The Kirby area is underlain by Carboniferous to Permian rocks of the Stikine Assemblage consisting of limestone, lithic and crystal tuff and volcanic flows.

At the Kirby NE location in 1990, sample 91558 was collected from a limestone outcrop and assayed 50 parts per billion gold, 32.6 parts per million cadmium, greater than 0.2 per cent arsenic and 0.4 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 21150). An unidentifiable black mineral was noted within limonitic alteration and was thought to possibly represent fine-grained sphalerite. This sample was collected in an area where there is a widespread arsenic-zinc soil anomaly.

Work History

Structural and orthophoto interpretation work was performed on the Gab 5 to 10 claim area in 1987 on behalf of Northwest Gold Syndicate (Assessment Report 17210). A 105.67 kilometre airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey was completed.

In 1988, a limited program for Kirby Energy Inc was conducted on the Gab 5 claim consisted of several prospecting and mapping traverses combined with rock chip and soil sampling. Sampling within the more prominent pyritic gossans near the northeast shore of Newmont Lake yielded arsenic values up to 0.8 per cent, although, no significant gold values were obtained. High copper sample 21060 was collected 800 metres east of the southeast corner of Newmont Lake (Assessment Report 18507). Kirby SE occurrence is located at this sample.

In 1989, geological mapping, prospecting and contour soil sampling (173 samples) was carried out on the Gab 5 claim on behalf of Kirby Energy Inc. Three rock chips samples were also collected. The soil samples were collected along the north and east of the Newmont Lake shoreline.

In 1990, a total of 682 soil samples and 13 rock samples were collected from the Gab 5 claim on behalf of Kirby Energy Inc. Rock sample 91558 was collected about 350 metres northeast of the north end of Newmont Lake, within a widespread arsenic-zinc soil anomaly. MINFILE occurrence, Kirby NE, is located at this sample (Assessment Report 21150).

In 2013 Geotech Ltd. carried out a helicopter-borne electromagnetic (ZTEM) and aeromagnetic geophysical survey for Romios Gold Resources Inc over the Newmont Lake Block, comprising parts of the Newmont Lake property (Geophysics Report, Assessment Report 35016, Appendix VI). Over 21 mineral occurrences were covered by the survey including the Kirby NE occurrence. Romios Gold was then able to define priority geophysical targets of interest in the area depending on various geophysical signatures. The Kirby NE occurs on a northeast-trending conductive lineament, however as Romios Gold reports a close correlation between known mineral occurrences and magnetic highs on the edge of larger resistive anomalies the Kirby NE was not considered a desirable target for follow-up (Figure 20, Assessment Report 35016).

In 2014, Romios Gold Resources Inc. conducted a prospecting and sampling program that included the evaluation of various showings and mineralized occurrences on the Newmont Lake and Trek Properties. A total of 314 rock chip samples and reconnaissance rock samples and 26 stream silt samples were collected.

In 2015, Romios Gold reported that a program of additional prospecting and sampling was carried out on the Burgundy Ridge discovery (Exploration and Mining in British Columbia 2015, page 135).

No work is reported for 2016 or 2017.

In 2018, Romios Gold Resources Inc successfully completed an airborne magnetic and Versatile Domain Electromagnetic (VTEM) survey over three of the Company's most prospective exploration targets on its Newmont Lake property. The survey covered three claim blocks: DIRK, KEN and NORTHWEST comprising parts of the Newmont Lake property, covering a total of 714 line-kilometres (Assessment Report 37492, containing Geotech Ltd Geophysical Report (Appendix Two)). The survey covers the Kirby NE occurrence which plots at the northeast edge of a significant VTEM (Anomaly #2) in the Ken-Northwest Survey block. The anomaly appears to be about 2 kilometres long and 1 kilometre wide.

In December 2018, Crystal Lake Mining announced that it had acquired a 100 per cent interest in the 436 square kilometre Newmont Lake Project from Romios Gold.

In 2019, Crystal Lake Mining Corp conducted a drill program, on the Burgundy Ridge prospect area (104B 325) and the Northwest deposit. They also conducted extensive grassroots exploration. Crystal Lake sampled and mapped the Cuba-Thumper trend along its 2.5 to 3.2 kilometre length. This trend is found between the Cuba prospects (104B 334 and 440) in the north and Thumper (104B 445) to the south. The trend is characterized by a high-grade high-grade silver-zinc-copper-lead barite system.

See Northwest (104B 281) for details of work after the amalgamation of tenures by Romios Gold Resources Inc in the 2000s, when airborne geophysics was done over significant land areas and some specific work on various mineral occurrences was reported.