The Gold Dust (G.R. Sovereign) occurrence is located near the southwestern headwaters of Gorge Creek, north of Lookout Mountain and approximately 2.6 kilometres southwest of the community of Trail.
Regionally, the area is underlain by lapilli tuff with plagioclase and augite-bearing volcanic clasts of the Lower Jurassic Elise Formation (Rossland Group), which have been intruded by quartz monzonitic rocks of the Early Jurassic Rossland Plutonic Suite, granodioritic rocks of the Middle Jurassic Nelson Batholith, granitic rocks of the Eocene Sheppard Intrusions and syenitic to monzonitic rocks of the Eocene Coryell Plutonic Suite.
In the late 1800s, two shafts, located approximately 25 metres apart, were sunk to a depth of at least 30 metres on the G.R. Sovereign (L.1226) Crown grant. The shafts were apparently sunk on a north-striking vein within a broad band of sparsely mineralized volcanics. An old publication from the late 1800s gives the following account of the G.R. Sovereign: "A shaft was first sunk, following down a body of low grade pyrrhotite in diorite gangue, in which copper pyrites, quartz and calcite gradually came in, with rising gold values, which at 50 feet (15 metres) was about $50 (approximately 83 grams per tonne gold). A crosscut is in 175 feet (53 metres) to tap a ledge at a depth of 250 feet (76 metres), and at 90 feet (27 metres) struck a cross ledge carrying several feet of ore" (Hodges, 1897).
In 1988, diamond drilling near the former workings intersected an interval of arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite in altered monzonite and andesite yielding 1.71 grams per tonne gold over 5.33 metres in hole No. 1, 2.05 grams per tonne gold over 0.91 metre in Hole No.3 and 2.50 grams per tonne gold over 1.83 metres in hole No. 5 (Assessment Report 18331). Also at this time, a 0.1-metre wide sample taken across the vein in an old adit assayed 7.41 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 18331).
Other workings, dating to the same period, are reported on the Last Chance (L. 4611) Crown grant, adjacent to the G.R. Sovereign Crown grant on the west. The former workings, located approximately 350 metres west-southwest of the G.R. Sovereign workings, consist of a shaft and two short pits aligned in a north-northwest direction. The dump is large, indicating a significant amount of underground development. The volcanics around the workings are highly oxidized and contain disseminated pyrrhotite. North and northwest-trending fractures contain pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite.
In 1988, diamond drilling near the Last Chance workings yielded up to 0.99 gram per tonne gold over 3.96 metres of silicified andesite at the contact with porphyritic andesite in hole No. 6 (Assessment Report 18331). Also at this time, a sample taken from the north pit in a silicified fracture zone assayed 4.28 grams per tonne gold, 4.0 grams per tonne silver and 0.362 per cent copper (Property File - Tobex Resources Ltd., prospectus, 1988).
In 2006, two samples yielded 2.01 and 4.98 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 28996).
The area has been explored since the late 1800s with workings on the G.R. Sovereign (L. 1226) and Last Chance (L 4611) Crown grants dating this period.
In 1987 and 1988, Tobex Resources completed programs of geochemical sampling, geological mapping, a 113.0 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey and 14 diamond drill holes, totalling 936.0 metres, on the surrounding area as the Gold Dust claims.
In 1997, Loumic Resources Ltd. completed a program of geological mapping and six diamond drill holes, totalling 1013.1 metres, on the area immediately west as the Red Point property. In 1999, Inmet Mining Corp. completed a 16.9 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic survey on the area.
In 2006, Klondike Gold Corp. completed a program of soil sampling, geological mapping, 20.3 line-kilometres of ground geophysical surveys, a 317.8 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey and five diamond drill holes, totalling 809.3 metres, on the area as the Red Point property.
