The Iron Mike open pit is located on a ridge south of Elk Creek, approximately 6.0 kilometres south-southwest from the community of Sayward.

The deposit is a garnet-epidote-magnetite skarn which occurs along the contact between an underlying greenstone and an overlying limestone. The units are most likely basalts of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation and limestone of the overlying Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation, both of the Vancouver Group. Within the zone of skarning the volcanics are brecciated and the limestone is replaced by skarn. The mineralized zone appears to occur along the crest of a small anticline or arch that strikes and plunges gently southeast. There appears to be no significant faulting on the property.

Locally, five iron skarn occurrences have been identified over an area of approximately 1 square kilometre.

1.) The Iron Mike occurrence consists of magnetite occurring in two lensitic bodies known as the Main and West pits. The outline of the occurrences has been outlined by the ground magnetic survey. The magnetite is poorly exposed.

2.) The Iron Bethea (formerly Iron Mac) skarn is located approximately 750 metres to the south- southwest of the Iron Mike main pit. The occurrence is fine grained, massive nearly pure magnetite. In 1983, massive magnetite from the zone assayed 63.1 per cent iron (Assessment Report 29186).

3.) The Iron Ross (formerly Iron Dick) occurrence is exposed in outcrop approximately 700 metres to the southwest of the Iron Mike main pit occurrence. It is 120 by 60 metres in size as defined by a strong magnetic anomaly and trenching. In 1983, massive magnetite from the zone assayed 64.15 per cent iron (Assessment Report 29186).

4.) The Iron Steve occurrence is located approximately 800 metres west- southwest of the Iron Mike main pit. On the surface the Iron Steve Zone is mapped as several discontinuous pods of relatively pure massive magnetite separated by garnet-rich skarn. Ground magnetometer data suggests that the magnetite zones dip moderately shallowly to the east. Drilling on the zone indicates a cross sectional thickness of 6 to 10 metres over a distance of 60 metres with a resource of approximately 60,000 tonnes of unknown grade iron (Assessment Report 32309).

5.) The Iron Herb 1 and 2 magnetometer anomalies located approximately 800 metres west- southwest of the Iron Mike main pit. In 1983, sampling of the poorly exposed Iron Herb 2 skarn and magnetite occurrence yielded up to 26.0 per cent iron (Assessment Report 29186).

Mineralization is magnetite, essentially free of any impurities within the skarn. During production, mill feed grades averaged 45 per cent iron with no contained impurities. The ore body was originally 305 by 61 by 10 metres (average) of pure magnetite. Chalcopyrite and pyrite are reported to occur, but their abundance and location are not specified.

Orecan Mines Ltd., which began production in 1965 and continued through to September of 1966, produced 82,863,185 kilograms of iron from 168,736 tonnes mined. The property remained idle until 1969, when 29,937 tonnes of stockpiled concentrate were shipped.

Proven (688,281 tonnes) and indicated (266,985 tonnes) reserves are 955,266 tonnes grading 43.5 per cent iron (H.L. Hill, May 15, 1965).

Work History

In 1959, iron ore was discovered by R. Hartt. In 1960, the property was optioned to Marwell Construction from Hartt. Nineteen drill holes totalling 586.4 metres (Ex diameter) were drilled with 13 drilled on Iron Mike claim. A dip needle survey was reported over Iron Mike (Main Zone) deposit and Iron Mac, Iron Dick and West Zone deposits (all on Ross Claim). In 1961 Hartt and Associates diamond drilling drilled 24 EX drill holes totalling 640 metres. In 1963 Inter-Can Development Ltd. optioned the property on a ten-year renewable lease royalty agreement. Stripping and diamond drilling began and the claims were assigned to Orecan Mines Ltd. In 1964, 1524 metres of diamond drilling were completed by Orecan. Stripping in preparation for open pit mining was done. From 1965-66, most of magnetite from the Main and West Pit zones that was available was mined.

In 1983, an airborne magnetometer survey by Dickenson Mines Limited followed by geological mapping, extensive sampling and ground magnetometer surveys were completed. The area was staked in 1997 by J. L. Paquet of Campbell River, who and held the claims until 2001.

In 2001 the area was acquired by staking by J. T. Shearer who did trenching and bulk sampling in 2002 A small bull sample was excavated and trucked to Port Hardy and crushed. Various tests were conducted by OCL Industries for sandblasting purposes and by Ocean Cement for super heavy concrete. The property was optioned to Hillsborough Resources Ltd. in August 2002. Percussion drilling in October 2002 on the Iron Ross totalled 295.66 metres in 17 holes mainly around the Iron Ross surface showing and 2002 trenching. Drilling in 2002 confirmed the presence of magnetite and skarn zone also totally within the limestone.

In 2003, Hillsborough completed road construction, bulk sampling and ground magnetometer work. Further percussion drilling was completed in the fall of 2003 on the Iron Steve zone and farther east for a total of 31 holes totalling 427.64 metres of drilling. Hillsborough Resources (Quinsam Coal) was also successful in excavating a high-grade magnetite bulk sample of 150 tomes, which was used in a super-heavy concrete application in a Vancouver construction project. A ground magnetometer survey was completed in the summer of 2003 totalling 12.0-line kilometres.

In 2005, Homegold Resources Ltd worked the Iron Ross (Iron Steve?) iron skarn magnetite deposit (MINFILE 092K 043). Two core drill holes totalling 250 metres were completed and a 4800 tonne bulk sample was taken for use as heavy media in a heavy concrete application in a hospital x-ray facility.

In 2007, Eagle Industrial Minerals Corp completed a program of geological mapping and metallurgical testing on the occurrence. In 2010, a program of re-logging previous drill core, from 2005, was completed. During 2011 through 2014, Canadian Dehua International Mines Group Inc. completed a minor programs of rock sampling, metallurgical testing and a 1.9 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Iron Ross property. Three grab samples (E5125474 through E512547) of massive magnetite skarn from the Iron Steve, Iron Ross and Iron Mike zones each yielded greater than 50 per cent iron, respectively, whereas the sample (E5125474) from the Iron Steve zone also yielded 0.112 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 35055).

In 2020, Homegold Resources Ltd. completed a minor program of rock sampling on the Iron Ross property. Three samples (#8 through #10) from the main Iron Mike pit yielded from 30.00 to 56.71 per cent iron (Assessment Report 39307).