The Copper Cliff occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 840 metres, north of Birk Creek and approximately 2.6 kilometres northwest of the west end of North Barriere Lake.

The area is underlain by metavolcanic and lesser meta- sedimentary rocks of the Eagle Bay Formation of Devonian to Mississippian age. The volcanics include felsic tuffs and flows, metamorphosed to quartz-sericite schists and quartz- chlorite schists. The metavolcanics are intercalated with and overlain by limestone and graphitic argillite and phyllite.

The rocks trend east-west, with a prominent foliation dipping 5 to 20 degrees to the north.

Small stocks of fine-grained, porphyritic granodiorite to quartz diorite intrude the metavolcanics. The Cretaceous Baldy Batholith of quartz monzonite to granodiorite composition lies north of the area.

Mineralization on the Copper Cliff showing consists of a lens of massive pyrite with minor galena, sphalerite and chalco- pyrite in quartz-sericite schist.

A grab sample assayed 1.5 per cent copper and 20.6 grams per tonne silver (Annual Report 1924).

During 1938 through 1940, it is reported that 234 tonnes grading 2.0 per cent copper, 57.0 grams per tonne silver and 28.0 grams per tonne gold were shipped from lower Birk Creek (Copper Cliff occurrence?) yielding 4800 kilograms of copper, 13.50 kilograms of silver and 6.50 kilograms of gold (Assessment Report 21208). Some or all of this production may have come from the nearby Rainbow (MINFILE 082M 221) occurrence.

Samples of dump material from a caved short adit are reported to have yielded up to 0.68 gram per tonne gold, 54.7 grams per tonne silver, 0.8 per cent copper, 2.7 per cent lead and 8.5 per cent zinc (Property File – unknown [unknown]: Report on the Iron Cap Group).

In 1976, a chip sample is reported to have yielded 0.70 per cent copper over 1.8 metres (Property File - Gower, S.C. [1976-11-01]: Geology Map of the Birk 1 and 2 Claims).

In 1990, re-logging of Kennco’s 1950s era drillhole K-6, located northwest of the historical workings, yielded 0.40 per cent copper and 5.50 per cent zinc over 1.53 metres (Assessment Report 21208).

Work History

The area has been explored since the early 1900s, and at least two adits and/or tunnels, up to 48 metres long, and trenches had been developed by the 1930s.

In 1951 and 1952, Kennco Explorations Ltd. completed programs of bio- and geochemical sampling, a 26.0 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey and seven diamond drill holes, totalling 550 metres, on the area as the Johnson property. In 1966, the Mining Corporation of Canada Ltd. explored the area.

During 1969 through 1972, Duncanex Resources Ltd. completed programs of soil sampling, geological mapping, geophysical surveys, trenching and seven diamond drillholes, totalling 711 metres, on the area. During 1976 through 1978, Cominco Ltd. completed a program of rock and soil sampling, geological mapping, trenching, 17.1 line-kilometres of ground electromagnetic and induced polarization surveys and six diamond drill holes, totalling 772.2 metres, on the area as the Bet 1-5 claims.

In 1982, Preussag Canada Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, a 12.5 line-kilometre electromagnetic survey and a lone drillhole, totalling 120 metres, on the Bet claims. In 1985, Noranda Mining and Exploration Inc. completed a 280 line-kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey on the area.

During 1989 through 1991, Falconbridge Ltd. completed programs of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, geological mapping, 97.7 line-kilometres of combined ground magnetic, electromagnetic and induced polarization surveys, trenching and at least nine diamond drill holes, totalling 2619.2 metres, on the Bluff, Bet, Mac, Raven, Rust and Percy claims.

During 2005 through 2010, the area was prospected and (rock, silt and soil) sampled as the Stellar claims.