The Clair West occurrence is located on low slopes north of Bothe Creek, approximately 4.5 kilometres west-northwest of St. Mary Lake.

The area is underlain by argillites, wacke and quartzites of the Mesoproterozoic Aldridge Formation, Purcell Supergroup. These have been intruded by gabbro sills and dikes of the Middle Proterozoic Moyie Intrusions.

Locally, a quartzite above a diorite sill hosts fractures with stringers and lenses of quartz containing galena with minor chalcopyrite, sphalerite and scheelite mineralization. Garnet is a common gangue.

Historical workings on the Dominion (L.9084) Crown grant, approximately 300 metres to the northwest, are reported to expose northeast-striking siliceous lenses hosting disseminated to short lenses of lead-, copper- and iron-sulphides.

Work History

In 1900, 47.2 metres of tunnels and crosscuts were reported to have been developed on the Dominion claim. In 1925, the workings were reported to consist of two short tunnels and some opencuts and trenches at elevations of approximately 1050 to 1080 metres. The lower tunnel is reported to be approximately 20.5 metres long. A sample from the upper tunnel is reported to have assayed 0.16 per cent copper, 4 per cent lead and 40.1 grams per tonne silver (Annual Report 1925-230).

In 1979, Cominco completed a program of soil sampling and geological mapping on the area as the Clair claims. In 1981, Cominco completed a single diamond drill hole, totalling 394 metres. In 1982 and 1983, Cominco completed a ground electromagnetic survey and a seismic survey on the area. Also in 1983, Noranda Mining and Exploration Inc. conducted an airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey on the area as part of the Mount Evans property.

In 1992, Cominco completed a 14.0 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey on the area. During 1996 through 1999, Abitibi Mining completed exploration programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock, soil and silt) sampling, a gravity survey and three diamond drill holes, totalling 1238.6 metres, on the area as the Clair, Cleo and PMR claims. In 1999 and 2000, Rio Algom Exploration completed exploration programs consisting of geological mapping, rock sampling and three diamond drill holes, totalling 2555.2 metres, on the area as the Pyramid Peak property.

In 2001, Abitibi Mining completed a program of geological mapping on the area. In 2003, Klondike Gold extended a previous drillhole from 1998 for a length of 725.1 metres. In 2010, Kootenay Gold completed a program of rock sampling and geological mapping on the area as the Big Smoke property. In 2014, the Big Smoke property was prospected and sampled by Craig Kennedy.

In 2021, RIT Minerals Corp. conducted a program of historical ground geophysics interpretation and a 2.7 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the SSC claim. The following year, a rock sampling program was conducted on the SSC claim.