The Tinmilsh Lake occurrence is located approximately 700 metres northeast of the north end of Tinmilsh Lake, 300 metres west of Highway 5 and 5.0 kilometres north of Aspen Grove.

Regionally, the area is underlain by the Upper Triassic Nicola Group, which regionally consists of alkalic and calc-alkalic volcanics and intrusions of island arc origin, and which is the principal component of the Quesnel terrane in southern British Columbia (Geological Survey of Canada Maps 41-1989, 1713A). The area lies in the Central Belt or facies of the Nicola Group (after Preto, Bulletin 69). This belt of rocks mainly consists of subaerial and submarine, red or purple to green augite plagioclase porphyritic andesitic and basaltic flows, volcanic breccia and tuff, and minor argillites and limestone. The volcanics are intruded by bodies of comagmatic Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic diorite to monzonite. The area is characterized by long-lived, primarily north-striking faults and related fracturing, which originally controlled intrusion emplacement. East-striking faults are subordinate, and commonly offset intrusive contacts.

Locally, native copper occurs in red volcanic and laharic breccia of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group (Central Belt, Bulletin 69). The showing lies immediately east of the faulted contact with a small body of Triassic-Jurassic quartz diorite.

Another zone of mineralization, located on the former Blue Jay 12 claim and approximately 850 metres south-southwest of the plotted location of the Tinmilsh Lake occurrence, comprises a number of historical pits exposing chalcopyrite, bornite and malachite in andesitic and basaltic flows and/or breccias.

Work History

Numerous historical pits, likely dating to the early 1900s, have been developed on the occurrence area.

In 1968, Ashland Oil and Refining Company completed a 28.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic and induced polarization survey on the area immediately east of the occurrence as the Blue Jay claims. In 1971, Rio Tinto Canadian Exploration Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping and a 50.6 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Blue Jay and Lee claims.

In 1991, Northair Mines Ltd. completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the area as the Shear property. The following year, Placer Dome Inc. completed a program of geological mapping, trenching and soil sampling on the property. In 1993, Northair Mines Ltd. completed a further program of rock sampling on the property. In 1997, Christopher James Gold Corp. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and a 13.8 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the area as the Big Kidd property.

In 2001, the Douglas Lake Cattle Co. staked the area and completed a limited program of geological mapping and geochemical sampling in 2002. The claims were re-staked in 2005 and 2006 by R. Billingsley, G. Richards and G. Diakow.

In 2007, Etna Resources Inc. completed a 366 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the area immediately east of the occurrence as the Aspen Grove property. In 2008, Christopher James Gold Corp. completed a 1113.5 line-kilometre airborne magnetic-radiometric survey on the Big Kidd property. In 2009, a further program of geological mapping, soil sampling and 48.8 line-kilometres of ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys were completed on the Aspen Grove property.

In 2011 and 2012, Xstrata Copper Canada Corp., on behalf of Jiulian Resources Ltd., completed programs of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and a 56.8 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the Big Kidd property.

In 2013, New Chris Minerals Ltd. completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the area as the Aspen Grove property on behalf of Richard Billingsley. In 2017, Cazador Explorations Ltd. completed a 145.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic survey on the property.