The Maple Leaf occurrence is located on the eastern side of Bulson Creek, approximately 1.2 kilometres northwest of the creek mouth on Warn Bay, approximately 18 kilometres northeast of Tofino.
The region is underlain by Paleozoic Sicker Group sedimentary and volcanic rocks. These are overlain by Upper Triassic Vancouver Group rocks consisting of Karmutsen Formation volcanics and Quatsino Formation limestone. Stocks of the Early to Middle Jurassic Island Intrusions consisting of granodiorite to quartz diorite intrude the strata. An assemblage of rocks belonging to the pre-Jurassic Westcoast Complex also occurs in the area. The assemblage consists of gneiss, amphibolite, agmatite, and quartz diorite or tonalite. This complex is considered to be derived from Sicker and Vancouver group rocks which were migmatized in early Jurassic time. The source of the Island Intrusions is thought to have been mobilized granitoid rocks of the Westcoast Complex.
The Maple Leaf deposit occurs in an area of Westcoast diorites with pendants of Sicker rocks cut by andesite and andesite porphyry dikes. Four or more veins striking 135 to 140 degrees, with near vertical dip, follow fractures that cut quartz diorite, fresh andesite, or a breccia with clasts of volcanics and sediments in a quartz diorite matrix. The vein/shears are marked by straight, narrow, rock-walled, remarkably persistent parallel gullies.
The veins, where mineralized, are sheeted but massive and contain varying amounts of sulphides in bands parallel to the walls. The vein consists of quartz, carbonates, pyrite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite and galena. Free gold was also observed.
The Shaft vein has been exposed intermittently for a length of 120 metres and is terminated to the northwest by a bluff. Work on this vein includes a 4.6 metre adit, a 7.6 metre vertical shaft and several open-cuts. A channel sample taken from this vein assayed 15.09 grams per tonne gold and 6.86 grams per tonne silver across a 10 centimetre width (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1946). In 1984, a sample (65179) from the vein, as exposed in the lower adit, assayed up to 3.8 grams per tonne gold over 0.3 metres (Assessment Report 12026).
The "E" vein is exposed in a gully for about 275 metres by a series of open-cuts. A crosscut and drift have been driven for a total length of 60 metres. The best channel sample collected contained 73.71 grams per tonne gold and nil silver across a 21.6 centimetre width (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1946). In 1984, sampling of the vein, as exposed in the lower adit, assayed up to 14 grams per tonne gold over 0.45 metres (Assessment Report 12026).
The "H" vein is exposed intermittently in a series of open-cuts extending along the base of a small bluff for over 50 metres. A channel sample assayed 16.11 grams per tonne gold over a 10 centimetre width (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1946).
A small vein is exposed in an open-cut about 9 metres north of the crosscut at 73 metres elevation. Small stringers were exposed in an area from 55 to 77 metres north of the Shaft vein shaft.
From 3 tonnes mined in 1940, 124 grams of gold and 2 kilograms of copper were produced (Mineral Policy data).
In 1955, Moscena Mines completed a ground self-potential magnetic survey on the area. In 1984, Fairmont Gas and Oil Corp. completed a program of rock sampling on the area as the Mos property. In 1982-83 W. Guppy conducted prospecting on the Peer Claims immediately north of the Moscena Mine workings (Assessment Report 11268). In 1986, he completed a program of prospecting and geochemical sampling on the Baycrest 1-3 mineral claims (Assessment Report 15551), covering the Maple Leaf (Moscena) mine and the Free Gold showing. During 1988 through 1990, Arklow Resources and Strabane Resources optioned the property and completed programs of prospecting, geological mapping, rock and soil sampling and ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys.
