The Burnt Shale deposit occurs within an area underlain by Tertiary sedimentary rocks which have been deposited on the Cache Creek Terrane.

The Tertiary stratigraphy near Quesnel is poorly exposed but it is likely that the rocks underlying the property are Oligocene in age.

The occurrence is referred to as a "burnt" shale and is thought to have originally been a clay or shale which has been baked. Quarried in the past, the material is hard, vitreous to porcelaneous, and with a range of colours of red, pink, buff, yellow, blue and black. No production figures are available.