Several showings occur along Peter Gulch Creek, just north of its confluence with Craze Creek, about 22 kilometres southeast of Barkerville. Access to the property is via well-maintained forest service roads from paved Highway 26 (Wells-Barkerville highway).
The region is underlain by (?) Hadrynian to Paleozoic Snowshoe Group rocks. The Snowshoe Group is an assemblage of dominantly metasedimentary rocks within the Barkerville Terrane of south-central British Columbia. The metasedimentary rocks consist primarily of marble, quartzite and phyllite which in the area of the property comprise the Downey succession. Metamorphism of the region varies from chlorite to sillimanite and higher grade. The lode gold deposits of the region occur in rocks metamorphosed no higher than greenschist facies.
The Hibernian quartz vein is about 46 centimetres wide and cuts quartzite of the Downey succession. The vein which strikes to the north, contains galena, arsenopyrite, pyrite and gold. Recent drilling resulted in an assay of 9.46 grams per tonne gold and 7.54 grams per tonne silver from a sample of the Hibernian vein (George Cross Newsletter #88, May 8, 1989). The Park or Bon showing (093A 060) located 1000 metres west of the Hibernian vein, is possibly the western extension of this vein.
The Jewellery Shop vein showing is 215 metres south-southeast of the Hibernian vein. The Jewellery Shop vein is exposed over a 54 metre strike length and averages about 3 metres in width. A sample from this vein assayed 15.91 grams per tonne gold and 48.7 grams per tonne silver over 6.1 metres (George Cross Newsletter #88, May 8, 1989).
Trenching 108 metres northwest of the Jewellery Shop vein exposed the B-Zone. A channel sample over 4 metres assayed 22.6 grams per tonne gold (George Cross Newsletter #211, November 2, 1989). In 2002, a drillhole intersected the downdip extension of the B-Zone 20 metres below surface from 55.6-56.8 metres yielding 3.61 grams per tonne gold over a 1.2 metre core length (0.85 metre true width).
The Switchback showing (093A 183) is located about 600 metres north-northwest of the Hibernian vein. Limited chip samples from the exposed portion of the Switchback zone yielded an average grade of 2.54 grams per tonne gold over an average width of 4.3 metres including 14.2 grams per tonne gold across 0.65 metre from a quartz vein/carbonate altered sericite schist (Assessment Report 27084).
Consolidated Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. completed four NQ diamond-drill holes in August 2002 totalling 302.3 metres, which tested the strike and downdip extensions of the B-Zone and the Jewellery Shop veins. A B-Zone drill intersection, 30 metres below surface, yielded 21.1 grams per tonne gold over 1.9 metres, between 31.7 to 33.6 metres (1.9 metres core, 1.35 metres of total width). A 5.2 metre intercept of the Jewellery Shop vein, 40 metres below surface, yielded 2.1 grams per tonne gold (Press Release - Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd., August 26, 2002).
Much of the area of the current property was originally staked by Chaput Logging in 1969. Various companies have optioned the ground at various times from Wallace Chaput. Documented work on the property commenced in 1971 with Coast Interior Ventures Ltd. undertaking a program for the exploration of base metals. Work has continued sporadically since 1971. In 1976-78, Riocanex optioned the property and carried out detailed soil sampling, magnetic and induced polarization (IP) surveys, followed by drilling in two areas for gold and stratabound lead-zinc. In 1988, Preido Mines optioned the property and completed a trenching and channel sampling program. Loki Gold assumed the option from Preido Mines and commenced work on the property in May of 1989. Work included additional trenching, mapping and sampling of existing workings, establishing a property wide soil geochemical grid, undertaking further trenching on newly discovered showings, and systematically drilling the most promising showing locations. Drilling tested the Jewellery Shop, B-Zone, Hibernian, and Switchback showings. Fieldwork in 1989 showed that general stratigraphic setting, alteration and style of mineralization are similar to that encountered during production from the mines at nearby Wells. Loki subsequently dropped the option and the claims reverted to Chaput. The claims that formed the Nugget Mountain Claim group were staked in July of 1999 after Chaput’s claims covering the area were allowed to lapse.
During 2000 through 2008, Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical (rock, soil, moss and stream sediment) sampling, ground magnetic and self potential surveys, trenching and 60 diamond drill holes, totalling 28,710.0 metres on the area as the Golden Cariboo property. A complete summary of exploration programs can be found at the Cariboo Hudson (MINFILE 093A 091) occurrence. In 2005, a drill hole (GCC05-20) collard beside the B-zone yielded 2.22 grams per tonne gold over 7.5 metres (Brown, J. (2009-01-28): Technical Report on the 2000-2008 Exploration Programs on the Golden Cariboo Project).
