres (Assessment Report 27626). Two other trenches (No. 1 and 11), located 110 and 310 metres to the north east of trench 7, yielded 0.86 gram per tonne gold and 0.65 per cent copper over 30 metres and 0.52 gram per tonne gold, 154 grams per tonne silver, 2.84 per cent copper, 3.2 per cent lead and 6.93 per cent zinc over 3 metres, respectively (Property File - Stockwatch News [2004-10-13]: Exploration results the IXL, Burrell and Extension claims).

In 2003, Tuxedo, drilled a single drill hole to test the area of 1970 trenching, 100 metres south of the previously mentioned trench 1. The hole intersected an 18.4 metre interval assaying 1.86 grams per tonne gold and a 4.7-metre interval assaying 2.07 grams per tonne gold.

The Upper zone, parallel to the Lower zone and situated 100 metres to the southeast, was exposed intermittently over a strike length of approximately 60 metres in two trenches but two other trenches failed to find the on-strike continuation of the zone. To the northeast, the zone is cut-off by a northwest- trending fault zone. At depth and to the southwest, the zone has been cut- off by a gently northeast- dipping feldspar porphyry sill. Trench 04-3 was dug to test the surface expression of the Upper zone above the 2003 drill hole intercept and yielded an interval of 20.5 metres grading 0.17 per cent copper and 1.21 grams per tonne gold across the zone (Assessment Report 27626).

In 2004, diamond drilling yielded up to 2.49 per cent copper, 76.3 grams per tonne silver and 0.30 gram per tonne gold over 1.1 metres in hole IXL 04-10 and 0.39 per cent copper and 1.26 grams per tonne gold over 5.7 metres in hole IXL 04-1 (Property File - Stockwatch News [2004-12-14]: Grand Forks, BC exploration results - IXL claims).

The IXL claim (Lot 1030s) was located in 1904 and Crown granted in 1910. Trenching was apparently conducted somewhere in this vicinity in the late 1920s. In 1969, geological and IP surveys, trenching and three diamond drill holes were completed on the IXL claims by Canamax Resources Inc on the behalf of Newmont. These IXL claims are located to the south of Lot 1030s and primarily cover the Wallace Crown grant, Lot 142s. In 1970, Great Plains Development Co. completed a program of geological mapping and sampling. In 1980, the trenches were sampled and mapped for Richcore Exploration Ltd. In 1991, Canamax completed a program of geological mapping, sampling, soil sampling and airborne geophysics. During 1994, Sway Resources drilled eight holes at the IXL showing but these are poorly documented.

No further exploration, apart from minor assessment work programs to keep some of the claims in good standing, was completed on the Franklin property until it was acquired as a listing property by Tuxedo Resources Ltd. in 2001. Tuxedo assembled a very large land package, by way of seven separate option agreements. An airborne geophysical survey was completed over the property in 2001. Early in 2004, Tuxedo Resources (now Signature Resources) terminated the option agreements on all the remaining claims in the camp. Cougar Minerals Corp. subsequently optioned the IXL property from Mr. Carson, by way of an underlying agreement with New Cantech Ventures. Later in 2004, Mr. Carson acquired the Burrell #1-5 claims from Signature Resources and these claims were added to the IXL property. In 2004, a program of grid work, geophysics and excavator trenching was completed by Cougar Minerals. Cougar then entered into an agreement with New Cantech Ventures, whereby New Cantech could earn a 50 per cent interest in the property by funding the next phase in exploration. A diamond drill program, funded by New Cantech, was completed on the property in late 2004 and consisted of 1741 metres in 12 NQ holes. In 2005, a program of geology, rock sampling, prospecting and trenching was completed by New Cantech Ventures Inc.