The Hardpan Creek occurrence is located on the eastern edge of the Cambria Icefield near the Del Norte Glacier, about 30 kilometres east of Stewart and 25 kilometres west-southwest of Meziadin Junction.

Regionally, the area is underlain by a central core of dominantly volcanic rocks of the Middle Jurassic Betty Creek Formation (Hazelton Group) flanked by overlying sediments of the Middle Jurassic Salmon River Formation (Hazelton Group). A broad northwest trending anticlinal structure is inferred. Middle to Late Jurassic monzonitic to dioritic intrusions, and Tertiary dike swarms intrude the Hazelton Group rocks. Faulting and fracturing and associated alteration occur in northwest, northeast and east directions. Regional propylitic alteration has been overprinted in the vicinity of faults and the intrusions by strong propylitic, phyllic-argillic and silicic alteration.

In the Hardpan Creek area, eight showings were evaluated in 1990. The mineralization is primarily fissure vein or replacement type and is thought to occur in a mesozonal environment. Alteration, mineralization and the geologic setting suggest the potential for vein, gold-copper porphyry or possible volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization.

Fissure vein style mineralization is either lead-zinc or gold-copper dominated. Some of this mineralization may be transitional to replacement or porphyry types. Depending on the dominant mineralization, sphalerite, galena or chalcopyrite occurs as disseminations, fracture fillings and within veins and stringer stockworks. Specular hematite and pyrite are common.

The Hardpan Creek occurrence area is underlain by Middle Jurassic rocks of the upper Betty Creek Formation (Hazelton Group), in a north-northwest striking, west dipping sequence. The contact with Middle Jurassic Salmon River Formation (Hazelton Group) sediments occurs just east of the property boundary. A band of sedimentary rocks within Betty Creek volcanics are comprised of orange and rusty weathering fine to coarse grained arkosic wackes, with a 10 metre thick black argillite unit. Sandstones are altered, well foliated and locally sheared, and may be volcanic derived in part. The argillite is strongly foliated and hosts an abundance of orange weathering veins, some of which contain galena and sphalerite. The total thickness of sediments is approximately 200 to 250 metres. The beds strike north-northwest and dip moderately to the west. The foliation strikes west, parallel to several faults which cut across the sediments.

A largely volcaniclastic unit outcrops above the sediments and is composed of massive, buff to light green and mottled maroon and green plagioclase crystal tuffs with some agglomerates, lesser lapilli tuffs, tuff breccias, argillites and maroon andesites. To the east, the volcaniclastic sequence is overlain by a series of intermediate flows, including green andesites and mottled dacitic flows, which generally contain 1-10 per cent disseminated pyrite. The latter units are in a stratigraphic position that suggests that they may be part of the Mount Dilworth Formation, or correlative rocks. This is further supported by the fact that, although the dacites are strongly altered to quartz sericite and quartz chlorite schists, the mineralogy is such that the original volcanic rocks were felsic to intermediate, like the Mount Dilworth rocks. Potassium feldspar megacryst sills and dikes observed in outcrop and drillholes seem to intrude the sediments and volcanics concordantly. Drill core has revealed extensive intrusions in the subsurface that may be related to the monzonite sills. These grade from syenitic to dioritic and the more mafic intrusions are strongly magnetic.

All rock types exhibit mild propylitic alteration. Pervasive chlorite +/- epidote and calcite replacement and veining is probably related to regional tectonic events. This alteration has been overprinted by localized, more intense propylitic, and argillic alteration associated with later faulting, intrusive activity and mineralization. Fault systems are usually accompanied by intense ankerite-calcite and/or chlorite-propylitic alteration. The altered belt is a 100 to 200 metre wide band of moderate to intense phyllic-argillic and propylitic alteration associated with monzonitic to dioritic intrusions. The zone trends northwest from the East Cliffs to the Humdinger zone and across Del Norte Creek into the Bullion area (104A 077).

Two types of mineralization are prominent, base metal and/or precious metal rich fissure type veins (+/- stringer stockwork) and gold-copper rich replacement type horizons. Extensive alteration coincides with and/or pervades mineralized systems and fracture and fault systems. Fissure type mineralization is by far the most commonly found and can be further subdivided into zinc-lead rich or copper-gold rich veins or stringer stockworks. Both types are found in the two main rock types: intermediate volcaniclastics and intermediate to felsic volcanic flows. Results to date seem to indicate a trend of base metal zones in more intermediate volcanics and gold-copper in more felsic units. Base metal rich stringers have also been observed in float in sedimentary rocks just southwest of the Hardpan Creek area.

The orientation of the veins and stringers closely coincide with the main fracture and fault systems, trending towards the northwest, northeast and rarely east. Anomalous concentrations of either gold, silver, copper, zinc or lead in alteration halos around these veins and/or stringer stockworks suggest that some could be transitional to a replacement horizon (e.g. the Monk and East Cliffs zones). Zinc-lead rich zones vary from stringer stockworks (Twilight, Gorley) to massive and banded (Grizzly). Disseminated, fracture filling, vein and banded sulphides and oxides consist of specular hematite, sphalerite, galena, pyrite and traces of chalcopyrite. The honey-green colour of sphalerite indicates an iron-poor chemistry. The stringer stockwork systems average 1 to 1.5 per cent combined zinc-lead over widths ranging from 3 to 75 metres. Grab samples of the less than 5 centimetre wide vein material can run as high as 27.54 per cent zinc, 13.2 per cent lead, 1.55 grams per tonne gold and 125.3 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 21535). This type of mineralization is accompanied by moderate chloritization with pockets of ankerite-carbonate and rare, thin lenses of phyllic and/or siliceous alteration. High zinc levels in nearby monzonite intrusions suggest a source for this mineralization.

