The mineralized stock is located at approximately 1150 to 1800 metres elevation on the north side of Haven (Bone) Lake, between Haven and Eutsuk lakes, about 104 kilometres north of Bella Coola. The Redbird occurrence is located on the south slope of a partly separated minor peak southwest of the summit of Red Bird Mountain. The deposit lies just outside the southern boundary of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.
The Red Bird deposit is associated with an Eocene quartz monzonite porphyry stock of the Nanika Plutonic Suite (Red Bird stock) that intrudes predominantly pyroclastic volcanic rocks of the Upper Cretaceous Kasalka Group. The quartz monzonite porphyry that hosts the Red Bird deposit is an elliptical body roughly 1300 metres long and up to 900 metres wide. The Redbird stock is an irregular, elliptical cylinder with a semicircular concentric ring-dike around the northern circumference. In plan, the main mass is 760 by 1070 metres in major and minor axes. At depth the pluton rakes 75 degrees southward.
The Red Bird deposit consists of three zones of molybdenum mineralization labelled Main, Southwest and Southeast which are located around the outer margin of the quartz monzonite stock and in adjacent wallrocks. Mineralization occurs as molybdenite within quartz veinlets with the best grades located in banded veins where molybdenite is concentrated along the vein walls. Quartz veinlets and fracture coatings within biotite hornfels near the stock contact also contain significant amounts of molybdenite, chalcopyrite and pyrite.
Alteration and mineralization occurs in a concentric manner within and about the pluton. Pyroclastic rocks surrounding the pluton are pyritized and weathered in prominent annular gossan about 3 kilometres in maximum diameter. Fine grained volcanic rocks adjacent to the stock have been converted to biotite hornfels. A stockwork of quartz veinlets occurs in the pluton and surrounding country rocks. Veining and alteration are the most intense in an annulus that overlaps the contact but is principally within the pluton. Potassic alteration is evident in some of the hornfelsed rocks and in the core of the stock. Moderately intense, pervasive silicification occurs in a concentric peripheral zone of the porphyry. Sericitic and argillic alteration is also common.
The Red Bird stock features early veins of quartz (with lesser calcite and kaolinite), with later molybdenite-bearing quartz-potassium feldspar, and even later phase of quartz-pyrite-calcite. This confirms the presence of multi-phase overprinting and repeated pulses of hydrothermal activity. The volcanic rocks are andesitic with lesser quartz-molybdenite, and the older volcanic country rock contains abundant chalcopyrite-pyrite (with minor bornite). The country rock hosts significant values in copper.
Molybdenum mineralization is primarily associated with banded and drusy quartz-molybdenite-pyrite veins. Molybdenite occurs in trace amounts throughout the stock but only approaches ore grade in the outer concentric zone. The maximum grade occurs about 20 metres within the pluton. Beyond the stock, molybdenum mineralization decreases sharply but pyrite with minor chalcopyrite continues in the quartz stockwork. Beyond the ore zone, a few late-stage veins contain galena, sphalerite and pyrite or, fluorite and calcite. Oxidation is deep and on the surface the veins look barren of molybdenite.
The Redbird deposit features quartz monzonite porphyry forming the shape of an irregular elliptical cylinder with a semi-circle concentric ring-dike around the northern circumference. Zones of molybdenite-bearing mineralization are also concentric and are contained within a peripheral ring of the main mass of the pluton, but extending a variable amount into the walls. Beyond the ore zones, most veins are barren quartz with some scattered pyrite and a few quartz veins contain minor molybdenite, as well as galena, sphalerite, pyrite, fluorite and calcite. In the ore zone, barren quartz veins predate mineralized veins and three stages of barren quartz veins are recognizable. Three stages of quartz-molybdenite-pyrite are likely, with banded and drusy being the most likely to occur. In general, drusy may be younger and both drusy and banded quartz veins may be cut by late barren quartz with minor pyrite.
Drill indicated reserves available by open pit are 33.6 million tonnes grading 0.107 per cent molybdenum (or 0.18 per cent MoS2) at a 0.059 per cent molybdenum (or 0.10 per cent MoS2) cut-off grade. Drill indicated reserves available by underground are 29.9 million tonnes grading 0.095 per cent molybdenum (or 0.16 per cent MoS2) at a conversion to molybdenum factor of 1.6681 (Craigmont Mining Ltd. Annual Report 1980).
