The Gold occurrence is located at 1417 metres elevation, immediately east of Solco Creek at Venner Meadows.
The area lies within an Eocene outlier of Penticton Group volcanics that unconformably overlies granitic rocks of Middle Jurassic intrusions and Proterozoic Monashee granitic gneiss and amphibolite. Andesites of the Marron Formation and overlying volcaniclastics of the White Lake Formation of the Penticton Group are underlain by the Springbrook Formation.
Eocene volcanic rocks in the vicinity of the occurrence can be subdivided into a lower volcanic and upper sedimentary- volcaniclastic sequence. Lower volcanics consist primarily of green, feldspar porphyry andesitic flows, monolithic breccias, lahars and minor volcanic sandstone. Feldspar phenocrysts are typically altered to carbonate and sericite. Phenocrysts range from 2 to 6 millimetres long. Pseudomorphs of biotite and hornblende comprise mafic minerals. A felsic crystal tuff was intersected at the bottom of drill hole 1984-3. The volcanic package is unconformably overlain by tuff, sandstone and conglomerate. Bedding attitudes indicate a general north-northeast strike with a 40 degree dip to the east.
Outcrop and drill hole information suggests these Eocene rocks are cut by a series of northwest- trending, east-dipping faults that have successively down-dropped eastern strata.
Geological mapping, rock sampling, and geochemical soil, magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical surveys have outlined two structurally-controlled epithermal mineralized zones:; the Road and Meadow zones. The zones are hosted in Eocene subaerial andesitic flows and breccias of the Penticton Group.
The Road zone is an east-trending, pyritic, silicified zone containing breccias and veins up to 1.5 metres wide. The veins form a composite sheeted vein structure with several quartz, quartz-calcite and calcite veins cutting feldspar porphyritic trachyte. Locally, calcite veins crosscut quartz veins. Some calcite veins are massive while others are composed of numerous 1-millimetre wide bands. Veins strike approximately 100 degrees and dip moderately to steeply to the southwest. Gold and silver mineralization is also associated with limonitic fractures and propylitic-altered trachyte. The trachyte is locally pervasively replaced by chalcedony and cut by steep-dipping quartz-carbonate veins. Finely disseminated pyrite comprises up to 1 per cent of the host rock with lesser pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite. Veins have not been traced for more than 2 or 3 metres on surface or in drill holes, which might be partially due to intense faulting. Breccia is commonly associated with faults and mineralization. They commonly contain disseminated pyrite and are variably silicified. Jasper, hematite, and clay characterize surface oxidation. The zone has been traced along surface for at least 240 metres.
In 1974, sampling yielded up to 9.6 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 metres from trench A, while re-sampling in 1976 from trench A yielded up to 5.2 grams per tonne gold over 0.9 metre (Property File - K.L. Daughtry [1979-02-28]: Confidential Preliminary Report on the Gold Claims).
In 1979, sampling of the ‘B’ zone of the Road zone yielded up to 4.2 grams per tonne gold over 1.37 metres (Property File - General Testing Laboratiories [1979-07-05]: Certificate of Assay - No. 7906-2954 - Kerr Addison Mines Ltd. - Gold claim).
In 1984, the best gold and silver values from surface sampling, occurred in the northern most road-cut of the Road zone. Gold values increase from 0.40 gram per tonne at the south end to 3.60 grams per tonne at the north end (Assessment Report 13477). Re-sampling in 1989 yielded 1.5 grams per tonne gold and 11.9 grams per tonne silver over 6.5 metres (Assessment Report 18892). The zone is coincident with a broad magnetic low.
Drill hole 1984-1 on this zone yielded a high value of 0.225 gram per tonne (Assessment Report 13477). Silver values are highest at the south end, ranging from 11.0 to 14.5 grams per tonne (Assessment Report 13477). The veins appear to carry most of the gold, although wall-rocks are also slightly anomalous. The 1989 drill program yielded several significant gold intersections. Drill hole 72474 yielded 15.5 grams per tonne gold over 0.54 metre between 42.78 and 43.32 metres. Similarly, drill hole 72478 yielded 13.62 grams per tonne gold over the 0.22 metre interval between 109.90 and 110.12 metres (Assessment Report 18892).
The Meadow zone, located approximately 250 metres to the south west, consists of a northwest-trending silicified, pyritic fault structure identified by broad arsenic soil, magnetic and electromagnetic anomalies. Where intersected by drilling, the zone averages 8 metres true width. Mineralization consists of pyrite and composes 1 to 5 per cent of the silicified host rock.
Gold values range up to 0.135 gram per tonne with 0.03 per cent arsenic (Assessment Report 13477). Up to 0.295 gram per tonne gold is associated with narrow quartz veins and silicified breccia zones in volcanic rocks (Assessment Report 13477). Two drill holes (1984-2 and 3) drilled on the Meadow zone in 1984 yielded low silver and gold values. Drill core from these holes was re-assayed in 1989 with the following results. The interval between 80.10 and 81.45 metres, in breccia, yielded 0.338 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 18892); the gold value results from other drill holes were lower.
The main (Road) showing was first discovered by D. Ewers, S. McLean and K.G. Thomson in 1973. A considerable amount of exploration work has since been conducted in the vicinity, by Teck Corp. in 1973 and 1974, Granby Mining Corp. in 1975 and 1976, Kerr Addison Mines in 1979, Lacana Mining Corp. in 1981 through 1983 and in 1988, Rio Algom in 1984 and K.L. Daughtry and P.P. Neilsen in 1989. The E and D Joint Venture was formed in 1981 between K.L. Daughtry and P.P. Neilsen and Energex Mineral Ltd., with property work in 1981 and 1982. Lacana Mining Corp. and Rio Algom have acquired and explored the Venner claim group, which has similar mineralization on the easterly neighbouring Venner 1 claim (MINFILE 082ESW127). Rio Algom also acquired an option on the Gold occurrence property in 1984. In 1988, Inco Gold Co. entered an option agreement with E and D Joint Venture. Canadian Nickel Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Inco Gold Co., conducted an exploration program on the Gold property in 1988 and 1989.
