The Blue Ox occurrence is located west of the Benson River, approximately 500 metres west of the mouth of Blue Ox Creek.

Regionally, the area is underlain by basaltic volcanic rocks of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group), which are overlain sequentially by limestone of the Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group); limestone, mudstone and siltstone of the Upper Triassic Parson Bay Formation (Bonanza Group) and mixed volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Lower Jurassic LeMare Lake volcanic unit (Bonanza Group). The volcanic and sedimentary rocks have been intruded by gabbro to quartz diorite of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite.

The occurrence is hosted by a shear zone which separates argillites, calcareous argillites and quartzites of the Parson Bay Formation from Bonanza Group volcanic rocks. Several mafic and felsic dikes related to the Island Plutonic Suite cut the sheared rocks. The north trending shear zone contains veins and lenses of quartz and carbonate which host small masses of chalcopyrite, sphalerite and pyrite. The mineralization has been exposed by trenching over 730 metres. The fault parallels Blue Ox Creek and brings Parson Bay sediments in contact with Bonanza andesite. This fault offsets the mineralized shear zone by 7 metres.

In 1989, a sample (OX-1 409805) assayed greater than 1 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 19217).

Work History

In 1968, Quatsino Copper Gold completed a program of airborne magnetic and radiometric geophysical surveys on the area. In 1970, Alice Lake Minerals completed an aeromagnetic survey. In 1989, Battle Mountain completed a program of soil sampling on the area. In 1989, Taywin Resources completed a program of prospecting and soil sampling on the area as the Blue Ox 1-8 claims.

In 2007, Grande Portage Resources Ltd. completed a program of geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling and a 1748.1 line-kilometre airborne magnetic survey on the area as the Merry Widow and Merry Widow Extension properties. In 2012, Grande Portage Resources Ltd. completed a program of prospecting and rock sampling on the area. In 2016 and 2017, Bridgeland Minerals completed a radar satellite and LiDAR orthophoto geological interpretation program on the area as the Blue Gold/Merry Widow property. In 2018, Homegold Resources Ltd. completed a minor program of rock sampling and a 2.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the Benson South property. In 2020, Roughrider Exploration Ltd. completed a program of rock, silt and soil sampling on the area as the Empire Mine property.