The Nimpkish Copper occurrence is located on the south side of Kinsman Creek, approximately 6.5 kilometres southeast of the creek mouth on Nimpkish Lake and at an elevation of 640 metres.

The area is underlain by north striking tholeiitic basalts of the Karmutsen Formation and overlying carbonates of the Quatsino Formation, both of the Upper Triassic Vancouver Group. Granodiorite of the Upper Jurassic Nimpkish batholith (which is part of the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite) intrudes the Vancouver Group rocks. Strong regional north to northwest trending faults, often defining intrusive and lithological contacts, traverse the area.

The Nimpkish Copper occurrence is one of several skarn-limestone replacement deposits over a distance of 1.0 kilometre along the Nimpkish batholith western contact. Several lamprophyre dikes are present.

Mineralization consists of a 6 metre wide by 7 metre long and 14 metre high lens of massive chalcopyrite exposed in Copper Creek (the southeast continuation of Kinman Creek). The chalcopyrite body attains thicknesses of about 3.6 metres. The sulphide mineralization is accompanied variably and locally by magnetite, marcasite, covellite, bornite, molybdenite, greenockite and skarn minerals such as garnet, epidote, actinolite, calcite, quartz, chlorite and sericite.

The occurrence lies approximately 500 metres east of East Hazel (MINFILE 092L 206) and several small showings occur in between the two.

Samples assayed between 4.8 and 13.03 grams per tonne gold, 81.6 to 104.6 grams per tonne silver, 11.46 to 13.75 per cent copper and 0.30 to 0.60 per cent zinc (Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 272, page 72). In 1989, a sample of massive chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite from the Kinman adit assayed 79 grams per tonne silver, 5.6 grams per tonne gold, 12.6 per cent copper and 0.145 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 20092).

The mineralized lens is estimated to contain 2014 tonnes of ore grading 13.75 per cent copper, 0.60 per cent zinc and 104.3 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 25764).

Twenty metres to the west lies a lens of massive chalcopyrite and calcite. Copper values assayed 0.18 to 0.67 per cent with trace to 0.1 per cent zinc. Gold and silver are present only in trace amounts (Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 272).

Work History

In 1928, E.L. Kinman and Associates discovered the main showings. In 1929 and 1930, Cominco optioned the tenures and completed surface trenching, twenty diamond drill holes, totalling 2010 metres, and a 52.5 metre adit. In 1962, Camloc Copper completed a program of geological mapping and a 0.7 kilometre magnetometer survey on the area as the Hazel Group. In 1966, Empire Development completed a program of ground geophysical surveys and geological mapping on the area as the Alpha, Hazel and Pie claims, Kinman property. In 1989, W.J. Laird completed a program of rock sampling and geological mapping on the area to the west as the Nimpkish claims. In 1998 and 1999, Doublestar Resources completed programs of prospecting and ground geophysical surveys on the area as the 2Star claim group. In 2010 and 2012, Selkirk Metals completed programs of prospecting and rock sampling. In 2016 and 2018, Selkirk Metals Corp. completed programs of geological mapping and geochemical (rock and soil) sampling on the area as the 2 Star property.