The Smith occurrence is located on the south of Storey Creek, approximately 1.7 kilometres east-northeast of the creek mouth on Nimpkish Lake. Several other occurrences are in the immediate area (refer to 092L 208 - Smith Copper Main zone).

The area is underlain by volcanics and sediments of the Middle to Upper Triassic Vancouver Group (Karmutsen, Quatsino and Parson Bay formations) and by volcanics of the Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group. These rocks have been intruded by the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite which are cogenetic with the Bonanza Group.

Locally, Karmutsen andesitic and basaltic flows are overlain by Quatsino limestone, in turn overlain by Bonanza argillites, tuffs and quartzites. These are intruded by medium-grained quartz diorite to granodiorite. The volcanic and sedimentary rocks are cut by numerous dikes varying in composition from diabase and andesite to feldspar porphyries.

The original Smith occurrence consists of mainly massive pyrrhotite and magnetite with lesser pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite irregularly distributed in skarn. The skarns consist of garnet, epidote, diopside, actinolite and chlorite. Calcite may also be present. The skarns occur as isolated bodies in limestone and the underlying volcanics at or close to the contact with quartz diorite. They are best developed at two embayments in the quartz diorite south- east of Storey Creek.

In the late 1920’s or early 1930’s, a 5.5 metre long adit was excavated in a 6.3 metre wide vertical skarn zone trending 351 degrees along the Quatsino/quartz diorite contact.

In 1981, diamond drilling intersected mineralized sections yielding up to 0.86 per cent copper, 5.17 per cent lead, 14.01 per cent zinc and 42.07 grams per tonne silver over 13.7 metres in DDH J-1-81. Chip sampling (Millican 1), performed during same year, yielded up to 1.47 per cent copper, 16.3 per cent lead, 13.5 per cent zinc and 85.8 grams per tonne silver over 1.2 metres. Both of these are from the east end of the mineralized section in association with the Smith Copper Main (MINFILE 092L 208) occurrence (Assessment Report 10337).

In 1988, a 1.0 metre chip sample contained 1.60 per cent copper, 0.145 per cent zinc and 12.0 grams per tonne silver. Similar skarn located 600 metres to the north along the Karmutsen/quartz diorite contact contained 0.163 per cent copper and 1.650 grams per tonne gold (Awmack, 1988).

Work History

The area was originally explored in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s by Cominco. In 1961, BHP-Utah Mines completed a program of geological mapping and a ground magnetometer survey on the area as the Martha and Storey claims. In 1965, Cominco completed a ground magnetometer survey on the area as the Zip claim. In 1969, Trizec Development completed a program of geological mapping and soil sampling on the area immediately south as the Trizec property. In 1969 and 1970, Archeron Mines, completed programs of geological mapping and silt and soil sampling. In 1971 and 1972, Wavecom Development completed programs of soil sampling and ground magnetometer surveys. In 1979, Minas De Cerro Dorado Limited completed a program of geological mapping on the area as the Ricky claim. In 1982, Imperial Metals completed a program of geochemical sampling, geological mapping and 4 diamond drill holes, totalling 242.2 metres. In 1988, Hercules Ventures completed 5 diamond drill holes, totalling 535.5 metres. In 1998, Doublestar Resources completed a program of geochemical sampling, geological mapping, ground geophysical surveys and trenching on the area as the Storey 1-8 and Joe 1-4 claims. During 2010 through 2012, Selkirk Metals Corporation completed programs of prospecting and geochemical sampling on the area as the Storey Creek property. In 2017 and 2018, Selkirk Metals Corp. completed programs of geological mapping and geochemical (rock and soil) sampling on the Storey Creek property.