The Dan occurrence is situated 2 kilometres south of the confluence of Kwanika and West Kwanika creeks, approximately 40 kilometres east of Takla Landing.

The area is underlain by Carboniferous to Jurassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks (and derived schist) assigned to the Cache Creek Complex. To the east, a narrow, linear band of ultramafic rocks, formerly assigned to the Middle Permian to Late Triassic Trembleur intrusions, and now termed Mississippian to Triassic Oceanic Ultramafites, occurs along the trace of the Pinchi fault zone, which separates the Cache Creek rocks from the Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous Hogem Intrusive Complex.

Early reports describe a 1-metre wide mineralized zone hosted by quartz-carbonate-mariposite rock exposed in a trench. Within the zone, bright red cinnabar was said to be concentrated within a 7.6 centimetre width with associated chalcedonic quartz.

Recent exploration in the area has determined that the Dan occurrence comprises several areas of related mineralization. Cinnabar, as disseminations and in chalcedonic veinlets, is reported to be hosted by quartz-carbonate-mariposite altered ultramafic rocks exposed in a series of trenches to the north. Both the ultramafics and the host limestone have been intensely silicified. Approximately 340 metres to the south, a 1-metre wide pod of massive chromite has been exposed in serpentinite.

Assays from samples of the cinnabar mineralization ranged up to 0.0308 per cent mercury while samples from the chrome showing assayed 0.1665 per cent chromium, 0.0149 per cent nickel and 0.158 grams per tonne platinum (Assessment Report 19373, page 4).