Placer gold deposits of the Quesnel Highland region, including the former rich producers of the Barkerville camp, have accounted for a large proportion of British Columbia's alluvial gold production. With the exception of a few producers in the Wingdam area, which are underlain by Upper Triassic sediments correlative with the Nicola Group, almost all the deposits are underlain by the Upper Proterozoic to Lower Paleozoic Snowshoe Group. These rocks have been metamorphosed to greenschist facies and are predominantly metasedimentary.

Placer gold deposits in the region are generally found in relatively young Pleistocene gravels. The morphology and mineral associations of the gold suggests that it was derived locally, the most obvious sources are the numerous auriferous veins in the Downey succession of the Snowshoe Group.

The Wingdam Creek area has produced a considerable amount of placer gold, however, only a small amount of production is recorded from this deposit. The area is underlain by rocks of both the Quesnellia and Barkerville Terranes.

"Data from the Cariboo mining district indicate that supergene leaching of gold dispersed within massive sulphides by Tertiary deep weathering followed by Cenozoic erosion is the most likely explanation for the occurrence of coarse gold nuggets in Quaternary sediments" (Exploration in British Columbia 1989, page 147).

In 1977, Tanacana Mnes conducted a seismic survey on placer leases held on Wingdam Creek. Tanacana also conducted exploration on its Wingdam mineral claims from 1979 to 1984. Work included drilling, soil surveys and airborne ground geophysical surveys.

In 1984, Placer Development held placer leases along Wingdam Creek. They determined that the source of gold in Wingdam Creek is an old elevated channel of Lightning Creek.

See new MINFILE occurrence - Rise, located near Wingdam (093H 012).