The Ant occurrence is located 6.8 kilometres north of the west end of Tutizzi Lake, approximately 92 kilometres northwest of the community of Germansen Landing.

Regionally, the area is underlain by calc-alkaline and fine clastic sedimentary rocks of the Upper Triassic Takla Group that have been intruded by ultramafic and gabbroic to dioritic rocks of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Aiken Lake Intrusive Complex. Quartz monzonitic to monzogranitic intrusive rocks of the Lower Jurassic Hogem Plutonic Suite and monzodioritic to gabbroic intrusive rocks of the Mesilinka pluton are exposed to the southwest and south.

Locally, a pyroxenite intrusion of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Aiken Lake Intrusive Complex, which is possibly related to the Lower Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Hogem Plutonic Suite, is stained with malachite in a rusty weathering zone. A nearby gabbroic phase also shows traces of malachite. These mafic rocks are subsequently cut by monzonite and feldspar porphyry quartz monzonite dikes.

In 1992, a chip sample (12205) from a quartz-feldspar dike with malachite-azurite staining assayed 0.19 per cent copper over 2.0 metres (Assessment Report 22860).

In 1994, diamond drill hole 94DH008, located approximately 400 metres north-northeast of the occurrence, intercepted a complex series of variably altered, veined and mineralized dikes intruding altered pyroxene diorite. Alteration minerals include silica, chlorite, calcite and magnetite. Veins include calcite stringers, calcite-epidote-hematite veins, quartz-carbonate-pyrite-chalcopyrite veins and epidote-pyrite-potassium feldspar veins. An 8.0-metre-wide zone (70.0 to 78.0 metres downhole) of strongly altered and densely veined rock yielded an average of 0.64 gram per tonne gold and 0.11 per cent copper (Assessment Report 23780).

In 1998, a rock sample (RR-20), taken a short distance along the ridge to the northwest of the occurrence, assayed 1.32 per cent copper (Assessment Report 25856).

In 2007, diamond drilling to the southeast of the Ant occurrence intercepted weakly mineralized, early calc-potassic–altered diorite crosscut by epidote-pyrite-chalcopyrite–bearing fractures yielding 0.05 per cent copper over 160.7 metres, including 0.108, 0.247 and 0.435 per cent copper over 18.0, 5.0 and 2.9 metres (126.0 to 144.0, 240.0 to 245.0 and 297.1 to 300.0 metres downhole), respectively, in hole ABE-07-04 (Assessment Report 29914).

In 2012, a grab sample (23952) of massive pyrite in an ultramafic host, taken approximately 250 metres east-southeast of the occurrence, yielded 1.16 per cent copper, 0.54 per cent nickel, 0.295 gram per tonne gold and 0.576 gram per tonne palladium (Assessment Report 34124).

In 2019, rock sampling on an area in talus just below a ridge top dominated by fine- to medium-grained diorite, which is cut by a north-trending monzonite to monzodiorite dike as well as a parallel and late megacrystic monzosyenite dike confirmed that generally K-feldspar-quartz–veined rocks as well as strongly pyritic-epidote veins and altered rocks contained very low copper values (less than 300 parts per million). Rock samples collected with chlorite-magnetite-K-feldspar veins contained elevated copper values including highs of 0.33 per cent copper (sample 89451). A high copper sample (89453) of greater than 1.0 per cent was returned from a talus fragment consisting of a strongly oxidized malachite-azurite vein which was found near outcrops of monzonite and monzodiorite intruding diorite (Assessment Report 39000).

Work History

During the 1970s, the Abe claim area was explored by the UMEX-Wenner Gren Joint Venture. The property was covered by a regional airborne magnetic survey, and soil and stream sampling surveys. Four magnetic anomalies were defined: three on the margin of a diorite stock, and one in Takla Group volcanics near a contact with the Hogem Batholith. Soil sampling outlined a 550- by 1550-metre molybdenum anomaly on the Abe 7 and 8 claims. Copper-molybdenum silt anomalies were discovered on three of the streams that drain the property. No samples were analyzed for gold.

In 1981, Mattagami Lake Exploration Limited carried out geochemical sampling and geological mapping on the then Alta-1 and 2, and Brit-1 and 2 claims.

During 1991 through 1994, Swannell Minerals Corp. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling, a 13.1 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey, a 22.5 line-kilometre induced polarization survey and 10 diamond drill holes, totalling 897.9 metres, the area as the Abe 1-8 claims.

In 1998, Starfield Resources Inc. completed an extensive program of geological mapping, geochemical (rocks, silt and soil) sampling, a 35.8 line-kilometre ground magnetic and a 27.2 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the Abe 1-8 and Norm 1-4 claims.

In 2004 and 2005, Commander Resources Ltd. completed programs of prospecting and geochemical (rock and soil) sampling on the Abe property. In 2007, Geoinformatics Exploration Canada Ltd. conducted a program of geological mapping, minor geochemical (rock and silt) sampling and five diamond drill holes, totalling 1600.0 metres, on the area as part of the regionally extensive Mesilinka property, which included the Abe property.

In 2012, on behalf of Commander Resources Ltd., a field program comprising reconnaissance prospecting, mapping and geochemical sampling was carried out on the Abe property. A total of 328 soil samples, 22 rock samples and 8 silt samples were collected and submitted for analysis.

During 2018 through 2021, Commander Resources Ltd. completed further programs of geological mapping and geochemical (rock and soil) sampling on the Omineca (Abe) property.