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 SE location in 1988, a rock chip sample taken from fracture-controlled mineralization located near the outcrop trace of a section limestones yielded values of 15.6 grams per tonne silver and greater than 2 per cent copper (Assessment Report 18507).

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 MINFILE 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 in the area depending on various geophysical signatures, most notably the close correlation between known mineral occurrences and magnetic highs on the edge of larger resistive anomalies. The Kirby NE is in fact located within a magnetic feature (M9) at the edge of a resistive feature (R9). Romious reports that the R9-M9 anomaly appears to be situated at shallow to moderate depth (less than 500 metres) suitable for alkalic porphyry and skarn-type mineralization. Romios has earmarked a priority target on the M9-R9 anomaly about 1 kilometre south of Kirby SE showing (Figure 20, Assessment Report 35016).

In January and February 2018, Geotech Ltd. carried out a helicopter-borne Versatile Domain Electromagnetic (VTEM) and aeromagnetic geophysical survey on behalf of Romios Gold Resources Inc. The survey covered three claim blocks: DIRK, KEN and NORTHWEST comprising parts of the Newmont Lake property and covered a total of 714 line-kilometres (Assessment Report 37492, containing Geotech Ltd Geophysical Report (Appendix Two)). The Kirby SE occurrence is located on the Northwest Block just west of a southwest-trending series of magnetic highs. The nearest VTEM anomaly is 2 kilometres to the west.

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.