The Red Top showing is located 500 metres west of the sharp bend in Cullen Creek and about 900 metres north of the Stewart highway, approximately 27 kilometres northeast of Stewart.
The area of the showing is underlain by east striking, south dipping Lower Jurassic Unuk River Formation (Hazelton Group) rocks. The predominantly andesitic tuffs with intercalated thin (5 to 10 metres) rusty chert and argillite beds, are intruded by dikes.
Near the showing, the geology is very complex. At the surface, intercalated felsic volcanics and cherts strike east-northeast to northeast and mainly dip gently south. Buckling of the bedding is evident and, in places, the bedding is vertical. An interlayered unit of rusty, chloritized tuff can be traced for about 50 metres along strike. The unit contains 1 to 15 per cent chalcopyrite and 1 to 10 per cent pyrite and is faulted by two southeast striking, east-dipping faults that display dextral displacement. These faults are also mineralized in places.
In 1978, 40 metres of trenching was completed on the Red Top showing (30 metres at the base of the cliffs at the main showing, and 10 metres across the chert/argillite unit further to the west). The dominant rock types are volcanic but although they vary greatly in type all present a monotonous grey-green appearance. No continuity of individual units are evident, however, the cliffs are broken up by conspicuous patches of irregularly shaped rusty chert and argillite beds. This thin (5-10 metre) unit is convoluted; faulting is present and isoclinal folding is suggested but the true nature of the structure is unknown.
Trenching at the main showing exposes mineralization between two faults in a strongly chloritized tuff and comprises disseminated chalcopyrite and minor pyrite. The tuff sits on the top of the chert unit to the west of the faults. This part of the tuff can be reached in two places and it is well mineralized at both locations. Trenching also indicates that the chert beds, although convoluted, have a moderate dip (35 degrees) to the south. Mineralization also occurs along the faults and in the adit.
In the adit, about 60 metres below the surface, one southeast-trending fault separates andesite (on the footwall) from weakly mineralized chert (on the hangingwall). The chalcopyrite in the adit is present in a uniformly dipping chert bed 5 metres thick which dips south at 30 degrees. The relationships between the surface and underground are not clear (Assessment Report 7201). It is believed that the Red Top occurs in the iron formation unit which can be traced to the George Gold-Copper (104A 029, 129) deposit.
Grab(?) samples from the mineralized tuff between the faults on surface assayed up to 4.9 per cent copper, 32.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.5 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 7201). Grab samples from mineralized chert in the adit assayed up to 0.8 per cent copper, 6.9 grams per tonne silver and 0.4 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 7201).
Continuous 2 metre chip samples collected in 1991, along a portion of the face, assayed up to 1.76 per cent copper over 12 metres including 6 metres of 2.53 per cent copper (Assessment Report 22172).
In 1910, the Red Top showing was located on the Red Top claim (part of the Superior group), owned by Erickson and McNeil. During 1910-16, tunnelling and open cutting were carried out. In 1916, the Red Top group was owned by McNeil and Connors and was expanded to 14 claims by 1919. During 1919-20, Sieffert and associates drove about 40 metres of tunnel on the showing. The original owners continued the tunnel in 1921-23 and the tunnel was reported to be 102 metres long in 1927. The claims were subsequently acquired by the Quickstad family. No further work was reported until 1967 when a United Asbestos Corporation Limited-Price Bros. joint venture optioned the property. They retimbered the adit and drilled 4 holes (totalling 44.5 metres). The following year, the joint venture conducted surveying, geological mapping and drilled 8 holes (totalling 608 metres) in the area. Seven of the holes were drilled near the adit; the other hole was drilled to the west, near the Vet (104A 124) showing. In 1977, Tournigan Mining Explorations acquired the claims from the Quickstad family. Tournigan carried out trenching and geological mapping in 1978. In 1991, Orequest sampled the area for Tournigan Mining Explorations Ltd.
