The Silver Queen showing is located on the Pavey 2 claim, on the east side of Bennett Lake approximately half way between Pennington and Bennett, about 70 kilometres west-northwest of Atlin.
Two claims were staked around 1913 near Pavey. The Silver Queen and Ruby Silver claims were reported to overlie high-grade silver mineralization. A 300-metre long adit was driven in 1916-1917 to intersect the ruby silver (pyrargyrite) ore deposit. Some ore was reportedly shipped in 1916, but there is no record of the tonnage. In 1933, the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company carried out exploration work on the Silver Queen Group. The claims were held as the Dick 1-40 and Old 1-6 claims in 1970 by the Premier Mining Company who carried out an aeromagnetic survey. In 1971, Premier did geological mapping and trenching on the Old 5 and Dick 6 claims.
From 1981-1986 DuPont held the Gaug claims over the area presently covered by the Pavey 1-4 claims. During 1982 and 1983 DuPont completed geological and geochemical surveys on the upland plateau and over a steep rocky gully. In 1983 Texaco Canada staked the Ben 1-4 claims and performed geological geophysical and geochemical surveys. Prospecting in 1987 located veins above the adit. In 1988, mapping and prospecting was conducted by Lodestar on the LQ claim and 12 samples were collected. In 1990, Lodestar Explorations Inc. tested the showings on the Pavey property and the Skarn (104M 085) and Cowboy (104M 086) showings were discovered.
The adit was driven in porphyritic feldspar biotite quartz monzonite of the Cretaceous to Tertiary Coast Plutonic Complex at its contact with phyllites, marbles and schists of the Devonian to Middle Triassic Boundary Ranges Metamorphic Suite. Pyrite, chalcopyrite and malachite occur in material below an old aerial tramway constructed below the adit portal. No significant silver mineralization was observed in or near the adit.
A quartz-arsenopyrite vein occurs in a quartz-eye porphyry dike above the adit. A grab sample assayed 14.8 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 19186).
Refer to the Skarn prospect (104M 085) for a detailed history of the Pavey property.
