The Avon (Castle) occurrences are located east facing ridge, north east of Penny Creek and approximately 700 metres west of the Bedwell River.
The area is underlain mainly by volcanics of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation, Vancouver Group. In the Bedwell River area, these consist of fine grained andesites and black or dark green basalts. Some lenses of recrystallized limestone also occur. Large areas to the immediate west of the head of Bedwell Sound and a few kilometres to the north are underlain by rock of the Early to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite. These plutonic rocks on Vancouver Island vary in composition from gabbro to quartz monzonite but are mainly granodiorite and quartz diorite.
Three veins occur west of Bedwell River from about 150 to 400 metres elevation (Bulletin 8). Skarn mineralization has also been reported to occur in the vein area.
The "A" vein is exposed at about 150 metres elevation and to the west again at about 335 metres elevation. The host rock is a fine grained volcanic, locally amygdaloidal, which towards the western end is intruded by irregular masses of granitic rock. The wall rock is locally crushed and sheared. The strike of the vein is a little north of east; the dip ranges from 35 to 60 degrees northward. The western section is exposed for 18 metres, the eastern section for 30 metres. The two sections are separated by a distance of approximately 200 metres. The vein, occurring as lenses or as fillings of joints in the walls, generally ranges from about 4 to 40 centimetres in width. Gouge, up to 75 centimetres in width also occurs in the zone. The vein itself consists of quartz with some calcite mineralized with sparse amounts of pyrite, chalcopyrite and galena. A 20 centimetre chip sample taken across the vein assayed 8.91 grams per tonne gold and 65.14 grams per tonne silver (Bulletin 8).
From a point about 100 metres southwest from the western end of the "A" vein, old cuts and strippings follow the "B" vein for 38 metres. The average strike is east of north and the dip is 45 degrees west. At its south end the vein cuts a dacite dyke that occurs at the contact of limestone, on the east, and quartz diorite, on the west. Farther north the vein diverges to the west, leaving the contact zone and occurring entirely within the quartz diorite. The vein, ranging from 2.5 to 13 centimetres in width, is composed of quartz and contains similar mineralogy as the "A" vein. One sample assayed 85.71 grams per tonne gold and 41.14 grams per tonne silver (Bulletin 8).
The "C" vein lies about 350 metres north-northwest from the "B" vein, outcropping along quartz diorite bluffs. It strikes approximately northwest and dips about 45 degrees to the southwest. The vein was poorly exposed when examined but showed evidence of being at least 34 metres long. Quartz vein, pyrite and galena were observed in the zone. A 25 centimetre sample contained 15.09 grams per tonne gold (Bulletin 8). A shaft near the northwest end of the exposure is presumed to have been sunk in 1898 or 1899.
About 200 metres north of the western exposure of the "A" vein an old shaft and adit crosscut are found. The adit was driven west for about 80 metres passing through volcanics, cut by masses of quartz diorite and dacite dykes, and 50 metres of limestone, ending at a contact with quartz diorite. The shaft is located about 38 metres east of the adit portal. Mineralization found there consists of magnetite with chalcopyrite, pyrite and some calcite.
In 1969 eight tonnes of copper-iron ore were shipped from a deposit on the Braw 1 mineral claim. The deposit consists of a northeast trending zone (presumably skarn in limestone) 0.9 metres wide which can be traced for a length of 30 metres (Assessment Report 3629). From this shipment 31.10 grams of gold, 435.40 grams of silver and 861 kilograms of copper were produced (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1966). The Braw 1 claim is located immediately west of Bedwell River and appears to either cover, or be adjacent to, the eastern part of the "A" vein.
A parallel zone was located 460 metres to the west of the copper-iron zone within a limestone horizon that trends to the northeast and has been traced for over 460 metres. Magnetite and chalcopyrite are exposed over widths of 3 metres (Assessment Report 3629). An intrusive contact was observed 30 metres to the west of the limestone.
In 1970 and 1971, W. Guppy completed programs of soil sampling and geological mapping on the area as the Tie and Braw claims. In 1988, Intercontinental Ventures completed a program of geochemical sampling, geological mapping and a ground electromagnetic survey on the area as the Prosper property. In 1991, Golden Hinde Mines completed a program of soils sampling and ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys.
