The Silicon Cirque showing is located 6 kilometres west of Anderson Lake and 2.5 kilometres north of McGillivray Creek.
In the region of the Silicon Cirque showing, the Cadwallader and Ferguson faults transect sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Mississippian to Jurassic Bridge River Complex and the Upper Triassic Cadwallader Group. Linear, altered serpentinite zones called the President Ultramafics, correlative with the Permian and older Shulaps Ultramafic Complex, mark faults that have controlled the emplacement of diorite of the Permian Bralorne Igneous Complex. The above sequence lies between bodies of the Jurassic to Tertiary Coast Plutonic Complex and outlying bodies of Cretaceous to Tertiary Bendor pluton granodiorite.
The area is entirely underlain by diorite of the Bralorne Igneous Complex. However, ultramafic rocks and albitite dikes intrude the diorite along the Ferguson overthrust, 500 metres to the east. The showing consists of at least five primary quartz veins (Snow, Dufer, Goofer, Ted’s and Waterfall) occupying a quartz- carbonate to listwanite-altered conjugate fracture system. The veins strike 020 to 040 degrees and 120 to 140 degrees, and have shallow dips to the south. Vein widths average 30 centimetres but widths in the 1 to 2 metre range also occur. Several veins have been traced for more than 400 metres along strike. The veins contain up to 3 per cent sulphides consisting of tetrahedrite, galena, and sphalerite with pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite adjacent to some of the veins in the country rocks. Pyrite is common within the quartz- carbonate to listwanite alteration zone. The Ted’s and Waterfall veins are located 500 metres to the north of the Snow vein.
In 1989, sampling yielded values up to 0.49 gram per tonne gold, 74.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.12 per cent tungsten (Assessment Report 19276). The following year, samples (Nos. 24395 and 24396) from the Snow vein yielded up to 0.49 and 0.38 gram per tonne gold, while samples (Nos. 24183, 24184 and 24393) from tetrahedrite-rich sections of the veins yielded values up to and greater than, 200 grams per tonne silver, 0.55 per cent arsenic, 0.4 per cent antimony and 0.48 per cent copper (Assessment Report 19604). A sample (No. 24160) of galena and sphalerite-rich sections assayed up to 99.0 grams per tonne silver with 1 to 2 per cent lead and zinc (Assessment Report 19604).
Part of the Silicon Cirque showing is the 600-metre long Big Orange zone. This zone constitutes a 75-metre wide pyritic quartz-carbonate to listwanite alteration zone with associated parallel quartz veins and minor crosscutting quartz veinlets and stringers. A few of the veins within this zone contain tungsten mineralization. In 1989, samples (Nos. 24189, 24200) assayed up to 0.12 per cent tungsten (Assessment Report 19604).
Another alteration zone, known as the Big Red zone, consists of a 170-metre long zone of dark red quartz-carbonate alteration and veining that transects Diorite Peak.
The area was originally explored by pits and trenches in the early 1930’s. Stream sediment and heavy mineral sampling were conducted in the vicinity of the Silicon Cirque showing by Silver Standard Mines in 1979 and X-Cal Resources Ltd. in 1983. Noranda Mines and Placer Development confirmed several anomalies. In 1985, Hudson Bay Exploration and Development completed a program of geochemical sampling, geological mapping and a ground electromagnetic survey. In 1989 and 1990, Teck completed programs of rock, silt and soil sampling, geological mapping and a ground electromagnetic survey on the area as the Veegee property. In 1991, Cogema completed a program of geochemical sampling and geological mapping on the area. In 2007 and 2008, airborne ZTEM surveys were completed on the area. In 2009, a MMI soil sampling program was completed. In 2011, Worthington Resources Ltd. completed a 408.5 line-kilometre airborne ZTEM survey on the area as the Royalle property.
