The Maquinna occurrence lies in the northwestern portion of the Zeballos gold camp on a southeast-facing slope, northwest of the Zeballos River and between Maquinna and Pandora Creeks. The Blackbird (MINFILE 092L 130) occurrence lies approximately 220 metres to the south-southwest.

The area is underlain by Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group basaltic to rhyolitic volcanic rocks. Conformably underlying the Bonanza rocks are limestones and limy clastics of the Upper Triassic Vancouver Group, Quatsino Formation. Dioritic to granodioritic Jurassic plutons of the Zeballos intrusion phase of the Island Plutonic Suite have intruded all older rocks. The Eocene Zeballos stock, a quartz diorite phase of the Catface Intrusions, is spatially related to gold-quartz veining in the area.

The Maquinna vein strikes 076 degrees, dips near vertically and has been traced over 670 metres in andesite of the Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group. The vein, 2.5 to 76 centimetres wide, follows a shear zone that contains crushed quartz and gouge, with variable amounts of pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite and sphalerite, chalcopyrite and galena. Locally, the vein is ribboned and ranges up to 100 centimetres in width.

Values to 21.3 grams per tonne gold have been obtained (Clothier, G.A., 1939, page 4) but assays along the vein are generally less than 7.0 grams per tonne gold (Bulletin 27, page 122).

Work History

In 1971, New Privateer Mine Ltd. completed a program of soil sampling and a ground magnetic survey on the area as the AG and Kodiak claims. In 1979, R.H. Lonsdale completed a program of geological mapping on the area as the R&R claim group.

In 1999, Zeb Oro Explorations Inc. prospected the area as the Zeb Oro property. In 2005, Newmex Minerals Inc. prospected the area as a part of the regionally extensive Zeballos property. In 2014, the area was prospected as the Zeballos Vancouver Island property. In 2017, the area was prospected as the Zeballos property.