The Quesnel Quartz deposit is located on Hixon Creek, approximately 5 kilometres northeast of the community of Hixon. The main shaft is located on the south side of the creek, whereas the Koch shaft and adit, Briscoe shaft and Clarke adit are located on the north side.

The area is underlain by volcaniclastic rocks of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Witch Lake Formation (Takla Group) and mudstone, siltstone, shale and fine clastic rocks of the Middle to Upper Triassic Takla Group. These are locally overlain by conglomerate and coarse clastic rocks of an un-named Oligocene to Pliocene formation.

Locally, three areas of mineralization have been explored and include the main Quesnel Quartz occurrence, which has seen underground development and historic production, the nearby and parallel ‘East’ zone and the ‘Raven’ zone, located approximately 250 metres to the west-northwest. The latter two zones have been explored by diamond drilling and trenching. A short adit is also reported on the Raven zone.

The occurrences are associated with a highly sheared and hydrothermally altered, northwest-trending zone in which greenstones are in contact with quartz sericite schists. The greenstones and schists likely belong to the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Takla Group. In the vicinity of the contact the greenstones have been hydrothermally altered and exhibit carbonatization and, especially toward the surface, kaolinization. A large number of fairly closely spaced quartz veins striking mainly northeast with a steep dip also occur in the greenstone near the contact. The veins, which vary in width from a few centimetres up to approximately 1.8 metres, terminate against the contact. Gold mineralization occurs in the veins and to a lesser extent in the greenstone. Mineralization includes native gold, native silver, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, molybdenite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite and pyrite.

The main zone contains network of up to 29 quartz-carbonate veins in a northwest-trending zone 140 metres long, 40 metres wide and 190 metres deep. Underground development extends for 120 metres below surface with lateral workings on six levels, totalling 757.4 metres of drifting, primarily on the number 4 and 6 levels.

In 1933, underground channel sampling yielded an average of 0.56 gram per tonne gold with 2.4 grams per tonne silver from 95 samples of the fourth level workings; 1.2 grams per tonne gold with 7.1 grams per tonne silver from 31 samples of the third level workings; 2.5 grams per tonne gold with 7.7 grams per tonne silver from 40 samples of the second level and 1.2 grams per tonne gold with 11.8 grams per tonne silver from 10 samples of the first level (Property File - P.E. Peterson [1936-01-20]: Re: Summary Report on the mining property of the Quesnel Quartz Mining Co. Ltd.).

An average grade of 2.1 grams per tonne gold and 7.9 grams per tonne silver was reported for all samples of greenstone for the four levels to a depth of 43.65 metres, including 2.2 grams per tonne gold and 8.6 grams per tonne silver from surface to a depth of 29.1 metres (Property File - P.E. Peterson [1936-01-20]: Re: Summary Report on the mining property of the Quesnel Quartz Mining Co. Ltd.).

During 1933 through 1937, reported underground sampling of the levels yielded values up to 3.1 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres from the first level, 15.4 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres from the second level, 6.5 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres from the third level, 146.0 grams per tonne gold and 2288 grams per tonne silver over 35 centimetres from the no. 9 vein, 16.4 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres from the no. 12 vein and 22.2 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres from the no.16 vein on the fourth level, 16.1 grams per tonne gold over 4.5 metres from the no.10 vein on the fifth level and 7.9 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres from the sixth level (Property File - Hixon Gold Resources Inc. [1988-11-18]: Prospectus - Hixon Gold Resources Inc.).

In 1979, six separate dump areas were sampled, yielding from trace to 4.9 grams per tonne gold (Property File - G.H. Rayner [1979-06-19]: Examination Report on the Hixon Creek Lode Gold Property).

In 1983, diamond drilling on the main zone yielded up to 5.7 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres in hole 83-1, whereas later drilling, in 1987 and 1988, yielded up to 5.1 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres in hole 87-1 and 4.8 grams per tonne gold over 3.0 metres in hole 88-5 (Property File - Hixon Gold Resources Inc. [1988-11-18]: Prospectus - Hixon Gold Resources Inc.).

In 2006, trenching on the Main shaft area yielded up to 68.8 grams per tonne gold over 1.0 metre, w trenching on the Raven zone yielded up to 0.41 gram per tonne gold over 6 metres (Pautler, J. (2019-07-28): Technical Report on the Quesnelle Gold Quartz Mine Property).

In 2007, diamond drilling yielded on the Main shaft area intercepts including 6.75 grams per tonne gold with 54.5 grams per tonne silver over 3 metres in hole 07-1 and 11.8 grams per tonne gold with 12.9 grams per tonne silver over 1.5 metres in hole 07-3 (Pautler, J. (2019-07-28): Technical Report on the Quesnelle Gold Quartz Mine Property).

