The Pomeroy 3,4 occurrence is located 3.25 kilometres south of Morte Lake and 4 kilometres west-northwest from the community of Heriot Bay on Quadra Island.
The first recorded mining on the western side of Quadra Island was in 1906 and 1907, when high-grade cores from the Copper Cliff occurrence (092K 012) were mined from an adit in the cliff face and shipped to a smelter in Ladysmith. Between 1915 and 1919, ore from the Pomeroy area (092K 071,072,119) was mined by the Valdez Copper Company and shipped to the smelter at Anyox. Samples from the Senator (092k 052) claim in the Pomeroy area were tested for radium in 1922. In 1929, Hercules Consolidated Mining Smelting and Power Company acquired the Pomeroy area as the Hercules 1 to 10 claims. In 1930, carnotite was identified from a sample from the property, however, its presence was not confirmed by other investigators. Between 1952 and 1953, Dodge Copper Mines drilled 145 drillholes totalling 2682 metres on various properties. In 1964, mining was conducted from a shallow pit on the Beaver occurrence (092K 073). Lonrho Explorations mined and heap leached ore from the Pomeroy 1 (092K 072) occurrence in 1968 and 1969. Between 1970 and 1979 portions of the area were held by Western Mines, Prince Stewart Mines, Quadra Mining and Quadra Bell Mining. During this period the Copper Bell occurrence (092K 105) was discovered by E.P. Sheppard. In 1990, G.M. Ford identified the area as containing significant copper reserves that may not have been adequately explored and staked the CCT, MCT and BN claims. They were subsequently optioned to Mintek Resources Ltd. who conducted a photometric analysis of the claim area.
The western-half of Quadra Island is underlain primarily by andesitic volcanic rocks of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation which are overlain and bounded on the east by a northwest trending belt of Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation limestone, both of the Vancouver Group.
The area is underlain by highly fractured and sheared Karmutsen Formation amygdaloidal andesitic flow rocks interlayered with dense, fine to medium grained andesitic units and minor thin beds of sedimentary and tuffaceous material. The flow rocks dip gently south and southeast and range in thickness from 0.3 to 3.6 metres and more. Many of the flows are highly amygdaloidal with the amygdules filled with calcite, quartz, chlorite, actinolite or prehnite. The rocks are chloritized and cut by numerous stringers and veinlets of quartz, calcite and epidote.
Chalcocite is the most abundant mineral with native copper and chalcopyrite in lesser amounts. Bornite and pyrite are rare. Malachite, azurite and cuprite are confined to oxidized and weathered surfaces. The distribution of the mineralization is erratic. It is found along fracture plane surfaces and within irregular quartz- calcite veinlets, less commonly it occurs within amygdules or is otherwise locally disseminated. The mineralization tends to be more concentrated where fracture density is high.
The Pomeroy consists of two mineralized zones 61 metres apart separated by a north-trending fault. The Pomeroy 3 is a flat lying, sporadically mineralized zone in the upper part of a massive, fine grained chloritized andesite flow which is overlain by a coarser grained and highly amygdaloidal andesite flow. The flow rock is strongly sheared and fractured in an east direction with dips steeply north. The fractures carry chalcocite stringers and blebs.
The Pomeroy 4 is west of the Pomeroy 3 and is comprised of chalcocite mineralization controlled by strong fractures in amygdaloidal andesite flows. The fracturing trends in two directions. Malachite is prevalent as an oxidation product. The north-trending fault separating the two zones contains high grade chalcocite mineralization. Three hundred and twenty-six tonnes of 2.5 per cent copper were shipped from a pit located between the Pomeroy 3 and 4.
Mineralization consists of chalcocite and minor native copper and chalcopyrite. A vein of quartz-calcite up to 38 centimetres wide and mineralized with chalcocite was previously explored.
The Pomeroy 3 zone extends 213 metres in a north-south direction, 45 metres east-west and ranges from 1.5 to 3 metres true width.
Indicated reserves at the Pomeroy 4 are 9524 tonnes grading 2.6 per cent copper. Indicated reserves at the Pomeroy 3 are 176,431 tonnes grading 0.67 per cent copper. The resource estimates by Cooke are based on a re-evaluation of earlier data compiled by Sheppard and Weber (Statement of Material Facts May 7, 1973 - Prince Stewart Mines Ltd., F.G. Cooke, April 12, 1973).
Between 1915 and 1919, 2808 tonnes yielded 25,224 grams of silver and 72,572 kilograms of copper.
