The Shunter occurrence is located on a ridge separating the southern headwaters of Maryland Creek and the northern headwaters of the Upper Priest River.

Regionally, the area is underlain by quartz arenite sedimentary rocks of the Mount Nelson Formation, undivided sedimentary rocks of the Dutch Creek Formation and dolomitic carbonate rocks of the Kitchener Formation, all of the Mesoproterozoic Purcell Supergroup. To the west, coarse clastic sedimentary rocks of the Neoproterozoic Toby Formation (Windermere Supergroup) are exposed. These have been intruded to the north and south by a Middle Jurassic granitic intrusive.

Locally, a seam of tetrahedrite, 2.5 centimetres thick, is reported to occur in a massive white dolomite and elsewhere in thin-bedded limestone, probably part of the Mount Nelson Formation or, less likely, part of the underlying Dutch Creek Formation. Samples in a 1982 report by L.S. Trenholme are said to have assayed up to 2775 grams per tonne silver along with significant copper, zinc and lead (Assessment Report 11439).

Quartz bodies with possible cinnabar are reported to the east on the Queen and Castle claims.

In 1981, MineQuest Exploration Associates Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping and soil sampling on the area. In 1982, the area immediately east was prospected and rock and soil sampled as the Castle and Queen claims. In 2011, a program of rock and silt sampling, prospecting and geological mapping was performed on the area immediately east as the Maryland property.