The Crystal Creek occurrence lies on the north side of Crystal Creek, the northern tributary of Crystalline Creek. These showings lie between Vermont and Crystalline creeks, approximately 45 kilometres south of Golden.

Regionally, the area is underlain by Proterozoic rocks of the Horsethief Creek Group. Reesor, described the Horsethief Group as "great thicknesses of slate, argillite, and phyllite as well as lesser amounts of quartzite, greywacke, and limestone. In addition,"...it contains considerable thicknesses of quartz-pebble conglomerates and pebbly grit." (Memoir 369, p. 27). Regional metamorphism within the area is lower to middle greenschist facies. Locally, contact metamorphism superimposed on the regional metamorphism has given rise to assemblages characteristic of the almandine-amphibolite facies.

The predominant rock types in the occurrence area are argillite and phyllites ranging from light- grey to black in colour. They vary in character, from massive and structure-less to thinly laminated and bedded. Clastic rocks in the local area include quartzite, arkose, grit and pebble conglomerate. These are light grey and green in colour, although dark -grey varieties are present. Here, the clastic rocks are interbedded with argillite and phyllite.

The major structure in the area is an anticlinorium. Secondary folds plunge north and south. Fractures paralleling axial planes are mineralized with quartz veins that carry sulphides. Mineralization also appears to have been localized by folds and shears.

Argentiferous galena, sphalerite and pyrite occur in slates, quartzites and limestones. One showing consists of massive galena, minor pyrite and sphalerite along a series of fractures in the quartzite, that strike 120 to 125 degrees and dip steeply. The fractures form a series of sulphides lenses 0.3 to 0.6- metre thick and more than a metre long, more or less parallel to a bed of quartzite. Galena and sphalerite also occur disseminated in quartzite. Locally, the quartzite, near fractures, is replaced by sulphides. Replacement sulphides have also been observed in carbonates. Mineralization is also associated with quartz veins in dolomitic limestone and phyllite. Some quartz veins contain argentiferous galena, chalcopyrite and malachite. Azurite, boulangerite, stibnite and tetrahedrite are reported to be associated with faults or shear zones in carbonate strata. The mineralization has been traced, by diamond drilling and trenching, in four locations, along a northwest-southeast strike for approximately 660 metres. The main (LCP) zone is the most southerly of these, with the other three zones being located approximately 200 metres to the north east, 300 metres north and 500 metres north of the main zone.

Showings on the north side of Crystal Creek were reported as early as 1890. In 1965, Mr. R. Renn located and staked the Atlas group. The group was then optioned by Purcell Range Mines Ltd., who did some stripping using a bulldozer. In 1967, ownership of the claims was transferred to Medesto Exploration Ltd. This company changed their name to Cochrane Oil & Gas in 1978. From 1967 to 1977, Medesto conducted soil surveys, trenching and diamond drilling on the occurrence. Drilling is reported to have yielded up to 5.5 per cent combined lead-zinc and grams per tonne silver over 11 metres of stratabound sulfides (Property File - First Nuclear Corp. [1980-01-01]: 1980 Summary Report on Project 11, Spillimacheen). Highlights of drilling, between 1975 and 1977, include: 2.11 per cent lead, 5.43 per cent zinc with 79.7 grams per tonne silver over 2.4 metres in hole 75-1 and 3.43 per cent lead, 8.61 per cent zinc with 116 grams per tonne silver over 4.65 metres in hole 77-3 (Property File - Ruth Vermont Mine Ltd. [1982-09-15]: Report on the Ruth Vermont Mine Belt).

In 1979, Norcen Energy Resources optioned the property and accumulated claims extending from the Ruth-Vermont Mine site on Vermont Creek to Crystalline Creek, Vowell Creek and Warren Creek. Theis area was referred to as the Crystal Creek project. This large area included the Cog, Pro and Tect claim groups. Work carried out by Norcen in 1979, was restricted to a gridded area that included the showings north of Crystal Creek. They completed geological mapping, soil surveys, an electromagnetic survey and 12 diamond drill holes, totalling 763 metres. In 1980, under a similar program, Norcen drilled a total of 530 metres. As a result, they found anomalous areas coincidental with axial plane traces of major folds that contained localized mineralization. Highlights of drilling between 1979 and 1981 include: 12.49 per cent lead and 13.13 per cent zinc with 435 grams per tonne silver over 39 centimetres in hole 79-11; 5.58 per cent lead and 8.74 per cent zinc with 195 grams per tonne silver over 2.06 metres in hole 79-8 and 1.72 per cent lead and 7.34 per cent zinc with 72.5 grams per tonne silver over 1.62 metres in hole 81-3 (Property File - Ruth Vermont Mine Ltd. [1982-09-15]: Report on the Ruth Vermont Mine Belt).

