The Elf occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1280 metres on the west side of Elf Creek valley, approximately 2 kilometres south of the creeks’ mouth on the Akie River.

Regionally, the area is underlain by a northwest-trending belt of Mississippian to Devonian Earn Group shales unconformably overlying Ordovician to Devonian Road River Group rocks and Cambrian to Ordovician Kechika Group limestone.

Locally, massive, stratified barite with galena, sphalerite and pyrite, interbedded with black shales of the Upper Devonian Gunsteel Formation (lower Earn Group), outcrops on the west side of Elf Creek valley. The mineralized horizon is at least 4 metres thick. Bedding at the occurrence strikes between 120 and 150 degrees with moderate dips to the southwest (40 to 60 degrees). Bedding and cleavage relationships suggest the mineralization is on the west limb of an overturned antiform. Folding here appears to be small scale (tens of metres), suggesting that structural repeats of the mineralization can be expected downslope to the east. To the west, within 50 metres, Silurian siltstone has been thrust over the Gunsteel package containing the mineralization.

In 1978, samples of mineralized float boulders, located approximately 1 kilometre south of the creek's mouth, yielded from 31 to 52 per cent combined lead and zinc with 45 to 110 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 7271).

In 1980, diamond drilling yielded intercepts including 2.89 per cent lead, 8.84 per cent zinc and 94.1 grams per tonne silver over 4.0 metres (302.5 to 306.5 metres down hole) in hole 80E05 and 1.89 per cent lead, 4.95 per cent zinc and 39.2 per cent barium with 18.0 grams per tonne silver over 0.20 metre (401.7 to 101.9 metres down hole) in hole 80E10 (Assessment Report 9138). Other drilling intercepts are reported to have yielded up to 3.65 per cent lead, 10.13 per cent zinc and 27.2 grams per tonne silver over 10.9 metres (Assessment Report 34789).

In 1995, sampling of trench B yielded an average of 0.22 per cent zinc, 10.46 per cent lead and 22.6 grams per tonne silver over 4.0 metres (Assessment Report 24079).

Work History

During 1978 through 1980, Cyprus Anvil Mining Corp. completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical (silt and soil) sampling, trenching, a 6.0 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey and 26 diamond drill holes, totalling 10,240 metres, on the area as the Elf group of claims. The diamond drill holes failed to extend the zone along strike.

In 1995 and 1997, Teck Exploration Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling and minor trenching on the area as the Elf claims. Trenching extended the known strike length of the occurrence to at least 50 metres.

In 2009 and 2013, Teck Resources Ltd. completed further programs of geological mapping and soil sampling on the Elf claims. In 2015, Cirque Operating Corp. completed a 228.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic (VTEM) survey on the Elf claims.