The Smoker occurrence is located in the northern head waters of Little Lamb Creek, approximately 3 kilometres west of Monroe Lake.

The area is underlain by clastic rocks of the Helikian Purcell Supergroup. The units are dominantly siliclastic sedimentary rocks of the Lower and Middle Aldridge formations. Moyie mafic sills intrude the Middle Aldridge rocks.

Locally, a vent complex, measuring 400 by 100 metres, is composed of breccia fragments in a matrix of siltstone. The breccia contains zones of weak to abundant disseminated galena, sphalerite, and pyrrhotite associated with intense albite and sericite alteration.

In 1966, Cominco completed a program of silt and soil sampling, geological mapping and an 8.2 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey on the area as the Helg claims. Sulphide mineralization was seen hosted in quartzite and argillite (Assessment Report 834). In 1978, program of geological mapping was completed (Assessment Report 7087). In 1979, a 47.8 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey was completed (Assessment Report 7554). In 1988, the area was prospected and mapped as the Leigh claim (Assessment Report 18416). In 1988, the area immediately south was prospected as the Puma claims (Assessment Report 18575). The following year, Placer Dome completed a program of geological mapping and rock, silt, and soil sampling (Assessment Report 19809). In 1993, the area immediately north and west was soil sampled as the Purple 1-3 claims (Assessment Report 23288). In 1998, Ascot Resources Ltd., who is acquiring the property from Super Group Holdings Ltd., drilled one hole, totalling 185.1 metres, on the area as the Smoker claims; no assays of the core were provided (Assessment Report 25956). In 1999, Ascot drilled a 916-metre hole, which terminated at the Moyie sill (PFD 3529). In 2006, St. Eugene Mining Corporation Ltd. completed 697 line-kilometres of airborne combined magnetic and electromagnetic surveys on the area (Assessment Report 28450). In 2013 and 2014, PJX Resources completed gravity surveys on the area as the West Basin property.

In 2013/2014, PJX Resources began a large program of gravity and magnetic geophysical surveying to detect dense subsurface features (Assessment Report 34937); surveying continued into 2016 (Assessment Reports 34082, 34937, 35416, 36347). The gravity survey extended 10 kilometres beyond the West Basin property claim boundaries encompassing several MINFILE occurrences including the Smoker (Figure 8, Assessment Report 34082). The Fors (082GSW035) massive sulphide prospect and Smoker vent breccia showing occur within one of two significant gravity anomalies that were documented within the region (pjxresources.com/vine-and-west-basin-zinc-lead-silver-potential-dr-trygve-hoy.pdf.) The other significant gravity anomaly is just north of Vine 1 (082GSW050) where the "Peavine Creek" prospect (082GSW130) documents its details.

Refer to the Vine 1 developed prospect (082GSW050) and Fors prospect (082GSW035) for related geological and work history details.