The Rice mineral occurrence is located at 1158 metres elevation on the west side of Rice Creek. The Dayton occurrence (082ESW022) is located 2 kilometres to the south. Bridesville, British Columbia lies 7 kilometres to the southwest.
The area was explored in the early 1900s, resulting in the Nighthawk (Lot 688) and Progress (Lot 1942) Crown-granted claims being staked. Early work consisted of prospecting and development of several opencuts and trenches. The ground covering the Rice occurrence was explored by Riocanex in the 1970s and then by Rex Silver Mines Ltd in 1982 and 1983. Property exploration in 1992, consisting of soil geochemical sampling, was conducted by Rock Creek Resource Ltd. under the direction of M. Pardek. The most recent exploration has been conducted by the Rock Creek Joint Venture, consisting of a partnership between Phoenix Gold Resources Ltd., Gold City Mining Corp. and Orion International Minerals Corp. During 2008 through 2012, Grizzly Discoveries Inc. completed programs of geochemical (rock, stream sediment and soil) sampling, geological mapping and airborne and ground geophysical surveys on the Dayton-Sidley area of the Greenwood Property.
Lithologies covering the Rice occurrence include metasediments and metavolcanics of the Carboniferous to Permian Anarchist Group. Quartzite with interbedded pebble conglomerate and lesser greenstone and black argillite comprise lithologies. The black argillite contains disseminated graphite and pyrite. Diorite of the Middle Jurassic Nelson intrusions locally intrudes the Anarchist Group metasedimentary-metavolcanic sequence. Rhyolite and feldspar porphyry dikes were observed from drill core but not found in outcrop. Alteration associated with mineralization includes hematite, manganese, epidote, magnetite, calcite and thin quartz veining associated with propylitic greenstone and sheared metasediments.
The Rice occurrence consists of a mineralized east trending fissure zone associated with a 8-metre wide felsic dike. Pyrite and chalcopyrite mineralization were observed disseminated in the dike. Gold and lesser silver were reported obtained from dike samples (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1901, page 1152). The fault zone is characterized by fault gouge up to 0.5 metre wide and consisting of fine grained clay and carbonates. Near the western end of the surface exposure, Riocanex uncovered a fissure vein system of intense silicification and shearing hosting pyrite, galena and lesser chalcopyrite. The eastern extension of this fissure vein system was rediscovered by Rex Silver Mines Ltd. in 1982. Quartz veins up to 1.2 metres wide are hosted in the fissure system at the eastern exposure. These exposures indicate a minimum strike length of 600 metres.
The best assay results from this occurrence were from sample MOD-123R taken in 1983. The sample yielded 2.38 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 13563). The results of surface geochemistry and geophysics and rotary percussion drilling by the Rock Creek Joint Venture in the 1990s have indicated several gold targets. Results from drillholes ranged from 0.245 gram per tonne gold over 1.52 metres in drillhole 94NH #1 to 2.37 grams per tonne from a 1.52-metre interval from 16.77 to 18.29 metres in drillhole 94NH #5 (Phoenix Gold Resources Ltd, (1995): Prospectus).
