The Prospect Valley (South Discovery) occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1670 metres on a ridge separating Teepee Creek to the south and Nuaitch Creek to the north.

Regionally, the area is underlain by andesitic volcanic rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Spius Creek Formation (Spences Bridge Group), which are locally overlain by andesitic volcanic rocks of the Eocene Princeton Group. Granodioritic intrusive rocks of the Permian to Triassic Mount Lytton Complex outcrop to the southeast.

Locally, the area is underlain by a northeast-trending (040 degrees) and variably dipping (50 degrees west through vertical to 40 degrees east) sequence of variably silica-chlorite-carbonate–altered amygdaloidal basalts with stockwork and sheeted microcrystalline quartz veining that hosts gold mineralization on the hangingwall of the west edge of the Early fault zone, which extends north to the North Discovery (MINFILE 092ISW112) occurrence. The veins vary in width from 1 to 200 centimetres, averaging approximately 5 to 10 centimetres in width, and strike 026 to 065 degrees with a dip of 50 degrees east to vertical. Sulphide mineralization is dominated by limonite±hematite with lesser disseminations and clots of pyrite and arsenopyrite. Native gold has also been reported.

The mineralized zone is associated with the southwest-striking Early fault zone, which is indicated to have been a major control for gold mineralization in the area. The Early fault zone unit varies from 1 to 12 metres wide, dips moderately to the southwest at 30 to 45 degrees and has been traced over a strike length of 1.7 kilometres. The Early fault zone unit is interpreted as a fissure/structural vein with similar characteristics to a fault breccia and/or hydrothermal breccia. The Early fault zone cuts multiple rock types within the Spences Bridge Group and separates two distinct volcanic sequences: a hangingwall sequence of intercalated amygdaloidal basalt, mafic-phyric basalt, intraformational flow breccia, andesite flows and lesser tuff breccia; and a footwall sequence dominated by mafic-phyric basalt and volcaniclastic rocks primarily comprising tuff breccia with lesser interbedded sequences of crystal tuff, lapilli tuff, tuffaceous sandstone and carbonaceous argillite. A complete description of the Early fault zone and its relationship to mineralization can be found in Assessment Report 30560.

Work History

In 2001, the Prospect Valley property was staked by Fairfield Minerals Ltd. In early 2002, Fairfield Minerals merged with Almaden Resources Corp. Later that year, Almaden Resources completed a program geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling and 2836 metres of trenching in 35 trenches on the property. A float sample (MC-R33) of quartz-chalcedony breccia taken from the Bonanza Creek area, approximately 3.3 kilometres south of the occurrence, assayed 43.34 grams per tonne gold and 48.4 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 27048).

In 2003, Almaden Minerals Ltd. completed a program prospecting, geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling and a 5.9 line-kilometre induced polarization survey on the property. This work first identified the occurrence.

In 2004, Almaden Minerals Ltd. and joint venture partner Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. continued grassroots prospecting.

In 2005, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd., in conjunction with Almaden Minerals Ltd., completed a program geological mapping, soil sampling and 324 metres of trenching in 33 trenches on the property. Sampling of trenches yielded up to 0.808 gram per tonne gold over 8.0 metres in trench 27 (Assessment Report 28162).

In 2006, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. completed a 28-hole drill program, geophysical surveys and geochemical sampling on the Prospect Valley property. Highlights of this program include hole RM-2006-15, which assayed 0.96 gram per tonne gold and 3.6 grams per tonne silver over 39.3 metres and 1.57 grams per tonne gold over 45.7 metres (37.2 to 82.9 metres down hole), including 9.54 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres in hole RM2006-21 (Assessment Report 29316).

In 2007, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. completed an airborne magnetometer survey, mapping and trenching and a drill program on the Prospect Valley property. The drill program included values of 1.43 grams per tonne gold and 9.7 grams per tonne silver over 32.18 metres from drillhole DDH-2007-02 (Assessment Report 30560).

In 2008, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. had a National Instrument 43-101 compliant report completed, which identified 13 exploration target areas (Press Release, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd., April 30, 2008). Also at this time, a program of prospecting, geological mapping and hand trenching was completed on the property. This work focused on the Bonanza zone, located south of the South Discovery occurrence. Two 3-metre-long chip samples of silica-clay–altered volcanics with minor quartz veining from trench 1 on the Bonanza zone yielded 0.282 and 0.354 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 30926).

In 2009, Altair Ventures Inc. optioned the property from Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. Altair Ventures Inc. proceeded to complete an exploration program through late 2009 and 2010 consisting of soil sampling, prospecting and a drill program. Highlights of this program include drillhole PV10-07, which assayed 1.32 grams per tonne gold over 32.64 metres and 0.866 gram per tonne gold over 69 metres, including 2.93 grams per tonne gold over 7.53 metres in hole PV10-08 (Assessment Report 32333).

In 2010, Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. changed their name to Berkwood Resources Ltd.

In 2011, Altair Ventures Inc. completed sampling and prospecting on the Prospect Valley property.

In early 2012, Berkwood Resources Ltd. regained 100 per cent control of the Prospect Valley property and had a National Instrument 43-101 compliant report compiled for the Prospect Valley property that reported an inferred resource estimate for the South Discovery showing of 6 121 000 tonnes grading 0.561 gram per tonne gold using a cut-off grade of 0.3 gram per tonne gold (Press Release, Berkwood Resources Ltd., January 25, 2012). Later in 2012, Berkwood Resources Ltd. completed a summer program of soil and rock sampling, trenching and mapping throughout the Prospect Valley property.

In 2014, Berkwood Resources Ltd. completed a magnetic survey on the area south of the South Discovery zone. This work identified a widespread area, referred to as the QCA zone, of banded chalcedonic quartz veining in amygdaloidal basalts, located south of the South Discovery zone and north of the Bonanza Valley zone.

In 2015, Berkwood Resources Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, core re-logging and a 3.5 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey on the property. Samples from the QCA zone yielded only low gold values, whereas float samples of quartz from the southern Bonanza Valley zone yielded up to 8.05 grams per tonne gold (Sample 126768; Assessment Report 35960).

In 2016, Westhaven Gold Corp. completed a program of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, 148.1 metres of trenching in four trenches and eight diamond drill holes, totalling 1519.2 metres, on the Prospect Valley property. Drilling targeted the western extension of the South Discovery zone and yielded up to 0.7 gram per tonne gold and 5.7 grams per tonne silver over 95.8 metres in hole PV16-04 (Assessment Report 36768). Also at this time, samples of float and subcrop (S520126 and S520125) from the QCA/Dog Leg zone, located south of the South Discovery zone, yielded up to 9.49 and 0.14 grams per tonne gold with 7.7 and 1.0 grams per tonne silver, respectively (Assessment Report 36768).

In 2017 and 2018, Westhaven Ventures completed programs of geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, 2376 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys, 31.8 line-kilometres of ground magnetic surveys, a 6 line-kilometre passive seismic survey and 29 diamond drill holes, totalling 11 882 metres, on the area as part of the Spences Bridge Group (SBG) of properties.

In 2019, Westhaven completed a program of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, petrographic and Terraspec analysis on select 2018 drillcore samples, a LiDAR survey, 327 line-kilometres of ground magnetic surveys, a 20.3 line-kilometre DC resistivity survey and 49 diamond drill holes, totalling 21 849.3 metres, on the Spences Bridge Group (SBG) of properties.

In 2020, Westhaven completed a further program of geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling, various ground geophysical surveys and 102 diamond drill holes, totalling 43 268.7 metres, on the Spences Bridge Group (SBG) of properties.