The Vick prospect is located on the steep eastern slopes of a mountain situated directly west of the narrows at the north end of Lower Taseko Lake, at elevations of approximately 1700 to 2407 metres.
Regionally, the area is underlain by undivided volcanic rocks of the Upper Cretaceous Powell Creek Formation and undivided sedimentary rocks of the Lower to Upper Cretaceous Taylor Creek Group to the northeast.
Locally, a series of polymetallic veins or vein systems are hosted by andesitic flow breccias and feldspar crystal tuffs of the Upper Cretaceous Powell Creek Formation, which have been intruded by a series of diorite dikes 7 to 30 metres in width. The volcanics strike north with a shallow dip to the west, whereas the dikes have a northwest trend and dip steeply from 75 degrees southeast to 80 degrees northwest. At least 14 veins or vein systems have been identified on the steep eastern mountain face and three more on the western slope.
Mineralization consists of gold, silver and copper-bearing quartz sulphide veins within a northeast-striking, vertical to 75 degrees southeast dipping and 1.5- to 8-metre wide shear zone that can be traced across the top of the peak on the east face for approximately 800 metres and over a vertical range of 700 metres. The veins are steeply dipping with a southwest trend and vary in width from 0.25 to 1.75 metres. The quartz veins contain iron carbonates, pyrite, and chalcopyrite concentrations parallel to the walls of the veins and primarily in the hangingwall of the vein. Arsenopyrite, galena and sphalerite have also been reported in hand samples. Limonite, malachite and azurite are common along with silica, carbonate, epidote and chlorite alteration. In upper parts of the vein shear system, specularite is also reported. Significant precious metal assays are generally associated with the sulphide-rich sections of the veins (Assessment Report 16873). Other zones of similar mineralization are reported on the former Slide and Donald-Fair Oak claims, located approximately 600 metres to the southeast and 300 metres to the north, respectively.
The occurrence was originally discovered in 1932 by C.M. Vick and staked as the Vick, Lucky, Myers and Mary Stuart claims. During 1935 through 1937, two exploration adits (Upper and Lower) were driven into the east side of the mountain on separate shear zones, referred to as the South and North veins, at elevations of approximately 1700 and 1660 metres, respectively. The Lower adit was driven west for 111 metres, along with a 9-metre, south-trending crosscut at the end of the adit, whereas the Upper adit was driven for 37.8 metres. In 1939, a program of ground-sluicing on the main vein gully was performed by C.E. Cartwright and exposed the vein for approximately 240 metres, including the ‘Island’ zone at 1826 metres elevation. In 1958, a program of prospecting and sampling was performed by N.G. Cornish.
In 1936, a sample (no.12) from the main vein zone yielded up to 188.8 grams per tonne gold and 2.5 per cent copper over 15 centimetres, whereas samples from the Donald vein yielded up to 66.0 grams per tonne gold across 30 centimetres (V. Dolmage [1936-02-05]: Report on the Vick Gold Property). Samples from the Slide vein, containing pyrite and chalcopyrite, only yielded low gold and silver values.
In 1939, samples are reported to have yielded up to 296.2 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 16873).
A chip sample assayed 72 grams per tonne gold, 86 grams per tonne silver and 0.2 per cent copper (Bulletin 81).
In 1958, sampling of veins above the 2250 metre level yielded an average of 8.4 grams per tonne gold over a length of 18 metres and a width of 0.21 metre, whereas a sample of massive sulphides from above the upper adit yielded 319.4 grams per tonne gold (N.G. Cornish [1958-09-15]: Preliminary Report on "Vic Group" Property).
No further work was reported until 1974, when the area was staked for Nemco Explorations. During 1974 through 1976, programs of geological mapping, surveying, sampling, six diamond drill holes and road construction were completed. In 1974, sampling of the underground workings yielded up to 9.5 grams per tonne gold over 27.5 centimetres from the Upper adit and 26.7 grams per tonne gold with 3.17 per cent copper over 25 centimetres from the Lower adit (Property File - G. von Rosen [1974-11-11]: Plan U/G and SFC - Vic Gold SHWG). Surface sampling at this time, yielded an average of 68.4 grams per tonne gold and 51.3 grams per tonne silver across 1.2 metres for a length of 15 metres on a vein exposure located immediately above the Upper adit and 8.6 grams per tonne gold across 0.9 metre for a length of 45 metres at the ‘Island’ zone (Property File - Nemco Explorations Ltd. [1974-11-28]: Progress Report - Nov. 28, 1974 - Vic Gold Property).