Redbird inferred resources at 0.03 per cent molybdenum cut-off are 75,290,000 tonnes grading 0.065 per cent molybdenum and 0.070 per cent copper; at 0.06 per cent molybdenum cut-off are 37,600,000 tonnes grading 0.085 per cent molybdenum and 0.069 per cent copper; and at 0.09 per cent molybdenum cut-off are 12,480,000 tonnes grading 0.109 per cent molybdenum and 0.064 per cent copper (as reported in Assessment Report 28692).
The original staking was done on minor copper showings on the northeast side of the mountain. Copper mineralization was discovered on the mountain in 1929 by a Mr. Harrison and a Mr. Worth who staked the Red Bird group of claims on the showings. These claims subsequently lapsed and the showings were restaked in 1944 by Molly Nutter as the 0ld Glory group. The claims subsequently lapsed. No worthwhile work was done on the showings by either of the previous owners. Phelps Dodge Corporation of Canada Limited prospected the mountain in 1958 and located the CAFB group in 1959. Additional staking was done up until 1966, by which time the CAFB group consisted of 239 claims, centred on the molybdenum deposit. Exploration work on the property began in 1960 with a program of trenching and ground sluicing. No further work was done until 1962 when trenching was resumed and magnetic and induced potential surveys were carried out. A diamond drill program was begun in 1963 and to the end of 1966 totalled 13,800 metres in 58 holes. In 1966, a 762-metre airstrip was built near the outlet of Bone Creek at Eutsuk Lake. The property was transferred to Ashfork Mines Limited, another wholly owned Canadian subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corporation of New York. Diamond drilling in 1967 and 1968 totalled 3830 metres in 17 holes. This work indicated some 18.1 million tonnes containing approximately 0.24 per cent molybdenite (Northern Miner - February 19, 1970). Craigmont Mines Limited optioned the property in 1979 and in 1980 completed a diamond drill program totalling 13,990 metres. This work outlined three possible open-pit zones with preliminary estimates indicating about 33.6 million tonnes at 0.18 per cent molybdenite, at a cut-off grade of 0.10 per cent (Craigmont Mines, 1980 Annual Report). An additional indicated 29.9 million tonnes at 0.16 per cent molybdenite, and a similar cut-off grade, would require underground mining. Feasibility studies carried out in 1981 indicated the deposit is sub-economic in the near term. Craigmont dropped the option in 1982.
In 2003, the property was staked by Fundamental Resources Corp. and in 2004 Fundamental Resources performed split sampling of several sections of drill core that was present on the property (from Craigmont Mines 1979-80 drilling program).
In 2005, Red Bird Resources Ltd. optioned the property from Fundamental Resources Corp. In 2005, Torch River Resources Ltd. optioned the property from Red Bird Resources Ltd. Torch River carried out a program of verification sampling in 2005 resulting in a Technical Report entitled 'Preliminary Resource Estimation on the Red Bird Porphyry Mo/Cu Deposit', by G.Giroux, D. Maclntyre and A. Kikauka (January, 2006 and amended May, 2006). A total of 50 out of 58 diamond-drill holes by Craigmont in 1979 and 1980 were re-sampled by Torch River Resources in 2005, resulting in a total of 1569 samples being shipped analysis. In 2006, assessment work performed by Torch River Resources Ltd. consisted of 1942.95 metres of NQTW core drilling in seven drillholes. The objective was to test for extensions of molybdenum/copper-bearing mineralization in three zones (Main, Southeast and Southwest zones).
In 2007, an updated resource estimate, using a 0.03 per cent molybdenum cut-off grade, was reported with an indicated resource of 43,340,000 tonnes grading 0.064 per cent molybdenum and 0.066 per cent copper with an additional inferred resource of 70,480,000 tonnes grading 0.058 per cent molybdenum and 0.070 per cent copper (Giroux Consultants Ltd. (2007-08-23): Updated Resource Estimation on the Red Bird Porphyry Mo/Cu Deposit).
In 2008, Torch River Resources Ltd. completed a 16-hole diamond drilling program for a total of 5000 metres. Drillholes in the program further tested areas of the Main zone and also parts of the Southeast and Southwest zones. Torch is interested in the potential of high-grade subzones of the Main zone as they might relate to a possible starter pit for future production and also the potential for high-grade potential underground resources.
In 2015, fieldwork carried out by Fundamental Resources Corp. included geochemical analysis of rock chip samples (16), analysis of soil samples (11), and geological mapping of 12 hectares on MTO tenure 510491. The objective of the exploration was to investigate copper-silver bearing mineral zones adjacent to known molybdenum-copper bearing mineralization zones.