The Alma Mater showing is located approximately 15 kilometres north-northwest of Peachland.
The area is underlain by the Early Jurassic Pennask Batholith. Triassic-Jurassic Nicola Group rocks are exposed in the underground workings of the Alma Mater and also outcrop about 500 metres to the northeast.
The first work recorded on the Alma Mater was in 1898 when the Canadian-American Mining and Development Company of Peachland drove 3 adits, 66 metres, 22 metres, and 35 metres long, respectively. Three shafts, 3 metres, 4 metres, and 4.25 metres deep, are also recorded as having been sunk about this time. It was noted that the ore "runs well" in gold and silver (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1899, page 748). The almost complete absence of gold in the assays of more recent exploration programs does not support that observation.
In 1963, molybdenite is reported to have been discovered in old waste dumps in the area by R.S. Taylor and J.E. Nott. The area, including the Alma Mater and the Silver King (082ENW018) occurrences, was subsequently staked as the Rat No. 1-26 and the Big Daddy No. 13 mineral claims for Orville Burkinshaw. Trenching and test-pitting was carried out in the vicinity of the old workings in 1964. The results of this program were not recorded.
In 1965, Dr. M.C. Robinson, in a report for King Resources Ltd. notes that the old tunnels contain a number of quartz veins with pyrite and in places galena and possibly molybdenite. He recorded that the lower tunnel was driven along a zone of east-northeast striking and south dipping shearing which defines a contact between a feldspar porphyry and a greenstone. The upper tunnel was collared in feldspar porphyry but passed through into the granodiorite. The intermediate tunnel was caved but was collared in feldspar porphyry. Mineralization exposed in the upper and lower adits consisted of irregular thin stringers and lenses of quartz containing small amounts of pyrite and very minor galena. Very finely disseminated sulphides, consisting of pyrite, galena and possibly molybdenite were noted in the granitic rocks exposed in the adits.
In 1978, Brenda Mines Ltd. restaked the area, including both the Alma Mater and the Silver King (082ENW018) showings, as the Greata III to V and Greata IX and X claim blocks. Geological and geochemical surveys done in 1978 were followed up by an I.P. survey and a drill program in 1979. Two diamond-drill holes, for a total of 200 metres, were drilled in the vicinity of the Alma Mater. Quartz veins mineralized with molybdenite were intersected and some continuity was established between the holes; however, the mineralization was well below economic concentrations. A 1-metre zone of brecciated granodiorite containing several phase I and phase II quartz veins was intersected at 17 metres depth in hole GR-3-79. It contained tiny rosettes of molybdenite and fine grained pyrite. Assays did not identify anomalous molybdenum for the 2 metre sample interval which included the brecciated granodiorite. The average molybdenum content of the drill core for the best hole (GR-3-79) was 0.003 per cent over 135.1 metres, lead assays averaged 0.004 per cent for the same interval (Assessment Report 7872). An intersection of meta-diorite contained small amounts of disseminated sphalerite and randomly oriented epidote veins.
In 1986, Cordilleran Engineering staked the OKA 1 - 11 claim block, which included the Alma Mater showing, for Fairfield Minerals Ltd. Their exploration program in 1986 included prospecting and sampling of the Alma Mater showing. Grab sample assays returned silver values as high as 254 grams per tonne (Assessment Report 15834). Gold assays were uniformly low. Details of sample mineralogy are lacking, as are base metal assays, but the highest silver values were from samples collected approximately 60 metres south of the eastern adit. The work for Fairfield Minerals was mainly focused on gold occurrences to the east, including: Bolivar West (082ENW098), Bolivar East (082ENW099), Bolivar Road (082ENW100), Bolivar Creek (082ENW101), Iron Horse (082ENW025), and Cap (082ENW026).
