The region is underlain by sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Nicola Group of the Central Quesnel belt. The Nicola Group has been intruded by felsic alkalic stocks of Lower Jurassic age and, along the east side of the Quesnel River, by a calc-alkalic pluton of probable Cretaceous age. This pluton consists of quartz monzonite with dioritic and granodioritic phases cut by fine grained granite and porphyritic granite dikes. Hydrothermal alteration of the pluton has occurred evidenced by the presence of epidote, chlorite, quartz, biotite and carbonate along with quartz and quartz-ankerite veining.

The Nyland Lake showing consists of molybdenite in quartz stringers hosted by granodiorite or quartz monzonite. The location of the showing, however, is not certain in that the given coordinates place the occurrence on the east shore of Nyland Lake, an area in which there is no outcrop at all. The showing is more likely to be that given on Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Open File Map, 1989, Swift River.