The Martel deposit consists of a group of small lenticular quartz veins and stringers in argillites, cherts and minor tuffs of the Carboniferous to Jurassic Cache Creek Complex. The veins range in thickness from 0.5 to 30 centimetres and from 0.6 to 18 metres in length. They strike 035 to 040 degrees, dip 70 to 75 degrees northwest and are displaced a metre by northwest-striking faults.

The gangue is mainly quartz with some calcite, and mineralized with small amounts of molybdenite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite and arsenopyrite. The molybdenite occurs in very thin seams that parallel the vein walls.

The Martel property was operated by Martel Gold Mines, Limited during the mid-1930s. Mining operations were conducted at the property from 1934 to 1938, but in 1939 the entire operation was abandoned and the equipment sold. Underground work comprised 315 metres of drifting and crosscutting in an effort to follow the veins. Most of the work was done on the main adit level, but two winzes were sunk, to depths of 27 and 17 metres respectively. Some short lateral workings were driven from these in an effort to find the veins on their downward extension from the main level, but with little success. Rufus Argenta Mines Limited optioned the property in 1935 and did some diamond drilling. In 1937, a small shipment was sent to the Mines Branch at Ottawa for testing; this assayed 0.5 gram per tonne gold, 1.3 grams per tonne silver, 1.48 per cent MoS2 and 0.11 per cent copper. In 1945, the property was restaked by Lester Starnes of Ashcroft. No further work was done until 1967 when Cannoo Mines Ltd. (formerly Martel Gold Mines, Limited) owned the MSG 1-8 mineral claims . In 1967, work consisted of cleaning out the adit and a pace and compass survey of the claims. In 1968, Cannoo Mines Ltd. diamond drilled four holes totalling 39 metres. No further work was recorded on the property until 1977 when Vantage Resources Ltd. carried out a geochemical soil survey, VLF-EM and magnetometer survey, cleaning debris and slides underground and underground geological mapping. In 1978, Vantage Resources Ltd. carried out a total of 1262 metres of surface diamond drilling but results were not published. In 1981, an induced polarization survey was conducted on behalf of Vat Petroleums Ltd. In 1989-90, rock sampling was carried out on behalf of John Fleishman.