The Ora occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1900 metres on a south-facing slope, approximately 4.5 kilometres north of Kemess Lake and 4.5 kilometres east of Duncan Lake, about 191 kilometres north-northwest of the community of Germansen Landing.
The Toodoggone district lies within the eastern margin of the Intermontane Belt and is underlain by a northwest-trending belt of Paleozoic to Paleogene sediments, volcanics and intrusions covering an area of 90 by 25 kilometres. The basement rocks are Proterozoic metasedimentary equivalents of the Hadrynian Ingenika Group. These rocks are unconformably overlain by volcanic and sedimentary units of the Devonian to Permian Asitka Group, which are in turn overlain by Upper Triassic basaltic to andesitic flows, volcaniclastics and minor limestone of the Stuhini Group. Volcaniclastic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Hazelton Group and rhyolitic to dacitic flows, intrusions and volcaniclastics of the Lower Jurassic Toodoggone Formation (Hazelton Group) overlie the Stuhini Group. Further to the west, nonmarine sediments of the Cretaceous Sustut Group overlie the volcanic strata and form the western margin of the district.
The Early Jurassic Black Lake Suite, of quartz monzonitic to granodioritic composition, has intruded the older strata in the central and eastern parts of the region and forms the eastern margin of the Toodoggone district. Within the district, syenomonzonitic and quartz feldspar porphyritic dikes may be feeders to the Toodoggone Formation.
Locally, the area is mainly underlain by andesitic to basaltic volcanics of the Stuhini Group, with the exception of the eastern regions, which are underlain by fragmental tuffs of the Toodoggone Formation. Lower Jurassic stocks, dikes, and possible sills of quartz monzonite to quartz diorite composition have intruded the Stuhini Group. Porphyry-style copper-gold mineralization occurs mainly within Black Lake intrusive and Stuhini volcanic rocks and, to a lesser extent, the lowermost Toodoggone Formation rocks. See Kemess North (094E 021) for a detailed description of the regional geology.
At the Ora occurrence, basalt flows, bladed feldspar porphyry basalt flow breccias, feldspar crystal tuffs, flow breccias and tuff breccias have been intruded by quartz feldspar porphyries, and quartz monzonites host disseminated and fracture-filling pyrite and chalcopyrite along with quartz-calcite veinlets. The host volcanics have been variably silicified and sericite, chlorite, epidote and biotite altered.
In 1990, samples (18183B and 18360) yielded up to 0.702 per cent copper, 7.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.51 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21539). In 2002, diamond drilling yielded intercepts of 0.06 per cent copper and 1.23 grams per tonne gold over 13.54 metres in drillhole KN-02-32 and 0.04 per cent copper with 0.78 gram per tonne gold over 24.00 metres in hole KN-02-41 (Assessment Report 27083). In 2007, diamond drilling intercepts included 0.3 gram per tonne gold and 0.39 per cent copper over 457.3 metres in hole KH-07-04, 0.32 gram per tonne gold and 0.35 per cent copper over 356.0 metres in hole KH-07-10, and 0.62 gram per tonne gold with 0.53 per cent copper over 152.9 metres in hole KH-07-24 (Assessment Report 29848).
The Ora occurrence is reported to be a down-dropped block next to the Altus zone (Kemess East, 094E 315) located 1.1 kilometres north, and to be more closely related to the eastern edge of the Kemess North deposit (094E 021) deposit. It is still open to the west, the north and at depth.
The area has been historically explored in conjunction with the nearby Kemess North developed prospect (094E 021) located 1.7 kilometres west and the Kemess South past-producing mine (094E 094) located 6 kilometres south.
During 1966 through 1971, Kennco Explorations Ltd. completed programs of geochemical sampling and geological mapping on the area immediately west as the Kemess 1-100 claims. In 1975 and 1976, Getty Mines Ltd. examined the property and completed programs of soil sampling and geological mapping on the area immediately west.
During 1986 through 1989, El Condor Resources Ltd. completed programs of rock and soil sampling, geological mapping, trenching and a 14.1 line kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area immediately west as the New Kemess 1-2 claims. In 1990 and 1991, El Condor Resources Ltd. conducted programs of geological mapping, geochemical sampling and a 201.0 line kilometre induced polarization survey on the area as apart of the Kemess property.
During 2000 through 2011, Northgate Minerals Corp. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical sampling, geophysical surveys, trenching and diamond drilling on the area as the Kemess and Kemess East properties. In 2002, a 58-hole diamond drilling program, totalling 33,686.3 metres, was completed on the Kemess property, including three drillholes on the New Kemess 3 area. In 2007, Northgate continued exploration with 25 diamond-drill holes totalling 16,016.6 metres and a ground induced polarization survey on the Kemess East property.
During 2013 through 2017, AuRico Gold Inc. examined the area as part of the Kemess and Kemess East properties.
