The M.J. showing is located about 2.1 kilometres east of the central east shore of Long Lake, 22 kilometres north of Stewart.
The area is underlain by Hazelton Group rocks in the crumpled core of a north-northwest trending, north plunging syncline. The mainly volcanic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Betty Creek and overlying Mount Dilworth formations are overlain by the predominantly sedimentary rocks of the Middle-Upper Jurassic Salmon River Formation. A thick, west-northwest trending feldspar porphyry dike (an Eocene Hyder dike, part of the Portland Canal dike swarm), is just south of the showing (Open File 1987-22). Narrow, northwest trending lamprophyre dikes have been reported near the mineralization (Property File - Plumb, 1956).
The mineralization is hosted in alternating argillites and conglomerates of the Salmon River Formation and the intrusive dike. A north trending, vertically dipping shear zone, about 300 metres wide, cuts the rocks and contains subparallel mineralized veins that are spaced about 90 to 120 metres apart. These veins, up to 2.1 metres wide, appear to be part of the same swarm that forms the Silver Crown showing (104A 061) immediately to the northwest. The veins are persistent where they cut the more brittle conglomerates and feldspar porphyry dike, but form sheeted zones up to 6 metres wide of anastomosing veinlets in the incompetent argillites. The veins comprise felsite (dike rock?) that is impregnated and bordered by white quartz containing pyrite, galena and sphalerite. Minor malachite also occurs.
The richest vein is the easternmost exposed vein (6A). This vein is 0.8 to 1.8 metres wide and can be traced for about 40 metres. The extensions are covered by ice. In 1956, chip(?) samples collected across the vein assayed up to 11.75 per cent zinc, 17.05 per cent lead, 318.9 grams per tonne silver, 1.0 gram per tonne gold and 0.10 per cent copper over a width of 0.76 metre (Property File - Plumb, 1956).
Other subparallel veins lie about 40 metres (vein 6B), 135 metres (vein 6C), 260 metres (vein 2, 2A, 2B) and 380 metres (vein 1) west of vein 6A. These probably form part of the Silver Crown vein swarm (104A 061). Samples taken in 1956 assayed low values; elevated lead values came from samples of veins 2, 2A, 2B and 7A. The 7A vein is about 425 metres north-northwest of vein 6A.
Work History
In about 1951, several large boulders containing galena, sphalerite and pyrite in quartz were traced from the Long Lake area up to the ridge containing the showing (Property File - Plumb, 1956). Mineralized veins were discovered in outcrops protruding through the ice. In 1956, the M.J. Mining Syndicate owned the M.J. claims over the veins. That year Plumb examined the mineralization on behalf of Dorreen Mines Limited. The immediately adjacent Silver Crown showing (104A 061) was staked in 1965 and explored during 1965-68. It is not known if the M.J. showing was explored at this time. In 1983, Teuton Resources performed work on the Elk and Moose claims in the area. In 1988, an airborne geophysical survey was flown over the area on behalf of D. Cremonese. The following year White Channel Resources Inc. acquired the Strike 1-3 claims over the area and explored the Silver Crown showing. In 1990, another airborne geophysical survey was flown over the area on behalf of D. Cremonese.
In 2017, Richard Billingsley completed an airborne magnetic survey on the area. In 2019, AUX Resources Corp. completed a program of prospecting, geological mapping and rock sampling on the area as the Independence and Slippery Ian properties. Fifteen samples were collected from the M.J. occurrence and yielded from 0.031 to 1.3 grams per tonne gold, 6.3 to 121 grams per tonne silver, 0.003 to 1.405 per cent copper, 0.013 to 13.35 per cent lead and 0.056 to 16.35 per cent zinc (Bravewolf Consulting [2020-07-17]: 2020 Technical (NI 43-101) Report on the Independence and Slippery Ian Properties).
