The Guppy occurrence is located approximately 31 kilometres west of Port Alberni, west of Highway 4, and approximately 23.5 kilometres north-northeast of Ucluelet, B.C.
The area is underlain by massive fine-grained andesitic flows of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group). Northeast striking, steeply dipping joints are widespread and are frequently dilated and infilled with auriferous quartz veinlets. The veinlets dip steeply and vary from 0.1 to 10 centimetres wide. Individual veins comprise coarsely crystalline quartz, about 10 per cent calcite and up to 2 per cent sulphides, which include pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite and sphalerite.
A zone of sporadic quartz veins occurs over a 200 by 800 metre area. An earlier 7-metre-deep shaft was driven on a 30-centimetre-wide quartz vein. A chip sample over the vein assayed 1.44 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 16473).
One hundred sixty-five metres northwest of the shaft is a zone, referred to as the Guppy showing, with a vein density of 3.8 per cent over 16.6 metres. In 1987, five composite samples of vein material collected over the 16.6 metres ranged from 0.53 to 13.5 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 16473). In 2010, rock sampling of the sheeted vein zone, exposed in the southern part of the anomalous zone, assayed 1.245 grams per tonne gold over 5 metres (Assessment Report 31662).
In 1987, Kerr Addison Mines Ltd. completed geological mapping and rock and soil sampling. Five composite samples of vein material were collected over the 16.6 metres and ranged from 0.53 to 13.5 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 16473).
In 2008, the Kennedy Lake Syndicate completed a geological compilation, compiled a GIS database and prospecting to collect samples for petrographic work.
In 2010, Gonzaga Resources Ltd. conducted a detailed review of the published technical data for the Kennedy River Gold District and noted that many of the narrow, high-grade, vein-type occurrences are localized along west to northwest-trending shear zones, perpendicular to the north to northeast-trending sheeted vein zones. To test the correlation between the sheeted vein mineralization and the west to northwest vein occurrences, Gonzaga Resources Ltd. made a high resolution orthophoto mosaic and completed a detailed structural analysis, which showed that most gold occurrences in the area are localized along defined structural zones. Gonzaga Resources Ltd. then completed a soil geochemistry survey, rock sampling and a 3D IP geophysical survey. Highlights from the rock sampling includes a 5 metre chip sample, which assayed 1.245 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 31662).
During 2011 through 2014, Gonzaga Resources Ltd. completed programs of rock and soil sampling on the area. Results of the soil sampling program have confirmed that the mineralized zone associated with the G-1 Target extends approximately 100 metres further to the west (overall the anomaly is approximately 300 metres wide) and have also identified a second area of elevated “gold in soil” values in the southwestern part of the survey grid. Both the main anomaly and the new soil anomaly in the southern part of the grid area are still open. Elevated “gold in soil” values within the main part of the G-1 Target area have defined a 150 metre wide zone that extends roughly 300 metres east-west. Gold values within the zone range from 0.015 gram per tonne to 1.057 grams per tonne gold. The new anomaly in the southwestern part of the grid area consists of four adjoining sample stations which exhibit gold values ranging from 0.051 gram per tonne to 0.111 gram per tonne gold. A 10-centimetre-wide quartz vein with large, well-developed pyrite crystals returned a value of 9.02 grams per tonne Au.
