The Black Diamond and Little Phil claims are located on a high bluff, north of Loon Lake and approximately 1.3 kilometres southwest of Ainsworth. The claims adjoin the Albion (MINFILE 082FNE140) claims to the east, and can be reached by approximately 6.4 kilometres of road that winds up the mountain side.

Regionally, the area is underlain by hornblende schists, limestone and banded quartzite of the Upper Mississippian to Permian Milford Formation and basaltic volcanic rocks of the Carboniferous to Permian Kaslo Group. Granodioritic intrusive rocks of the Middle Jurassic Nelson Batholith are exposed to the west.

The hostrocks of the mineralized features are mapped as brown micaceous quartzite, fine-grained mica schist and minor limestone of the Mississippian to Lower Permian Milford Group (Bulletin 53, Figure 3). Minor amounts of disseminated galena and sphalerite are found in some limestone and quartz veins. Gouge and breccia from the main shear zone varies in thickness from 0.6 to 6 metres.

Intermittent mining occurred from 1895 to 1964. A total of 985 tonnes were mined, from which 701 872 grams of silver, 31 grams of gold, 335 273 kilograms of lead, 13 935 kilograms of zinc and 26 kilograms of cadmium were recovered.

Work History

In 1892 the Black Diamond and Little Donald claims were owned by J.F. Stevens of St. Paul, Minnesota. A joint 4001 crosscut tunnel was driven on the dividing line between the Black Diamond and Little Phil claims. Two veins were reached. The first one was driven on for 61 metres, the second for 14 metres.

The Highlander Mining and Milling Co. took over the Black Diamond and Little Donald claims in 1899. The Highlander tunnel, driven from the Eagle claim at the foot of a high bluff, cut the two Black Diamond veins: the first at 760 metres and the second, at 795 metres. The dip of the veins at this horizon is about 260. The Highlander mine closed in 1911 and the property lay idle until 1949.

In 1949, Yale Lead and Zinc Mines Ltd. obtained the property. Leasers shipped the old dump and performed approximately 30 metres of drifting during 1949 and 1950. The company mined the Black Diamond in 1951 and early 1952 and the Little Phil for the balance of 1952.

In 1979, David Minerals Ltd. conducted a program of geochemical (stream and silt) sampling on the area as the Peanut Butter claims of the Ainsworth property.

In 2012, David Wallach prospected and rock sampled the area as the Ainsworth property. In 2019, Bill Mckinney conducted a program of prospecting, rock sampling and aerial photo structural interpretation on the Ainsworth property. In 2021, a 24.0 line-kilometre airborne (drone) magnetic survey was conducted on the area by Taylor Lorenzen. In 2023, Turnagain Resources Inc. conducted a further program of prospecting, rock sampling and aerial photo structural interpretation on the Ainsworth property.