The Park occurrence is located at an elevation of approximately 1720 metres on a south-southwest–facing slope, approximately 5 kilometres west of Park Creek and 18 kilometres north-northwest of Spruce Hill.

Regionally, the area lies at the eastern edge of the Intermontane Belt near the Kutcho fault and marks the boundary with rocks of the Omineca Belt. The oldest rocks in the area are a sequence of lower greenschist–grade metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rocks correlated based on lithological similarities to rocks of the Asitka Group found elsewhere (Geological Survey of Canada Open File 483). Fossil evidence from later regional mapping dates at least part of the sequence as Mississippian (Geological Survey of Canada Paper 80-1B, pages 207-211). A tentative Devonian to Permian age is assigned to these rocks. Five stratigraphic units have been recognized and are, from oldest to youngest: feldspathic chlorite schist; phyllite, sericite and calcareous sericite schist; massive rhyolite, chert and sericite schist; carbonate; and upper feldspathic chlorite schist. The rocks are complexly folded and have undergone at least two phases of deformation. They are predominantly calc-alkaline with minor alkaline members. The sequence is similar in many respects to rocks of the Kutcho Formation in the southeastern corner of the Cry Lake map area. To the south of the Stikine River, Lower Jurassic Toodoggone Formation (Hazelton Group) volcanic rocks and Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Sustut Group dominate. North and east of the Stikine River valley, two Early Jurassic plutonic bodies of the Black Lake Suite intrude these rocks. One is quartz monzonite in composition and the other is diorite. Small zones and pendants of Upper Triassic Takla (Stuhini) Group are found to the east and north of the Toodoggone Formation rocks. The Asitka and Takla Group rocks have been intruded by Late Triassic and Early Jurassic quartz monzonitic rocks and Middle Jurassic granodioritic rocks.

Locally, the area is underlain by andesite feldspar porphyry and dacites of the Takla (Stuhini) Group and minor cherts of the Asitka Group, which show varying degrees of silicification and pyritization and have been intruded by diorites to quartz monzonites. The volcanics rocks are fine to medium grained and, in part, plagioclase porphyritic. Quartz stringers and veins, at variable attitudes, are abundant. Up to 10 per cent disseminated pyrite has resulted in a significant gossan, traceable for 500 to 700 metres and trending east-northeast. At least two northwest-striking faults offset the gossanous zone.

Mineralization at the main Park gossan consists of a zone of intensely silicified and pyritized volcanics (andesite and tuff) and minor cherts adjacent to the intrusive in a 200 by 200 metre goethite-jarosite gossan. The zone appears to average 10 to 15 metres in thickness over a strike length greater than 150 metres. The core of the zone consists of quartz with minor disseminated pyrite cubes. Outward from this core, the rocks grade into a silicified andesite. Exposed at surface in the central part of the gossan is a distinctive sinter zone. The zone is made up of a breccia, composed of angular, quartz fragments up to 1 metre across cemented by iron-manganese oxide. A zone of highly weathered massive magnetite occurs 2 metres below the surface. Trenching has exposed this zone over 4 metres in one trench.

In 1981, seven rock samples from the main gossan yielded greater than 0.1 gram per tonne gold with a maximum of 0.285 gram per tonne gold (Sample 647-66-1; Assessment Report 10485).

In 1982, chip sampling of trench no. 5 located on the main gossan yielded 0.85 gram per tonne gold over 12.0 metres, including 2.90 gram per tonne gold and 3.9 grams per tonne silver over 2.0 metres (Assessment Report 11148).

In 1987, two rock samples (10501 and CH-1) of manganese-iron silica sinter from the main gossan assayed 1.58 and 1.24 grams per tonne gold, respectively (Assessment Report 17322).

In 2001, a float sample (51070) from the main gossan yielded 2.96 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 26661).

In 2005, a 1.0-metre chip sample (275561) assayed 0.134 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 28004).

In 2014, rock samples from the area yielded up to 0.77 per cent copper (Sample M109114; Assessment Report 35255).

Work History

The earliest record of work in the area dates to 1976, when Cominco Ltd. undertook stream sediment sampling as part of a base metals exploration program.

In 1980, Du Pont of Canada Exploration Limited staked the Park 1-3 claims and conducted a program of prospecting, rock and silt sampling and geological mapping. Several gossans were recognized, mainly associated with the intrusive contact between granodiorite and ‘chert’. The following year, Du Pont expanded their Park property, filled in gaps in their silt coverage, and took reconnaissance soil samples over the entire property.

In 1982, Du Pont conducted a program of rock, silt and soil sampling; geological mapping and blasted 11 trenches on a prominent gossan, referred to as the ‘Park’ gossan. Again, bedrock analyses from the trenching returned significantly lower gold, arsenic and copper values than the soils immediately above and Du Pont allowed the Park claims to lapse.

In 1983, Du Pont extended the magnetics/VLF survey. With this program, Du Pont’s option was vested and they formed a 50:50 joint venture on the Bill property with Cominco.

In 1987, Pacific Comox Resources Ltd. and Skylark Resources Ltd. completed a program of rock and soil sampling and a 2.1 line-kilometre ground electromagnetic (VLF) survey on the area as the Chuc 1-4 claims.

In 1995, AGC Americas Gold Corp. conducted a program of soil sampling over a 900- by 1000-metre grid and minor rock sampling on the area as the Arc 1-4 claims. This survey showed the gold-copper soil geochemical anomaly to be much larger than previously known, covering an area of 500 by 900 metres and open to the east and west. This enlarged geochemical anomaly and accompanying mineralization and geophysical anomalies is referred to in this report as the ‘GIC prospect’. In 1997, AGC Americas and Antares Mining and Exploration Corporation participated in a joint Geological Survey of Canada–industry airborne magnetic survey over the entire Toodoggone area.

In 2001, Rimfire Minerals Corporation acquired the Bill property and carried out a program prospecting; rock, silt and soil sampling; core re-sampling and geological mapping on the area as the BT 1-3 claims. In 2002, Stikine Gold Corporation optioned the Williams property from Rimfire and carried out limited prospecting through 2003.

In 2005, Rimfire carried out geochemical sampling and geological mapping on the GIC prospect and two outlying geochemical silt anomalies, followed by 17 kilometres of pole-dipole IP surveying on the GIC prospect. In 2006, Arcus Development Group Inc optioned the Williams property from Rimfire.

In 2007, Equity Engineering Ltd was contracted by Rimfire to carry out a program of geological mapping, prospecting and rock, soil and silt sampling on the Williams property.

In 2014, Kiska Metals Corp. completed a program of prospecting; geological mapping and rock and soil sampling on the area.