The area is 8 kilometres from Cape Fife, beginning at Martel Creek and extending south for 4.8 kilometres.

The gold bearing black sands of northeast Graham Island have been known since 1877. The sands were examined in 1905 and in 1910 Sandhurst Gold Mines, Limited, investigated the sands. In 1925, Tretheway-Tough Mining Syndicate tested the sand by amalgamation and cyanidation methods. Results showed recovery of 80 per cent of the gold in a fine free state, with values averaging $2.90 per ton of gold. Gold Beach Mines, Limited, operated in the area in 1932.

Mogul Mining Corporation Limited in about 1956 acquired placer mining leases covering about 88.4 square kilometres. In June 1957 Lexindin Gold Mines, Limited, acquired from Mogul a 65 per cent interest in the property.

Pleistocene to Recent deposits of unconsolidated to semi- consolidated sands, clays, sandy clays, gravels, conglomerates, and a basal blue-grey glacial clay overlie Tertiary Skonun Formation.

Black sand deposits have a lenticular and varying distribution along the base of bordering beach-bluffs. The black sands, derived from the erosion of the bluffs and subsequent concentration by wave and wind action, contain magnetite, titaniferous-hematite, ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and gold.

Beach sand and cyanide tailings samples were sent to the Mines Branch in Ottawa, in December 1956 and June 1957 for tests for concentrates of magnetite, ilminite, rutile and zircon. A chemical analysis of 2 head samples gave averages of 41.48 per cent iron and 8.38 per cent titanium dioxide (CANMET Report MD 3177, 1957).

Recorded production for the Masset Sound and northeast Graham Island beach placers is as follows (See Oeanda - 103G 002):

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YEAR GOLD (GRAMS)

1921-1925 124

1926-1930 871

1931-1935 10,358

1936-1940 8,147

1941-1945 2,737

TOTAL 22,239