The Albion (L.3340) occurrence is located on a high bluff north of Loon Lake and approximately 1.2 kilometres southwest of Ainsworth. The Black Diamond & Little Phill (MINFILE 082FNE149) occurrence lies immediately to the west.

Regionally, the area is underlain by hornblende schists, limestone and banded quartzite of the Upper Mississippian to Permian Milford Formation and basaltic volcanic rocks of the Carboniferous to Permian Kaslo Group. Granodioritic intrusive rocks of the Middle Jurassic Nelson Batholith are exposed to the west.

The occurrence is hosted by micaceous and chlorite schists, quartzites, and limestones of the Mississippian to Permian Milford Formation intruded by sills of granite and quartz monzonite and lamprophyre dikes. The vein is parallel to bedding and schistosity and varies considerably in width and grade.

The average mining width is 2.3 metres, comprising approximately 0.6 metre of nearly barren hangingwall gouge, up to 1 metre of galena and sphalerite in a gangue of quartz and carbonates and up to 1 metre of footwall consisting of irregularly spaced veinlets of sphalerite in quartz. The ore is restricted to the vicinity of a shear and a lamprophyre in the vein.

The Highlander vein outcrops on the Albion, Banker and Jackpot claims. See Highlander (MINFILE 082FNE030) for further details.

Intermittent production during 1917 through 1925 yielded 120 tonnes of ore containing 84 414 grams of silver, 58 526 kilograms of lead and 6445 kilograms of zinc. Further production after 1949 was included with the Highlander (MINFILE 082FNE030) mine.

Work History

The Albion was Crown granted in 1899 by the Albion Mining Co. and worked intermittently. The main tunnel was started in late 1902. In 1907, approximately 60 metres of tunnelling was performed from the main tunnel of the Highland Mining Company. In 1927, a new tunnel was started and approximately 124 metres of underground work and 120 metres of diamond drilling was completed the following year.

The property was acquired by Yale Lead and Zinc Mines Ltd. in 1949 and worked as part of the Highlander (MINFILE 082FNE030) property until 1958. In 1950, a raise was driven in ore from the north Highlander drift to the Albion drift and sublevels were established off the Albion raise at elevations of approximately 670, 701 and 747 metres. By the end of 1955 the Albion orebody was reported to have been mined out above the 2150 (655 metre) level. The following year, the main ore pillars, including the main-raise pillar, were removed. In 1957, the workings were reported to have bottomed 18 metres above the 1900 (579 metre) level.

In 1979, David Minerals Ltd. conducted a program of geochemical (stream and silt) sampling on the area as the Peanut Butter claims of the Ainsworth property.

In 2012, David Wallach prospected and rock sampled the area as the Ainsworth property. In 2019, Bill Mckinney conducted a program of prospecting, rock sampling and aerial photo structural interpretation on the Ainsworth property. In 2021, a 24.0 line-kilometre airborne (drone) magnetic survey was conducted on the area by Taylor Lorenzen. In 2023, Turnagain Resources Inc. conducted a further program of prospecting, rock sampling and aerial photo structural interpretation on the Ainsworth property.