In 1975 and 1976, sampling from the mountain peak downslope to the east yielded up to 43.1 grams per tonne gold over 0.38 metre (sample no. 101) from near the peak of the mountain, 30.6 grams per tonne gold over 0.76 metre (sample no. 7620) taken at an elevation of approximately 2320 metres, 41.4 grams per tonne gold over 0.13 metre (sample no. 87) at an elevation of approximately 1900 metres and 182.3 grams per tonne gold over 0.15 metre (sample no. 64) a short distance above the Upper adit, at an elevation of approximately 1775 metres (Assessment Report 12279). Diamond drilling, also performed during this time and located near the last of the previous samples at an elevation of approximately 1775 metres, yielded up to 250.0 grams per tonne gold, 245.9 grams per tonne silver and 3.96 per cent copper over 1.22 metres in hole GSC-75-2 and 23.6 grams per tonne gold, 32.5 grams per tonne silver and 1.50 per cent copper over 4.88 metres in hole GSC-76-2 (Assessment Report 12279).
Also in 1976, diamond drilling from near the peak of the mountain yielded up to 3.85 per cent copper, 142.6 grams per tonne silver and 104.7 grams per tonne gold over 1.2 metres in hole BQ76-1 and 1.50 per cent copper, 32.1 grams per tonne silver and 23.6 grams per tonne gold over 4.8 metres in hole BQ76-2 (Property File - Cop-Ex Mining Corp. Ltd. [1976-08-17]: Notes and Assay Certificates - Packsack Holes - Taseko Vic Claims).
In 1980, the area was staked by M. Boe and a program of blasting, trenching and sampling was performed near the summit. In 1983 and 1984, Sunmark Mines Ltd. completed programs of geological mapping and four underground diamond drill holes, totalling 244.0 metres, from the Lower adit. The holes were drilled from the north wall of the adit towards the north and northwest but failed to intersect significant mineralization. During 1985 through 1988, Stryker Resources Ltd. and Kingsvale Resources Ltd. completed programs of geological mapping, geochemical (silt, rock and soil) sampling, ground geophysical (magnetometer and VLF) surveying, extensive trenching and 5.9 kilometres of road construction. In 1992, Hemlo Gold Mines completed a program of soil sampling on the Num claims.
In 1980, a 0.43-metre wide chip sample from the Upper adit yielded 2.4 grams per tonne gold and 0.046 per cent copper, whereas a chip sample taken 60 metres above the adit yielded 94.7 grams per tonne gold, 80.7 grams per tonne silver and 6.07 per cent copper over 0.62 metre and a drill hole, collard 30 metres above the adit, yielded 83.1 grams per tonne gold, 127.2 grams per tonne silver and 2.23 per cent copper over 2.0 metres (Assessment Report 12279). Also, at this time, other samples of sulphides and oxidized material from a sloughed trench located near the west side of the mountain peak yielded up to 32.7 grams per tonne gold and 141.6 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 12279).
In 1986, a rock sample (86-R-001), taken near the ridge top, of oxidized quartzite with pyritic fractures assayed 7.3 grams per tonne gold and 18.9 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 15831).
In 1987, sampling of the main shear zone, in the central cliff area, yielded up to 43.1 grams per tonne gold (Sample 2154), whereas sampling of the no.1 trench, located near the peak of the mountain, yielded up to 124.5 grams per tonne gold, 380.0 grams per tonne silver and 2.09 per cent copper (Assessment Report 16873).
In 1988, a sample (B11451) from the eastern cliff area yielded 6.6 grams per tonne gold, whereas a second sample (B11453), from the same area but containing arsenopyrite, yielded 6.8 grams per tonne gold (Property File - Stryker Resources Ltd. [1988-10-01]: Geological and Geochemical Report on the Vic Property).
A rock sampling program in 2018 by G. Prior consisted of six samples of oxidized vein material collected from talus slopes 450 to 600 metres south of the Vick gold-bearing structure. Two of the samples returned values of 124.8 grams per tonne gold and 31.59 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 37877).