The East zone, located 25 metres northeast and parallel to the main zone, consists of a quartz vein that strikes northwest and dips northeast. The vein has been traced for a length of 90 metres in a meta-andesite host.

In 1983, diamond drilling on the zone yielded up to 7.2 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres from a sludge sample of drill hole 83-1, whereas later drilling, in 1987 and 1988, yielded up to 1.0 gram per tonne gold over 3 metres in hole 87-1 and 5.2 grams per tonne gold over 2.75 metres in hole 88-5 (Property File - Hixon Gold Resources Inc. [1988-11-18]: Prospectus - Hixon Gold Resources Inc.).

The Raven zone and adit are located approximately 250 metres west-northwest of the main zone. The Raven adit may correspond to the Morrison shaft, which is reported to be located in the same area. The zone consists of a 2-metre wide, irregular, folded quartz vein associated with a greenstone and a quartz-sericite schist contact.

In 1981, a chip sample from a trench assayed 7.16 grams per tonne gold over 3 metres; resampling in 1982 yielded 5.27 grams per tonne gold over 3 metres (Property File - Golden Rule Resources Ltd. [1984-05-01]: Review of the Hixon Creek Gold Project).

In 1988, a chip sample assayed 8.2 grams per tonne gold over 6 metres (Property File - Hixon Gold Resources Inc. [1988-11-18]: Prospectus - Hixon Gold Resources Inc.).

In 2006, trenching on the Raven zone yielded up to 0.41 gram per tonne gold over 6 metres (Pautler, J. (2019-07-28): Technical Report on the Quesnelle Gold Quartz Mine Property).

Total recorded production for the Quesnel Quartz past producer is 6438 grams gold and 8553 grams silver from 2048 tonnes mined. The mine recorded production for 1932 and 1939.

Work History

In the 1870s and 1880s, underground development was initiated on the quartz veins found in the incised Hixon Creek. The adits and shafts followed several auriferous quartz veins. A stamp mill was built in 1878 and production was reported to be 217 tonnes of ore.

In 1933, Quesnel Quartz Mining Company dewatered the existing underground workings and implemented and underground development program. The Clarke adit was drifted and the Main shaft was sunk to 61 metres (4 levels). From the 4th level of the Main shaft workings, a winze was sunk for an additional 61 metres (levels 5 and 6). Extensive drifting was done on the three lowest levels. In the Main shaft underground workings, 29 quartz veins were recorded and sampled.

In the early 1970s, Bethlehem Copper Corporation staked a large block of claims surrounding the Main shaft area. Bethlehem’s mineral exploration program consisted of geological mapping, geochemical soil sampling and four diamond drill holes, totalling 449 metres.

During 1980 through 1984, Taiga Consultants carried out geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys on behalf of Golden Rule Resources. The surveys were conducted from Pedley Lake on a northwest-striking baseline through Hixon Creek. Four diamond drill holes, totalling 353 metres, were also drilled. Two of the diamond drill holes were drilled beneath the Main shaft underground workings at Hixon Creek. The other two holes were drilled in the Raven area, located approximately 250 metres to the west. In 1987 and 1988, Noranda Explorations completed eight diamond drill holes in the Main shaft and Raven adit areas. Bulldozer trenching was also done in the Main shaft area, Raven adit area, Pedley Lake area and North area.

In 2004, Cayenne Gold Mines Ltd. completed three diamond drill holes, totalling 273.4 metres. The holes were all drilled from the same site, located 1.5 kilometres east of the Main shaft area and 500 metres east of the Cayenne (MINFILE 093G 014) occurrence.

In 2006, Cayenne Gold Mines Ltd conducted prospecting, trenching and sampling in an area adjacent to the Main shaft and downstream (west) near the Raven adit. The trenching and sampling program was intended to explore the greenstone-schist contact zone for gold mineralization.

In 2007, Cayenne Gold Mines Ltd's program consisted of three NQ diamond drill holes, totalling 596.2 metres. All three holes were drilled from a common site, located 72 metres northeast of the Main shaft. The drillholes encountered multiple zones of gold and silver mineralization. All three holes were drilled to a length of 199 metres, the limit of the drill. All holes ended in sulphide mineralization. In addition to diamond drilling, considerable surface prospecting was done to search out old and new mineralization. In 2008, a program of prospecting and two diamond drill holes, totalling 583 metres, were completed.

During 2012 through 2017, A. Justason and T. Hatton completed programs of prospecting, rock sampling and ground SP geophysical surveys on the area. Also in 2017 and 2018, Standard Drilling and Engineering Ltd. completed an induced polarization survey and a LiDAR and ortho-imagery survey.