The Susan Lake occurrences are located near Susan Lake, which is about nine kilometres north-northwest of the village of Eagle Creek, at the west end of Canim Lake. The claim area lies along the northeast trending contact between hornblende biotite granodiorite and quartz diorite of the Triassic to Jurassic Takomkane batholith and andesitic volcanics and sedimentary rocks of the Triassic-Jurassic Nicola Group.
Minor occurrences of bornite and chalcopyrite, along with pyrite and pyrrhotite, in narrow quartz-carbonate or carbonate veins, are locally abundant to the south of Susan and Bev lakes. Mineralized veins are uncommon, ranging in width from 1 to 15 centimetres, are stained with malachite and occur mainly to the south and southwest of Judy Lake. Magnetite occurs locally throughout the area as granular masses, in seams, and as fine-grained disseminations. In the vicinity of Bev and Judy lakes the rocks are weakly to moderately propylitically altered. The alteration is characterized by chlorite, epidote, minor silica, pyrite and pyrrhotite. Hornfelsing is developed in the vicinity of some of the more mafic intrusions.
In October 1972, Pickand, Mather and Company staked the Sheri claims in order to evaluate the area for copper porphyry potential. The southern border of the Sheri claims ran from the north shore of Susan Lake to the north shore of Beverly Lake, and the block spread to the north, encompassing Iron, Island and Horse lakes. From 1972 to 1974, Pickand Mather conducted an exploration program including magnetometer, induced polarization and soil surveys, a mercury vapour survey, geological mapping and eight BQ diamond-drill holes for a total of 694 metres. H.J. Wahl gained ownership of the Sheri property, and in 1976 undertook a program on the claims including linecutting, prospecting, geological mapping, soil sampling and trenching. In 1981, Boville Resources Limited conducted a pulse electromagnetic survey and a limited soil sampling program, which identified several narrow, weak near-surface conductors and anomalous copper values to the south and southwest of Beverly Lake. But most of the work on the old Sheri claims during the 1980s was on the northern part of the claim, as the Canim 1-4 and Horse claims (092P 132). In 1989, Rio Algom staked the Judy property (Bev 1-5 claims) which covers the area south of the old Sheri claims, and spreads north to the east of the Canim 1 and Horse claims. Rio carried out a program which included airborne magnetic and VLF-EM surveys, soil sampling and geological mapping. During 1990, Rio Algom followed up with detailed prospecting, soil pitting and rock sampling. Results of gold or copper geochemistry were disappointing, and the property was dropped.
Eastfield Resources Ltd. acquired the data base for the Iron Lake property and staked the area of the Iron Lake occurrence in February 2000. In October 2000, while investigating soil palladium anomalies from the 1989 soil survey, Eastfield discovered mineralized olivine-pyroxenite rubble containing significant disseminated bornite and chalcopyrite. Three specimens of this rubble sampled at that time graded, on average, 0.6 per cent copper, 0.55 gram per tonne gold and 0.27 gram per tonne palladium+platinum (Assessment Report 32234).
In 2001, Eastfield optioned a 60 per cent interest in the property to Lysander Minerals Corp., who conducted modest surface prospecting programs prior to terminating the option in 2002.
In 2004, Argent commissioned a 603-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the Iron Lake property, from which several electromagnetic conductors were detected. An initial program of diamond drilling was completed in March 2005, during which time four holes totalling 504.7 metres were drilled. Massive sulphide intercepts varying in thickness from 1.2 to 6.1 metres were obtained in two of the holes. The massive sulphide intercepts ate largely pyrrhotite with lesser chalcopyrite and up to 0.1 per cent nickel and 0.13 per cent cobalt over individual 1.4-metre sample intervals (Assessment Report 28230).
In 2006, a diamond drill program totalling 681 metres in five holes was completed. Results showed that the Iron Lake property had potential for copper and perhaps nickel massive sulphides (cobalt rich) and also for weakly sulphide-mineralized ultramafic rock containing economic concentrations of copper, gold, palladium and platinum (Assessment Report 29078).
In November 2008, Cobre Exploration Corp. funded a geochemical soil sampling program on the Iron Lake property, entailing the collection and analysis of 478 soil samples. Results indicated an area of elevated magnesium content in soil with associated copper and platinum anomalies (Assessment Report 30800).
In 2011, a program of rock sampling and induced polarization surveying was completed on the property. A number of new anomalies were apparent in this work. Two significant chargeability anomalies and a total field magnetic anomaly stood out (Assessment Report 32717).
In 2012, an exploration program included 23.9 kilometres of induced polarization and magnetometer surveying and rock sampling. The results of this work included the discovery of two strong induced polarization chargeable and magnetic targets in the ultramafic rocks, and two chargeable and magnetic anomalies. All rock samples have been extremely similar in their petrology and metal content. The average of eight samples collected to date is 0.71 per cent copper, 0.7 gram per tonne gold and 324 parts per billion platinum and palladium (V STOCKWATCH, February 28, 2013).
During 2013 through 2021, Eastfield Resources Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, geophysical, and rock and soil sampling in the area as part of the Iron Lake property.
