The Vet showing is located 1700 metres east of Rufus Creek and 1000 metres north of the Stewart highway, about 25 kilometres northeast of Stewart.
The area is predominantly underlain by subhorizontal to gently north dipping andesitic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation (Hazelton Group). Mineralization occurs in a chalcopyrite and pyrite-bearing, hematitic, chloritic and siliceous tuff unit (Assessment Report 6382). The unit is 3 to 4 metres thick, strikes east and dips north at 15 to 80 degrees. The unit is bedded to massive and principally comprises beds of chert, quartz-hematite and thinly laminated chloritic tuff. Chalcopyrite is typically present in the hematite-rich layers. Chip(?) samples collected in 1966(?) assayed up to 3.02 per cent copper, 0.15 per cent lead and trace zinc across 1.5 metres (cited in Assessment Reports 6382, 8912).
The mineralized unit has been referred to in the earlier literature as the Veteran or Erickson vein (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1925). The best section is exposed a few hundred metres east of the northwest corner of the Veteran claim. A 1.2 metre wide sample assayed 3.0 per cent copper and traces of gold and silver (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1928). The mineralized unit may extend about 2500 metres to the west, near the Rufus showing (104A 019), and 1500 metres to the east, into the Red Top showing (104A 021) (Assessment Report 6382).
The showing is on the Vet (Veteran, Vetron) claims which were first mentioned in 1919. Surface work was reported during 1921-24. In 1925, Argenta Mines Limited acquired the claims and some geological work was conducted that year. Rufus Argenta Mines Limited was formed in 1928. During 1928-29(?), a tunnel was driven on the property. Further tunnelling was reported in 1937. In 1955, New Rufus-Argenta Mines Limited was formed and carried out further surface work during 1956-57 and 1964-65. In 1966, Crest Copper Company Limited conducted geological mapping and trenching. In 1976, Tournigan Mining Explorations Ltd. carried out reconnaissance studies in the area. In 1978, Tournigan performed geological mapping and sampling on the Veteran 1 and 2 claims. Kingdom Resources Ltd. (renamed KRL Resources Corp. in 1989) carried out work in the area during 1980-84, but no work was reported on the Vet claims. In 1991, KRL and Tournigan entered into an agreement whereby Tournigan would purchase the Veteran and Veteran 3 claims.
