The Reef occurrence is located on the southwest ridge of Reef Mountain, approximately 4 kilometres southeast of Lady Laurier Lake and 160 kilometres north of the town of MacKenzie.

Regionally, the area is underlain by dolomitic carbonate rocks of the lower Silurian Nonda Formation, upper Silurian to Middle Devonian Muncho-McConnell Formation, upper Silurian to Middle Devonian Stone Formation and Dunedin Formation, overlain by shales of the Upper Devonian to Mississippian Besa River Formation. These units lie on the northeast flank and core of the Bernard anticline, a prominent north-trending structure. The north end of the Bernard anticline terminates in a small dome overlain by upper Silurian and Lower Devonian strata.

Locally, finely disseminated hematite and a moderate amount of limonite forming conspicuous red stains in Dunedin Formation dolomite on Reef Mountain. Although primary sulphides were not observed, the gossan samples gave geochemically anomalous lead, zinc and silver grades.

Work History

Following the Robb Lake discovery (MINFILE 094B 005) in 1970, a regional silt sampling program identified numerous lead and zinc anomalies within the platformal carbonates. Follow-up soil sampling and prospecting led to the discovery of the Reef occurrence.

During 1972 through 1975, British Newfoundland Exploration Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, minor trenching and geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling on the area immediately north as the Ace and Linda claim groups of the Marini, Lake, Horn and Reef properties. Samples taken along the southwest ridge of Reef Mountain yielded values of up to 0.116 per cent lead, 0.160 per cent zinc and 5.5 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 4772).