The Grizzly zone is unique in that several less than 0.5 metre wide bands of massive sphalerite-galena occur in carbonate and siliceous rich horizons hosted by volcanic flows and tuffs. This may just be a higher-grade expression of the stringer systems or alternatively, considering the geological environment, could be indicative of a massive sulphide horizon.

Gold-copper rich fissure style mineralization occurs associated with more obvious quartz veining and stringer networks in generally more felsic volcanics. Sulphides consist of chalcopyrite and pyrite, occurring mainly in the veins or stringers. These "veins" range from discrete pods of quartz of less than 2 to 3 metres in length (Monk, East Cliffs, Copper-Gold) to more substantial vein systems ranging up to 50 metres (Humdinger, Downie). Gold and copper values are relatively erratic within the veins. Concentrations range from 0.62 gram per tonne gold and 0.20 per cent copper over 11 metres at the Monk Showing (stringer stockwork) to 12.06 grams per tonne gold, 63.75 grams per tonne silver, and 400 parts per million copper over 6 metres at the Humdinger zone (vein system) (Assessment Report 21535).

Alteration around the veins consists of moderate to intense chloritization and argillic-phyllic with discrete areas of ankerite-carbonate. Alteration may be strong enough to change the original rocks to quartz-sericite or quartz-chlorite schists. Drilling results and alteration of the Humdinger and Monk zones suggest a genetic relationship between intrusive activity, alteration and veining.

The Downie vein is unique in that it appears to be a mineralized and silicified intermediate to mafic dike with very minor associated alteration of the hostrocks. Its proximity to the O-Zone suggests that the mineralization may have been remobilized and concentrated coeval with dike emplacement.

The only gold-copper replacement horizon found to date is the O-Zone. Hostrocks and the precursor to the mineralized horizon are green and maroon and green volcanic crystal and lapilli tuffs and tuff breccia. The horizon appears to crosscut geology trending northwest to north northwest and dipping 30-50 degrees to the southwest. Offsets (on normal faults?) of as much as 20 metres are a common feature along northeast trending faults. Monzonitic dikes are common in and around the O-Zone and are extensively altered.

In the O-Zone, disseminated and fracture filling chalcopyrite and pyrite (4 to 5 per cent) pervade a phyllic and +/- argillic altered horizon which has been overprinted by extensive, moderate ankerite-carbonate alteration probably related to faulting and fracturing. The horizon ranges between 6 and 15 metres in width and has been delineated for a strike length of 176 metres, open to the north and south, and a dip length of 35 metres, open to depth. Averages of 3.11 to 6.22 grams per tonne gold and 0.20 to 0.50 per cent copper over 3 metres are common within a wider, lower grade halo of less than 0.46 to 1.24 grams per tonne gold and 0.10 to 0.38 per cent copper over widths ranging from 7 to 45 metres (Assessment Report 21535). Mineralized halos often extend into ankerite-carbonate hostrocks and fracture systems. On surface, higher-grade results are often associated with podiform chalcopyrite occurring within 1 to 5 centimetre wide quartz veins, but these structures were not noted in drill core.

In 1990, Teuton Resources Corp. conducted a detailed exploration program on the Croesus 2 claim (Hardpan Creek area) and reconnaissance exploration of the remainder of the property. Exploration in the Hardpan Creek area consisted of establishing a grid (12 kilometres picketed line), mapping and prospecting (66 grab samples), blasting and trenching (600 metres, 523 chip samples), soil geochemical survey (347 samples), geophysical surveys (VLF-EM, magnetic, UTEM) and diamond drilling (12 holes, 1118.3 metres of BQTW core, 536 core samples). Reconnaissance work included mapping and prospecting (71 grab samples), stream sediment sampling (98 samples), trenching (300 metres, 64 chip samples) and contour soil sampling (64 samples).

In 2014, Teuton Resources Corp. conducted a 5-hole (591.9-metre) drill program to test a zone of copper mineralization exposed on the south side of Del Norte Creek, just west of Deadman's Gulch. Drilling encountered ankerite-carbonate, argillic, phyllic, and potassic altered intrusive and volcanic rocks, with less than 1 to 5 per cent disseminated and fracture filling chalcopyrite and lesser pyrite. Results of drilling include 0.44 gram per tonne gold, 0.07 per cent copper, and 1.96 grams per tonne silver over a 107.9 metre interval in hole D14-05. This intersection includes a section of 42.4 metres grading 0.71 gram per tonne gold, 0.06 per cent copper, and 2.80 grams per tonne silver. The drill hole was stopped in mineralization due to poor weather conditions.

In 2016, Teuton Resources completed 13 diamond drill holes, totalling 1822.4 metres, on the Del Norte property. A drill hole (DN16-05) collared 150 metres from the 2014 drilling, intercepted porphyry copper-gold mineralization associated with strong potassium feldspar alteration yielding 0.27 gram per tonne gold and 0.15 per cent copper over 74.2 metres (Mastalerz, K., Walus, A. [2020-03-31]: Instrument 43-101 F-1 Technical Report on Del Norte Property).

During 2017 through 2019, Teuton Resources completed programs of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, an airborne geophysical (ZTEM and magnetic) survey and four diamond drillholes on the Del Norte property.