The Kingfisher deposit is located on the northeastern slopes of Merry Widow Mountain, approximately 700 metres south-southeast of Newt Lake.

Regionally, the area is underlain by basaltic volcanic rocks of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group), which are overlain sequentially by limestone of the Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group); limestone, mudstone and siltstone of the Upper Triassic Parson Bay Formation (Bonanza Group) and mixed volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Lower Jurassic LeMare Lake volcanic unit (Bonanza Group). The volcanic and sedimentary rocks have been intruded by gabbro to quartz diorite of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite.

The Kingfisher deposit lies on the east flank of the Coast Copper-Benson Lake stock, a phased intrusion of diorite, gabbro and monzonite composition, of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite. The deposit lies entirely within northwest striking, southwest dipping limestone of the Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group). Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group clastics, volcaniclastics and flows overlie the limestone to the west.

The deposit consists of 2 steeply plunging circular pipes of massive colloform magnetite, 30 to 50 metres wide. The pipes are 70 metres apart at surface and join at a depth of 70 metres. The mineralization is localized in breccia at the intersection of a steeply dipping normal fault and a gently dipping thrust fault. Post-ore movement has brecciated the magnetite, which was subsequently healed by white crystalline calcite. Skarn development is absent except near greenstone dikes and sills, where garnet may be present. Sulphide minerals are rare. Layering and folding in massive magnetite corresponds with bedding and structures in surrounding limestone. Botryoidal texture in the magnetite is interpreted as "emplacement occurring at low pressure and temperature by gel metasomatism" (Open File 1988-28, page 44).

The Kingfisher is similar in its setting to the Merry Widow deposit (MINFILE 092L 044), located 300 metres to the west. Production from the Kingfisher open pit and underground workings from 1957 to 1967 is included with the Merry Widow.

Work History

The area was originally explored in 1897 and by 1911 a group of six claims were staked to cover the immediate area of Merry Widow Mountain. During 1916 through 1931, Cominco completed approximately 8 kilometres of underground development along the Old Sport horizon. In the 1930’s, Quatsino Copper Gold Mines explored the claims. In 1956, Empire Development was formed to mine the Merry Widow magnetite deposit.

During the period 1957 to 1962 the open pit was mined to its economic limits. In 1964, the Kingfisher Adit, which had been driven under the adjoining Kingfisher pits to mine the lower sections of those ore bodies, was extended to the Merry Widow ore zone. Extraction of magnetite ore from underground draw points continued until 1967. In 1968, Quatsino Copper Gold completed a program of airborne magnetic and radiometric geophysical surveys on the area. In 1970, Alice Lake Minerals completed an aeromagnetic survey.

In 1989, Equinox Resources completed a program of detailed rock sampling of the Merry Widow and Kingfisher occurrences. During 1989, through 1992, Taywin Resources completed programs of geological mapping, trenching, surface sampling and 42 diamond drill holes, totalling 2850 meters.

During 2005 through 2012, Grande Portage Resources completed programs of rock, silt and soil sampling, geological mapping, airborne electromagnetic and magnetic surveys and a ground magnetometer survey on the area. In 2016 and 2017, Bridgeland Minerals completed a radar satellite and LiDAR orthophoto geological interpretation program on the area as the Blue Gold/Merry Widow property. In 2019, Mirva Properties Ltd. completed a rock sampling program on the Merry Widow property. In 2020, Roughrider Exploration Ltd. completed a program of rock, silt and soil sampling on the area as the Empire Mine property.