The Vernon occurrence is located approximately 1 kilometre northwest of the northwest end of Echo Lake and is approximately 17 kilometres north-northwest of Germansen Landing (Open File 1990-17). This occurrence has similar regional geology to that of the Biddy occurrence (093N 114).

Sphalerite occurs as disseminated grains in fine-grained dolomite and as breccia cement within arenaceous dolomite. Galena primarily occurs massively with barite in small, localized shear zones with varying amounts of sphalerite. Silver, in the form of argentiferous galena, is generally very low-grade. Minor quartz, calcite, and barite are associated with the sulphides. The hostrocks are primarily dolomites and dolomitic breccias of the Middle Devonian Otter Lakes Group and arenaceous dolomites of the Echo Lake Group (Silurian to Lower Devonian).

The mineralization at this locality may be related to a northeast-striking normal fault.

Work History

In 1968, geochemical and electromagnetic surveys were conducted by Canex Aerial Exploration Ltd over the B.V.D group of claims, the latter to determine whether any of the geochemically interesting areas were related to fault structures (Assessment Report 01653).

In 1973, a geochemical survey was conducted on the CRIN mineral claims, overlapping the mineralization (Assessment Report 04815).

Between 1986 and 1988, a joint venture between Equinox Resources Ltd. and Darren Resources Ltd. explored the Vernon occurrence. In 1986, a rock sample (sample 11), trace element assays yielded values of 4.67 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 16946).

In 1989, a grab sample from a trench on the Vernon showing analysed 84 grams per tonne silver, 5.2 per cent lead, 8.7 per cent zinc and 0.13 per cent germanium (Exploration in British Columbia 1989, page 195). Also in 1989, a geophysical survey using the self-potential method was carried out by Equinox Resources Ltd and Darren Resources Ltd (Assessment Report 19266). Heavy overburden in the area has rendered geochemical soil surveys poor at defining drillhole targets, and widespread carbonaceous limestone was known to make induced polarization and electromagnetic surveys of doubtful value. The survey was successful in identifying known mineral targets previously revealed by exploration and subsequent trenching.

In 1990, diamond drilling in the West Vernon (MINEIFLE 093N 075) and Biddy (MINFILE 093N 114) areas was undertaken by Britton Brothers Drilling of Smithers, British Columbia, under the joint venture of Equinox Resources Ltd and Daren Resources Ltd (Assessment Report 20492).

In 1991, a geophysical survey was flown adjacent to the occurrence by Dighem Surveys and Processing Inc. (Assessment Report 22362).

In 2006, a detailed compilation of historical geochemical soil sampling, as well as an air photo lineament study was conducted by B.K. (Barney) Bowen, P.Eng, and covered the Vernon area (Assessment Report 28634). An overall north-northeast trend and marked linear nature of coincident lead-zinc anomalies was concluded to be a fault-controlled, breccia-style mineralization similar to that intersected in the Equinox-Daren drillholes in the Vernon area (Assessment Report 20492), suggesting that the occurrence extends over a target length measuring at least 1 to possibly 2 kilometres.