The rocks in the vicinity of the Lucky Nell Mine are mainly metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks near the contact of the Luck Creek Breccia and the Descon Formation of Silurian and Ordovician age (Eberlein and others, 1983; Brew, 1996). Wright and Wright (1908) and Roehm (1938 [PE 119-15]) describe the host rock as 'diorite porphyry'; later work indicates that they were describing volcanic rocks of the Luck Creek Breccia or the Descon Formation.

The deposit at the Lucky Nell is a quartz vein 1 to 4 feet thick that strikes N68E and dips 60SE. The vein contains arsenopyrite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite, as well as significant gold and silver values; locally the sulfides make up as much as 50 percent of the vein. Maas and others (1991) collected 58 samples of the vein that contained up to 1.96 ounces of gold per ton, 3.24 ounces of silver per ton, 0.52 percent copper, 6.44 percent lead, and 7.30 percent zinc. Several samples of sulfide-rich ore from the dumps (D.J. Grybeck, unpublished field notes and analyses, 1984) contained up to 500 parts per million (ppm) silver, 2,000 ppm arsenic, 3,000 ppm copper, more than 2 percent lead, 700 ppm antimony, 200 ppm tungsten, more than 1 percent zinc, and 31 ppm gold. A small shipment to a smelter in 1914 returned $33 a ton after deducting shipping and smelter charges.

The Lucky Nell Mine was discovered in 1900 and it has operated or been explored intermittently to at least the recent past. It produced small amounts of ore in 1905, from 1912 to 1914, and probably in a few other years. It produced 39 tons of ore in 1905 (Herreid and Rose, 1966) and 30 tons of ore in 1914 (Bufvers, 1967). The mine is developed by nearly 1,000 feet of underground workings, including 5 adits, a raise, and a winze. Roehm (1938 [PE119-15], 1947 [MIR 195-43]) recorded several visits to the property when it was active. During his last visit a road was being constructed to the mine along Maybeso Creek and equipment for a mill had been cached along the road. There is no indication, however, that the road or the mill reached the property. Swainbank, Bundtzen, and Wood (1991) reported that Guy Comer of Ketchikan reopened the portal and took samples of the underground workings for metallurgical testing.