The Grad (Black Prince) occurrence is located on the northwest end of Mount Pocahontas and approximately 4.2 kilometres northeast of the community of Gilles Bay on Texada Island.

Regionally, the area is underlain by limestone, marble and calcareous sedimentary rocks of the Middle to Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group) and basaltic volcanics of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group). The sedimentary and volcanic rocks have been intruded by granodioritic rocks of the Early to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite and of the (informally named) Cretaceous Pocahontas Stock.

The occurrence area is underlain predominantly by Upper Triassic amygdaloidal basaltic rocks and locally interbedded limestone of the Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group) intruded by a quartz diorite stock. Garnet-epidote-magnetite skarns have been developed in siliceous volcanic rocks and limestone. Some marble has also been observed.

Mineralization consists of massive magnetite with mixed chalcopyrite and pyrite carrying gold values. The magnetite is sometimes banded with pyrite and garnet.

Work History

In 1898, a shaft is reported to have been sunk for approximately 12.2 metres on the Black Prince claim.

It is reported that an inclined adit with two short drifts of unknown length had been developed on the occurrence by 1899, with a small ore shipment, approximately 0.95 tonne, yielding approximately 26.0 grams per tonne gold (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1899). A number of opencuts are also reported to have been developed on the occurrence. In 1900, an unreported quantity of ore was shipped to the Van Anda Co. smelter.

In 1981, Jordan Valley Resources Ltd. prospected the area as the Dan 1-8 claims. In 1985, V. Cukor conducted a ground magnetic survey on the area as the Grad claim. The following year, Hillside Energy Corp. conducted a program of soil sampling and a ground magnetic survey on the Grad claim.

During 1988 through 1992, V. Cukor and D. Cukor conducted 8.2 line-kilometres of ground magnetic surveys, 14.4 line-kilometres of ground electromagnetic (VLF) surveys and 19.2 line-kilometres of resistivity surveys on the Grad and Pocahontas claims.

In 2013, Northstar Mining Ltd. conducted a 19 000-hectare remote sensing (spectral analysis) survey on the area as part of the regionally extensive Texada Island property. In 2014 and 2015, Northstar Mining Ltd. conducted a geological interpretation program to identify future target areas for exploration on the Texada Island property.

During 2022 through 2024 Quadra Coastal Resources Ltd. conducted programs of prospecting, geochemical (rock and soil) sampling, LIDAR data reprocessing and a total of 553.2 line-kilometres of airborne magnetic surveys on the Texada Island property.