The Octagon (Vera) occurrence is located between Irish and Newport creeks, approximately 12 kilometres north-northwest of Vernon and northwest of Okanagan Lake.

Regionally, the area is underlain by basaltic volcanics, mudstone, siltstone, shale and fine clastic sedimentary rocks of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group, which are in probable unconformable contact with Devonian to Triassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Harper Ranch Group. Middle Jurassic granitic rocks intrude the Nicola and Harper Ranch groups and outliers of volcanic rocks of the Eocene Kamloops and Penticton groups overlie the older units.

Locally, a sequence of argillites, volcanic flows, augite porphyry and tuffaceous basalt of the Nicola Group associated with a Jurassic(?) quartz-feldspar porphyritic intrusive (dike?) hosts a massive quartz vein, varying from a few centimetres to 2.4 metres wide, and associated quartz stringer zone with disseminations of freibergite (silver-rich tetrahedrite), galena, lesser pyrite and sphalerite and minor chalcopyrite, malachite, azurite, native gold, argentite, stibnite and pyrargyrite. The native gold and argentite are mainly found with drusy quartz. Mineralization is more common along the vein margins, especially where sheared, and within the stringer zone. The vein strikes approximately north-northeast and dips 25 degrees to the west. Localized sericite alteration adjacent to the vein has been reported.

The veined zone has been exposed at surface by stripping for 60.4 metres and underground in the adit for 6 metres to the north before ending abruptly and being fault displaced. The vein has been re-identified in trenches 50 metres to the northwest over a strike length of 15.2 metres. Systematic channel sampling of the quartz vein and stringer zones illustrates the sporadic nature of the mineralization.

In 1980, rock samples yielded values up to 34.9 grams per tonne gold, 44 851.9 grams per tonne silver and 5.75 per cent copper (Property File – Various [1984-03-27]: Notes and Letters Re: Wentorth Tellington Properties).

In 1984, a 226.8 kilogram bulk sample from a small pit is reported to have averaged 14 603.4 grams per tonne silver (Property File – Various [1984-03-27]: Notes and Letters Re: Wentorth Tellington Properties).

In 1985, a sample (495) from 2.5 centimetres of gouge material from the west face of the east opencut is reported to have assayed 2.64 grams per tonne gold and 4456.6 grams per tonne silver, whereas other select samples of mineralized drusy quartz yielded up to 250.2 grams per tonne gold and 44 943 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 28366). Also at this time, sampling of the main trench yielded values of up to 7.75 grams per tonne gold with 62.05 grams per tonnes silver over 0.61 metre and 0.41 gram per tonne gold with 262.94 grams per tonne silver over 1.83 metres (Assessment Report 28366).

In 1987, grab samples of select high-grade material from a narrow seam at the hangingwall contact of the quartz vein are reported to have yielded up to 249.7 grams per tonne gold and 102 600 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 16816).

In 1988, a 1-metre channel sample (88G15) taken along the strike of a 5.0-centimetre thick sulphide-rich quartz stringer assayed 4.90 grams per tonne gold, 941.7 grams per tonne silver, 1.496 per cent copper, 2.402 per cent lead, 0.146 per cent zinc and 0.565 per cent antimony, whereas the average grades for gold and silver were 0.48 and 301.6 grams per tonne, respectively, with median values of 0.04 and 23.6 grams per tonne, respectively (Assessment Report 17664). Later that year, two chip samples (88DTV-54 and 88DTV-60) of mineralized quartz stringers yielded 2.2 and 2.9 grams per tonne gold with 2204.5 and 2324.2 grams per tonne silver over 0.6 and 0.7 metre, respectively (Assessment Report 17928).

In 2005, a 5-centimetre sample (T1-15mNHG) of mineralized gouge material assayed 28.70 grams per tonne gold, 12 893 grams per tonne silver, 3.19 per cent copper, 3.72 per cent lead and greater than 1.00 per cent antimony, whereas a 0.7-metre wide sample (T1-15mN) of quartz vein material from the same area yielded 2.89 grams per tonne gold, 2740 grams per tonne silver, 0.79 per cent copper, 0.53 per cent lead and 0.228 per cent antimony (Assessment Report 28366).

Work History

The occurrence was discovered in 1923 and a small, 15-metre long, adit and numerous pits were developed. Also at this time, a 1.8-tonne shipment of (probably) selected ore was made, producing 2550 grams of silver and 62 grams of gold.

In 1969, Brown-Overton Mines Ltd. completed a program of rock and soil sampling and an 18.6 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the area as the May claims.

In 1980, Thunderbird Resources Ltd. carried out geological mapping and soil sampling on the area. In 1984, the area was examined as the Lyn claims. In 1985, Tri-Pacific Resources Ltd. examined the occurrence and is reported to have shipped 7 tonnes of high-graded ore, producing 12.0 kilograms of copper, 10.7 kilograms of antimony, 12 050 grams of silver and 67.9 grams of gold (Assessment Report 28366).

In 1987 and 1988, Canova Resources Ltd. carried out programs of geological mapping; rock, silt and soil sampling; ground magnetometer and VLF-EM surveys and trenching on the area as the Vera claim group.

During 2005 through 2008, Romulus Resources Ltd. completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, soil and rock sampling and ground magnetic and electromagnetic (VLF) surveys on the area as the Vera 1-4 claims. This work identified several soil-anomalies along steep slopes to the north-northwest.