The King area is underlain by Lower Jurassic Telkwa Formation (Hazelton Group) volcanics comprised of andesitic to rhyolitic flows, tuffs and breccia with minor intercalated sediments. To the south, the volcanics are intruded by Late Cretaceous quartz-feldspar porphyry and associated satellitic felsite dikes of the Bulkley Plutonic Suite. Mineralization occurs as disseminations and fissure vein fillings with the vein-type predominating. The mineralization includes bornite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite and tetrahedrite with minor amounts of pyrite, pyrrhotite, galena, specularite and magnetite.

On the King claim a silicified fracture zone 15 to 61 centimetres wide, striking 065 degrees and dipping very slightly to the south- east, is heavily mineralized with bornite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, and specularite with minor magnetite in pockets or irregular lenses. In 1914, a whole vein sample, 1.2 metres in width, assayed 1.0 gram per tonne gold, 164.5 grams per tonne silver, and 2.0 per cent copper. Also a sample from the "West showing", the western end of the vein, comprised of bornite mixed with magnetite assayed 6.8 grams per tonne gold, 884.5 grams per tonne silver, and 29.0 per cent copper (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1914, page 220).

In 1914 to 1915 about 37 tonnes of ore was shipped from a 7.7 metre shaft on the King claim and from open cuts on the Rainbow claim (093L 044). In 1925 new crosscut adits and drifting continued on a new discovery on the King claim and ore was shipped in 1940-1941 until the mine closed in 1941.

In 1940, 41 tonnes of ore was mined and 6.3 tonnes were shipped and produced 240 grams of gold, 4183 grams of silver and copper. In 1941, 225 tonnes were mined and produced 7166 grams gold, 193,779 grams silver and copper combined production from the King and Rainbow (093L 044) claims for the period 1915 to 1941 totals 269 tonnes of sorted ore which produced 8160 grams gold, 283,366 grams silver and 42710 kilograms copper.

In 1962, Canadian Mining Co. Inc., shipped 24.5 tonnes of ore from Hunter Basin which produced 8160 grams gold, 283,366 grams silver and 1647 kilograms copper.

In 2008, Lions Gate Energy collected samples from the shaft area (glory hole) of the original workings on the King vein, which lies along a narrow trench/cut that follows the trend of the vein for 40 metres (Assessment Report 30731). Further sampling was done in 2009 by Lions Gate and a series of open cuts were traced for 270 metres at 070 degrees along the King Vein. What was thought to be the Idaho showing in 2008, with results of 30.6 copper, 1.79 grams per tonne gold and 1886 grams per tonne silver from an adit dump, is thought to represent the offset eastern strike extension of the King Vein (Assessment Report 31515). A sample of andesite with disseminated pyrite, specularite and chalcopyrite from scattered AQ size drill core was collected by Lions Gate.

WORK HISTORY

Refer to National Mineral Inventory (NMI) card 093L11 Cu4 (MINFILE King 093L 041) for further details of the history of the King occurrence.

From 1903 to 1904, initial discovery by W. Hunter of King, Rainbow, Hunter, Idaho showings occurred (Minister of Mines Annual Reports 1905 and 1905).

From 1909 to 2015, two tunnels were driven on the Colorado and at least one shaft on the Tribune prior to 1915 (Assessment report 10918). In 1914 38 tonnes of ore was shipped from the Colorado recovering 155,515 grams of silver and 2722 kilograms of copper. Several open cuts and a 4.8 metre adit were cut on the Hunter in 1914 exposing high grade lenses, with 23 tonnes from the dump assaying 1.2 per cent copper, 2523 grams per tonne silver and 0.69 gram per tonne gram per tonne gold and a tunnel was driven on the Hannah, with no significant mineralization encountered.

In 1914 to 1941, combined production from the King and Rainbow mines totalled 269 tonnes of hand-sorted ore which produced 8160 grams gold, 283,366 grams silver and 42,710 kilograms copper.

In 1962 Canadian American Mining Co. Inc. shipped 24.5 tonnes of ore which produced 373 grams of gold, 11,539 grams of silver, and 1647 kilogram of copper (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1962).

In 1967, an induced polarization survey in Hunter Basin for Canadian American Mining Co. Inc. identified several conductors that could represent the extensions of known mineralization and additional zones (Assessment Report 1086).

