The Canoe River map area is predominantly underlain by a sequence of folded Hadrynian metasedimentary strata, belonging to the Windermere Supergroup (Miette, Horsethief Creek and Kaza groups) and their basement gneisses. Horsethief Creek Group strata in the Canoe River area are locally sufficiently pelitic to produce abundant garnet and aluminosilicate minerals when subjected to high-grade regional metamorphism.

A variety of lithologies crop out in the northern Monashee Mountains. Metasediments and metabasites of the Hadrynian Horsethief Creek Group are dominant and all are intruded by locally abundant pegmatite pods and layers. The Semipelite-Amphibolite division of the Horsethief Creek Group underlies most of the field area with a thin calc-silicate zone and the lower Pelite unit being infolded into the Semipelite-Amphibolite unit. Pelite, calc-silicate, metabasite, pegmatite, granodiorite and carbonatite have been mapped during the course of a regional project on the metamorphism and structure of the area (Geological Survey of Canada Paper 89-1E, pp. 95-100). In a recent compilation of the Canoe River area quartzofeldspathic psammite and grit, pelitic schist, amphibolite and marble comprise the Semipelite-Amphibolite division. For a more detailed explanation of the regional geology refer to the Howard Creek Carbonatite showing (083D 043) and the Verity showing (083D 005).

At the headwaters of Howard Creek, approximately 30 kilometres southeast of Valemont, pelitic schists and pelites in the Horsethief Creek Group Semipelite-Amphibolite division contain 20 to 25 per cent coarse garnets which range in size from 2 to 6 centimetres in diameter (Open File 1988-26). Garnet is also common phase in all other lithologies throughout the area. Kyanite is also present, but not abundant at this locality.