The Eagle's Nest prospect is located approximately 1.5 kilometres northwest of the summit of Nickel Plate Mountain and 3.5 kilometres northeast of Hedley.
The area just northwest of Nickel Plate Mountain is underlain by siltstone and limestone of the Upper Triassic Hedley Formation (Nicola Group). The sediments dip 30 degrees west, and are extensively intruded by sills and dikes of hornblende porphyritic diorite of the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Hedley Intrusions.
The occurrence appears to be hosted in the same gently westward-dipping zone of skarn mineralization as the Nickle Plate mine (MINFILE 092HSE038) and the Mascot fraction (MINFILE 092HSE036) to the east. The skarn is occasionally banded, commonly grey to green to white in colour and contains variable amounts of garnet and minor wollastonite. It is sometimes accompanied by beds of limestone, siliceous sediments and tuffs.
Mineralization consists of pyrrhotite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, electrum, hedleyite (a gold telluride) and cobaltite. These sulphides are closely associated with dioritic dikes and sills, and form irregular bands, streaks, stringers and disseminations within the skarn. Gold is distributed somewhat erratically. Pyrrhotite-rich sections may be barren, yet arsenopyrite is usually accompanied by gold. Barren-looking skarn can have a significant gold content if hedleyite is present.
In 1936, a picked sample and a 1.8-square metre chip sample are reported to have assayed 49.9 and 4.8 grams per tonne gold, respectively (Property File - J.S. Vincent [1986-04-15]: A report on the Eagle's Nest Property).
In 1939, diamond drilling is reported to have yielded up to 10.9 and 8.9 grams per tonne gold over 1.2 metres, respectively (Property File - J.S. Vincent [1986-04-15]: A report on the Eagle's Nest Property).
In 1946, diamond drilling from the 3700 level workings yielded intercepts of 5.13, 4.10 and 4.39 grams of gold per tonne over 1.05, 0.33 and 5.24 metres, respectively, in hole 1084; 21.20 grams per tonne gold over 0.45 metre in hole 1085; 10.26 grams per tonne gold over 0.45 metre in hole 1087 and 3.42 grams per tonne gold over 1.8 metres, including 12.65 grams per tonne gold over 3 centimetres of massive arsenopyrite, in hole 1014 (Property File - J.S. Vincent [1986-04-15]: A report on the Eagle's Nest Property). Hole 1084 was drilled towards the lower skarn contact, whereas the other three (1014, 1085 and 1087) holes were drilled towards the upper contact of the skarn zone.
In 1983, diamond drilling from the 2700 level inclined shaft yielded intercepts of 6.0 grams per tonne gold over 0.6 metre in hole 83-2 and 3.5 grams per tonne gold over 15 centimetres in hole 83-5 (Property File - J.S. Vincent [1986-04-15]: A report on the Eagle's Nest Property). Both of these holes were drilled towards the upper contact of the skarn zone.
In 1988, diamond drilling yielded intercepts of 3.8 and 4.1 grams per tonne gold over 1.2 and 2.4 metres, respectively, in hole AG-88-1l; 2.9 and 1.7 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 and 3.0 metres, respectively, in hole AG-88-2 and 5.6 grams per tonne gold over 4.95 metres in hole AG-88-4; in hole AG-88-7, five 1.5-metre intercepts yielded from 1.7 to 4.6 grams per tonne gold and three additional intercepts yeilded 6.9, 10.0 and 15.6 grams per tonne gold over 1.2, 0.6 and 1.2 metres, respectively (George Cross News Letter No. 236, 1988 and No. 26, 1989).
The area has been explored since the late 1890s in conjunction with the nearby Nickle Plate (MINFILE 092HSE038) and Mascot Fraction (MINFILE 092HSE036) mines. During 1936 through 1946, Hedley Mascot Gold Mines Ltd., former operator of the nearby Mascot fraction, examined the occurrence, including 400 metres of underground diamond drilling in 1946. Underground development, during this time, included advancing the 3700 level drift, located on the Czar Frac. (L.2832), Zeerust Fraction and Florence (L.653S) Crown grants, for 277 metres and driving an inclined shaft on the 2700 level from the Eagle’s Nest (L.844) Crown grant with the purpose of connecting it to the 3700 level. The inclined shaft from the 2700 level was stopped approximately 180 metres short of the 3700 level workings due to labour problems. By this time, the 3700 level drift and 2700 level incline shaft had been driven for approximately 270 and 540 metres, respectively.
In the early 1970s, Austro-Can Explorations Ltd. held the claims. In 1983, Agio Resources Corporation completed six underground drill holes, totalling 611 metres. In 1988 and 1989, Corona Corporation, the operator of the Nickel Plate mine at the time, carried out additional underground drilling, totalling 664 metres, in seven holes.