In 1982, the Colorado tunnel was re-opened by Lloyd Gething and a 020-030 degree/70 west degrees quartz-calcite-adularia vein zone was identified with tetrahedrite and electrum (Assessment Report 10918).

In 1987, Atna Resources held the Silver Hill claim which covered the Tribune, Colorado and Hunter occurrences (HARIVEL Assessment Report 17448). A total of 374 soil samples were collected. The 1987 work centred on the caved Colorado adit. The Tribune showing is plotted (MINFILE) in the grid area. Mapping and soil geochemistry delineated four north trending structures with anomalous copper and silver.

In 1989, Van Alphen Exploration conducted exploration on their Hunt claim. Six major showings were reviewed and sampled (Assessment Report 19555). These showings included the KING, WEST, UPPER WEST, RAINBOW, MOHOCK, IDAHO SHOWING.

In 2007, Lions Gate Energy Corp conducted an Aerotem airborne geophysical survey on parts of the El Toro property that included the following showings (Assessment Report 29456): MARMOT (093L 038), CRATER LAKE (093L 039), IDAHO (093L 040), KING (093L 041), HUNTER (093L 042), COLORADO (093L 043), RAINBOW (HUNTER BASIN), (093L 044), FOG (FLY), (093L 045), FOG (093L 046), DENY NORTH (093L 047), DENY SOUTH (093L 049), DENY EAST (093L 050), TRIBUNE (093L 255), SUNSET (093L 304). The airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey was completed over 628.8 kilometres.

The 2007 reconnaissance level exploration program of Lions Gate Energy was composed of a prospecting program during which 40 reconnaissance rock samples were collected from the following claims (Assessment Report 30188): #554998, 555000, 555001, 555003, 567390, 567391, and 567603 respectively in the Sunset, MSJ, Deny and Hunter Basin areas.

The 2008 El Toro program of Lions Gate Energy Inc involved mapping, prospecting, 87 rock and 15 soil geochemical samples, GPS surveying of previous diamond drill hole collars, and underground and surface workings, an evaluation of the property (Assessment Report 30731), followed by a 1495 line kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical survey (Assessment Report 30982). The survey on the West block covered Princess (093L 061), War Eagle (093L 062), Santa Maria (093L 063), Evening (093L 064), Duchess (093L 066), Countess (093L 067), MSJ (093L 241), Ant 1 (093L 320). The survey of the East block covered: Old Tom (093L 034), Hankin (093L 035), Loring (093L 036), Lava (093L 037), Marmot (093L 038), Crater Lake (093L 039), Idaho (093L 040), King (093L 041), Hunter (093L 042), Colorado (093L 043), Rainbow (093L 044), Fog (Fly) (093L 045), Fog (093L 046), Deny North (093L 047), Deny South (093L 049), Deny East (093L 050), Hannah (093L 080), Tribune (093L 255), Sunset (093L 304).

In 2009, Lions Gate conducted a program that involved mapping, rock (37) and soil (568) geochemical sampling, and additional GPS surveying of previous diamond drill hole collars and old workings, concentrated on Hunter’s Basin, Hankin Basin (Loring Creek), the Loljuh and MSJ stocks, Wolverine showing and Starr Creek, and an MMI soil geochemical survey over the MSJ porphyry copper-molybdenum-gold target (Assessment Report 31515). The program identified additional copper-silver-gold vein mineralization in Hunter’s Basin, additional stratiform mineralization in Loring Creek.

Significant porphyry copper-molybdenum mineralization was found to be associated with the Loljuh stock, and favourable copper, gold, molybdenum plus/minus silver mobile metal ion (MMI) soil geochemical signature, associated with a chargeability high anomaly in a favourable geological setting for the discovery of a porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum deposit, was outlined at the MSJ stock. A previous DDH record was uncovered from the War Eagle pyrite showing indicating results of 24.0 and 9.43 grams per tonne gold, each over 3.05 metres, which had not been followed up (Assessment Report 31515).

In 2011, Lions Gate collected 371 bark biogeochemical samples and conducted 7.3 kilometres of ground magnetics and 2.7 kilometres of VLF surveying (Assessment Report 33275). The work appears to have been done in the War Eagle showing area (093L 062).

In 2012, Lions Gate conducted a 2.7 kilometre ground magnetic geophysical survey on their El Tory property (Assessment Report 34445).