The Ben Derby occurrence is located north of McFarlane Creek, approximately 2 kilometres east of the creek mouth on Kootenay Lake. The two adits are located at elevations of approximately 850 and 1000 metres and are approximately 450 metres apart.

The area is underlain by coarse clastic rocks of the Upper Proterozoic Horsethief Creek Group and a Cretaceous granodioritic intrusive.

Locally, disseminated to poddy molybdenite and pyrite mineralization occurs in steeply dipping, narrow to 1.2- metre thick, white quartz veins near the contact of a biotite-quartz monzonite stock with argillites, quartzite and meta-andesite. The veins strike 060 to 240 degrees with a dip of 80 degrees north and are associated with muscovite and sericite alteration. Disseminated molybdenite is reported peripheral to the quartz monzonite stock and granite intrusion, while areas of skarn metasediments and metavolcanics host minor disseminated scheelite. The intrusions show propylitic and potassic alteration.

Later reports, indicate that drilling, performed in 1966, yielded up to 0.5 per cent molybdenum over 24 metres (Assessment Report 7933).

In 1981, diamond drilling, located south of the lower adit, yielded up to 0.12 per cent molybdenum over 12 metres; including 0.800 per cent molybdenum over 1.22 metres (DDH DK-81-9; Assessment Report 10307).

In 2006, diamond drill hole no.3 intersected mineralization from 66.51 to 66.96 metres, yielding 0.488 per cent molybdenum over 0.12 metre followed by 0.272 per cent molybdenum over 0.33 metres, while drill hole no.4 intersected 0.149 per cent molybdenum and 8.6 grams per tonne silver over 0.54 metre (Assessment Report 28909).

In 2007, grab samples, from one of the former adits, yielded up to 0.820 per cent molybdenum (Assessment Report 29706).

In 2008, diamond drilling, from the area of the adits, yielded up to 0.146 per cent molybdenum over 2 metres in drill hole MF08-51, while another drill hole (MF08-44) yielded 0.058 per cent molybdenum over 3 metres, including 0.135 per cent molybdenum over 1 metre (Assessment Report 32595). These intercepts were all with in the quartz monzonite intrusive.

During 1916 through 1919, two adits, totalling approximately 100 metres in length, were driven along vein.

In 1966, New Fortune Mines staked the Benderby claims and completed a program of soil sampling, an unknown amount of diamond drilling in four drill holes and a ground electromagnetic survey. No records of this work are reported. In 1967, Kokanee Moly Mines completed a program of soil sampling on the area as the Ben Derby and UNF claims. In 1979, Dekalb Mining soil sampled the area as the MO and Moly claims. In 1980, Cominco completed a program of silt and soil sampling and geological mapping on the area as the Grey claims. The following year, Dekalb Mining completed a program of soil sampling and diamond drilling, totalling 1070.5 metres in 10 holes, and a ground induced polarization survey on the area. In 1987, Armarado Resources completed a ground induced polarization survey on the area as the Ford claims.

During 2005 through 2011, Jasper Mining, in conjunction with Mountain Star Resources, completed programs of rock and soil sampling, a 455.8 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey, a ground induced polarization survey and 83 diamond drill holes, totalling 16,410.1 metres, on the area as the McFarlane property.