The Happy Jack occurrence is located on the east side of the Benson River, approximately 800 metres south of the river mouth on Benson Lake.
The area lies within Upper Triassic Vancouver Group, Karmutsen Formation volcanics comprised of fine to medium-grained andesite, basalt and porphyritic flows. The volcanics are conformably overlain by Upper Triassic Vancouver Group, Quatsino Formation limestones. Bedded rocks strike northwest and dip about 35 degrees to the west. The Vancouver Group rocks are intruded by the "Coast Copper stock" of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite. The contact dips 70 degrees to the northeast. Volcanic rocks have undergone pyrite, sericite, epidote and carbonate alteration.
The "Coast Copper" diorite gabbro stock of the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite lies approximately 1 kilometre to the west.
The occurrence is reported to host skarn mineralization similar to the Old Sport mine (MINFILE 092L 035). Isoclinal folding of Upper Triassic Vancouver Group, Karmutsen Formation andesite and Quatsino Formation limestone, has repeated the stratiform skarn chalcopyrite-magnetite horizon which host the Old Sport deposit.
In 1988, a sample assayed 14.47 copper, 0.79 grams per tonne gold, 26.4 grams per tonne silver and 65.16 per cent iron (Assessment Report 18619).
Work History
In 1952, Quatsino Copper-Gold completed a program of geological mapping on the area. 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 1988 and 1989, Taywin Resources completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping and soil sampling on the area. In 1990, Noranda completed a program of soil sampling on the area. 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 2016 and 2017, Bridgeland Minerals completed a radar satellite and LIDIR orthophoto geological interpretation program on the area as the Blue Gold/Merry Widow property. In 2019, Mirva Properties Ltd. completed a rock sampling program on the Merry Widow property. In 2020, Roughrider Exploration Ltd. completed a program of rock, silt and soil sampling on the area as the Empire Mine property.