The Blue Ox 3 occurrence is located on the western side of the B200 logging road, approximately 300 metres south of Blue Ox Creek.

The area is underlain by the Upper Triassic Vancouver Group, Parson Bay Formation clastic sediments, which are in fault contact with overlying Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group volcanics. The Vancouver and Bonanza Group rocks are intruded by granodiorite of the Late Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite (Geological Survey of Canada Map 4-1974).

The occurrence is hosted by a shear zone that separates argillites, calcareous argillites and quartzites of the Parson Bay Formation from Bonanza Group 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 that host small masses of chalcopyrite, sphalerite and pyrite. 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 (BXR-2 409808) assayed 13.5 per cent copper, 68.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.41 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 19217). No sample descriptions were reported.

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 LIDIR 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.