The Copper Standard occurrence outcrops at an elevation of approximately 1100 metres along a steep east-facing slope and approximately 1.25 kilometres northwest of the north end of Alleyne Lake.

Regionally, the area is underlain by the Upper Triassic Nicola Group, which regionally consists of alkalic and calc-alkalic volcanics and intrusions of island arc origin, and which is the principal component of the Quesnel terrane in southern British Columbia (Geological Survey of Canada Maps 41-1989, 1713A). The area lies in the Central Belt or facies of the Nicola Group (after Preto, Bulletin 69). This belt of rocks mainly consists of subaerial and submarine, red or purple to green augite plagioclase porphyritic andesitic and basaltic flows, volcanic breccia and tuff, and minor argillites and limestone. The volcanics are intruded by bodies of comagmatic Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic diorite to monzonite. The area is characterized by long-lived, primarily north-striking faults and related fracturing, which originally controlled intrusion emplacement. East-striking faults are subordinate, and commonly offset intrusive contacts.

The occurrence is hosted in massive red augite andesite porphyry of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group (Central belt, Bulletin 69). Mineralization consists of chalcocite, bornite, malachite, hematite and magnetite in seams and fractures, within a north-and east-trending fracture zones.

A grab sample assayed 0.7 gram per tonne gold, 206 grams per tonne silver and 8.8 per cent copper (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1928, page 223).

In 1973, drilling is reported to have yielded 1.09 per cent copper over 38.4 metres in hole no. 1, whereas a second hole (No. 2), located 90 metres west of the first hole is reported to have yielded approximately 1 per cent copper over 18 metres (Property File - 823662).

In 1997, two outcrop panel samples (125853 and 125854) from the shaft area yielded 0.671 and 0.290 per cent copper, 9.4 and 5.4 grams per tonne silver with 0.085 and 0.020 gram per tonne gold over 0.6 and 0.5 metre, respectively, while a grab sample (125855) from the shaft dump yielded 5.32 per cent copper, 191.6 grams per tonne silver and 0.275 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 25611). Also at this time, a grab sample (125851) over a 1-metre outcrop of volcanics hosting stockworks of fine-grained chalcocite veins, up to 2 centimetres wide, located on the ridge approximately 250 metres west of the shaft, yielded 4.55 per cent copper and 20.8 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 25611).

Work History

The occurrence was explored in the early 1900s with the excavation of a 15-metre-deep shaft, and a drift, 17 metres long, extending northwest from the bottom of the shaft.

In 1973, Gold River Mines held the occurrence area and completed ground electromagnetic and induced polarization surveys and an unknown amount of drilling and trenching.

During 1978 through 1980, Cal Dynamics Energy Corporation completed soil and geophysical surveys over the area as the AK claims.

In 1990 and 1992, MineQuest Exploration Associates Ltd. completed program of geological mapping and rock sampling the area as the Ley 1-3, Al 1-2 and Ken claims. In 1991, Northair Mines Ltd. completed a program of rock and soil sampling on the area as the Shear property. The following year, Placer Dome Inc. completed a program of geological mapping, trenching and soil sampling on the property. In 1993, Northair Mines Ltd. completed a further program of rock sampling on the property. In 1997, Christopher James Gold Corp. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and a 13.8 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the area as the Big Kidd property.

In 2008, Christopher James Gold Corp. completed a 1113.5 line-kilometre airborne magnetic-radiometric survey on the Big Kidd property.

In 2011 and 2012, Xstrata Copper Canada Corp., on the behalf of Jiulian Resources Ltd., completed programs of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling and a 56.8 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the Big Kidd property.