In 1981 and 1982, Bluesky Oil & Gas Ltd. and Ruth Vermont Mine Ltd. explored the property under a joint venture agreement with Cochrane Oil & Gas Ltd. Work included geological mapping, magnetometer, electromagnetometer and self potential surveys. The joint venture drilled four drill holes, totalling 440 metres, on the Tect claims. Average metal values from 16 selected assays from these holes yielded 5.53 per cent lead, 7.85 per cent zinc and 224.23 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 9671, page 10).

Cochrane Oil & Gas Ltd. contracted Nolin Geo Enterprises to conduct an exploration program in 1982 and a follow-up program in 1983. A total of 4000 metres of detailed self-potential surveys was run on the Tect grid, 650 metres of both self-potential and magnetometer lines were completed over the Cog II grid. Approximately 759 metres of self-potential and 250 metres of gravity work were run over the North Pro grid. During this time, two massive argentiferous galena-boulangerite veins, each greater than 0.3 metre in width, were identified near the north west boundary of the VMT 2 claim. Samples of the veins yielded up to 44.5 per cent lead, 2.63 per cent zinc, 1515 grams per tonne silver and 6.2 grams per tonne gold (Property File - Bright Star Metals Inc. [2000-05-16]: Assessment Report for the Ruth-Vermont, BB and VMT Claim Groups).

In 2000, Mountain Star Resources Limited and Bright Star Metals Inc. acquired the option (VMT claims) and drilled the "LCP zone" but were not able to "demonstrate continuity of sulphides". Some of the sulphides "suggest primary sulphide deposition others a replacement origin". They reported that most of the sulphides in the drill holes "appear to be bedded"(Assessment Report 26405). Sampling of a past trench (75-3), located approximately 200 metres north east of the main zone, yielded 7.3 per cent lead, 8.3 per cent zinc, 12.6 per cent antimony, 1.07 per cent copper, 189 grams per tonne silver and 0.99 gram per tonne gold (Property File - Bright Star Metals Inc. [2000-05-16]: Assessment Report for the Ruth-Vermont, BB and VMT Claim Groups).

In 2000, MineQuest Exploration Associates Ltd. drilled five holes, totalling approximately 1000 metres, as part of its ongoing exploration of the Ruth-Vermont (MINFILE 082KNE009) claim. The property was owned by Bright Star Metals Inc. Following the program along the Vermont Creek valley and LCP zone (MINFILE 082KNE011- Crystal Creek), the CYD claim group was staked by the company to cover the interpreted sub-surface projection of a favourable horizon. Highlights of drilling included 3.19 per cent lead, 2.70 per cent zinc with 51 grams per tonne silver over 2.59 metres and 2.89 per cent lead, 0.71 per cent zinc with 329 grams per tonne silver over 0.42 metre from hole VC-03 (Property File - Bright Star Metals Inc. [2000-12-01]: Report - Drilling 2000 - Vowell Creek claims).

In February 2001, Bright Star changed its name to Jasper Mining Corporation and held a contiguous block of mineral claims, Crown grants and reverted Crown grants extending approximately 19 kilometres on a northwest-southeast direction and centred approximately on the former Ruth-Vermont mine.

In 2002, Jasper Mining Corporation carried out a surface exploration program on their Vowell Creek property. The work program this year included soil and rock sampling, geological mapping, and prospecting. Rock and soil sampling demonstrated that significant gold mineralization is associated with the vein system.

In 2003, Jasper Mining Corporation carried out a surface drill program consisting of 3200 metres in 21 holes. The primary purpose of the drill program was to test for extensions to the Ruth- Vermont vein system, particularly on the north side of Vermont Creek. On the south side of Vermont Creek, drill holes intersected the Ruth vein system above the underground workings, but the zone was thinner than anticipated by the company. On the north side of the creek, no mineralization was intersected along the strike projection, suggesting it has either pinched out or become offset. During the work, the company identified a second phase of gold mineralization. Gold occurs in arsenopyrite veins that are associated with a grit package immediately underlying the mine sequence.

In 2004, Jasper reportedly carried out approximately 2000 metres of diamond drilling on the property.

In 2005, Jasper Mining Corporation carried out air-borne geophysics and follow-up diamond drilling consisting of a total of 1224 metres in eight holes. The 2005, field program was intended to target base metal mineralization in the previously identified LCP zone on Crystal Creek. Coincident Pb-Zn surface soil anomalies along the north side of Crystal Creek had been previously evaluated in earlier programs, resulting in many silver-enriched base metal intercepts comprising the LCP zone. A strong, highly anomalous Pb-Zn anomaly below the LCP zone had not been tested and was to be the target of the 2005 program. Two geophysical anomalies (low resistivity) were drilled in 2005, but unexpectedly turned out to be due to the presence of graphite. The UTM locations of the drill holes reported in the November press release on graphite potential were greater than 1 kilometre away from the LCP occurrence (Press Release, November 15, 2005).