The first recorded work on the Bench zone was a stream sediment sampling program carried out by Placer Dome in 1991. Follow up work was carried out by Kenrich and Ambergate in 1993 when 10,575 metres of rough-flagged grid was established in the general area. The grid was mapped at 1:5,000 and soil samples were collected at 25 metre intervals, with some infill at 12.5m intervals where anomalies were encountered. Five hand-dug and blasted trenches were excavated and a limited VLF-EM and ground magnetic survey was carried out. In 1994, Kenrich established an additional 1,200 metres of grid for an IP, VLF-EM and ground magnetic survey. Work on the Bench zone in 1995 consisted of collecting 376 soil samples at 25-metre intervals on lines spaced 100 metres apart, in addition to reconnaissance geologic mapping. In 1996, Kenrich Mining Corp. carried out detailed mapping, collected 105 rock samples, and drilled nine diamond drill holes totaling 1,384 metres.

During 1997, Homestake carried out check mapping of surface exposures and relogging of drill core for the Bench zone. Analytical work was carried out on 54 rock samples from the Bench zone as well as 20 samples from existing drill core. Homestake also drilled one diamond drill hole to a depth of 780.18m. No further work has been done on the Bench zone since 1997.

A north-plunging syncline was mapped through the center of the Bench zone. Mafic pillow lavas of the Early to Middle Jurassic Salmon River Formation (Hazelton Group) are exposed in the core of the syncline, followed outward by a band of undivided Salmon River Formation rocks, a band of Middle Jurassic Mount Dilworth Formation (Hazelton Group) rocks and ultimately a broad exposure of undivided Salmon River Formation rocks. Units observed include rhyolite flows, breccias, and tuffs in contact with argillites.

Little outcrop mineralization has been encountered at the Bench zone. Disseminated sphalerite, galena and pyrite was found in one location in sediments of the Troy Ridge member. Elsewhere, discontinuous disseminated to semi-massive lenses of pyrite and pyrrhotite have been locally observed along contacts between sediments (Troy Ridge member) and mafic volcanics (John Peaks member) in the eastern portion of the Bench zone. Up to 10 per cent disseminated pyrite and pyrrhotite are locally encountered within tuffaceous sediments throughout the area . No significant assays have been returned from any of these sulfide occurrences.

Kenrich-Eskay Mining Corp. has continued to explore its Corey prospects in 2004 to 2007.

See Cumberland (104B 011) for further details of the Corey property and a common work History.