The Dawn occurrence is located approximately 3.3 kilometres north-northwest of Drybrough Peak, some 280 kilometres north of Smithers. The showing lies within the Omineca-Cassiar mountains at the southern end of the Toodoggone gold camp. The occurrence is situated within a Mesozoic volcanic arc assemblage which lies along the eastern margin of the Intermontane Belt, a northwest-trending belt of Paleozoic to Tertiary sediments, volcanics and intrusions bounded to the east by the Omineca Belt and to the west and southwest by the Sustut and Bowser basins.

Permian Asitka Group crystalline limestones are the oldest rocks exposed in the region. They are commonly in thrust contact with Upper Triassic Takla Group andesite flows and pyroclastic rocks. Takla volcanics have been intruded by the granodiorite to quartz monzonite Black Lake Suite of Early Jurassic age and are in turn unconformably overlain by or faulted against Lower Jurassic calcalkaline volcanics of the Toodoggone Formation, Hazelton Group.

The dominant structures in the area are steeply dipping faults which define a prominent regional northwest structural fabric trending 140 to 170 degrees. In turn, high angle northeast-striking faults (approximately 060 degrees) appear to truncate and displace northwest-striking faults. Collectively these faults form a boundary for variably rotated and tilted blocks underlain by monoclinal strata.

The Dawn occurrence is underlain predominantly by Takla Group pyroxene feldspar phyric basalt flows and lesser lapilli tuffs. The rocks are weakly to moderately chloritized and locally weakly hematite altered. Moderate to strong patches of quartz-sericite- pyrite are associated with moderate to strong quartz-carbonate stockworks and silica flooding. Numerous quartz veins up to 30-centimetres wide are present. The Toodoggone volcanics are exposed as a fault-bound block west of the Dawn showing and consist of lahar and lesser siltstone and conglomerate.

In 1984, chip sampling of a gossanous silica altered gossanous zone hosting quartz stringers and disseminated pyrite yielded 1.54 grams per tonne gold and 3.1 grams per tonne silver over 2.0 metres (Assessment Report 13273).

In 1986, two samples (PS-50 and LH-4) from the area assayed 0.780 and 2.43 grams per tonne gold with 12.1 and 4.7 grams per tonne silver, respectively (Assessment Report 15310).

Drillhole CR88-02 was drilled during an exploration program in 1988 to test the depth of a 10 to 20-metre wide, 55-metre long, northwest-trending zone of moderate to strong quartz stockwork breccia and quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration exposed by trench TC88-6. This hole intersected heterolithic lapilli tuff in fault contact with coarse dark grey-green pyroxene feldspar phyric basalt flows, both of the Takla Group. A 4-metre-wide zone of intensely silicified pyritic and weakly brecciated rock was intersected at 21.7 metres depth. Hangingwall alteration consists of 16 metres of blocky, strong sericite-pyrite alteration. The siliceous zone is truncated at depth by a 10-centimetre-wide fault. The siliceous zone dips 30 to 40 degrees. Assay results from drill core samples of this silicified zone were 2.65 grams per tonne silver and 1.01 grams per tonne gold over 7 metres (Assessment Report 18354). The best results from this zone were from a 1-metre interval (sample CR82217227-14) and were 4.0 grams per tonne silver and 2.91 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 18354).

In 2003, samples from the Dawn occurrence area yielded up to 0.38 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 27429).

Work History

In 1980 and 1981, Serem Ltd. completed programs of geological mapping and geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling on the area as the Jock 1-5 and Itsch claims.

In 1983, Kidd Creek Mines Ltd. completed a program of prospecting, geological mapping and rock sampling on the area as the Foghorn and Leghorn claims.

In 1984, Newmont Exploration of Canada completed a program of geological mapping and geochemical (rock and soil) sampling on the area as the Dawn claim.

In 1986, Alexim Developments Corp. completed a program prospecting, geochemical (rock and silt) sampling and trenching the area as the Dawn, Shastex 1 and Paradise 2 claims.

In 1989, Esso Resources completed two diamond drill holes, totalling 117.0 metres, on the Dawn and Shastex 1 claims.

Refer to the Pine (MINFILE 094E 016) for details of the Pine property which contained the occurrence from the late 1990s to 2014. Exploration work included programs of rock and soil sampling, geological mapping and airborne geophysical surveys.

In 2003, prospecting in the Dawn-Shastex occurrence area by Stealth Minerals Ltd., as part of their larger Pine property exploration, yielded approximately 130 rock samples. Company maps show rock sampling in the vicinity of MINFILE 094E 095 (Dawn), 140 (Shastex) and 141 (Dawn 2). Stealth verified structurally controlled zones of quartz, quartz-carbonate veins stringers and local stockwork and breccia occur and contain carbonate, barite, pyrite, sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite, with associated gold and silver values. On Shastex Ridge, quartz and barite vein float occurs in talus over a 50 metre-wide area and can be traced for over 1 kilometre. Lead and zinc values were high in the Dawn 2 area as previously documented but are also found within several hundred metres southeast of Shastex.

During 2016 through 2018, Amarc Resources Ltd. completed programs of soil and rock sampling, geological mapping, 115.0 line-kilometres of ground induced polarization surveys and 1940.0 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic surveys on the area as the Joy property.