The Golden Horn occurrence lies in the Zeballos gold camp and is located west of Curley Creek at an elevation of approximately 700 metres.
Regionally, the area is underlain by Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic Bonanza Group basaltic to rhyolitic volcanic rocks. Conformably underlying the Bonanza volcanic rocks are limestones and limy clastics of the Triassic to Lower Jurassic Parson Bay Formation (Bonanza and Vancouver groups) and Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group), and tholeiitic basalts of the Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group). Dioritic to granodioritic plutons of the Zeballos intrusion phase of the Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite have intruded all older rocks. The Zeballos stock, a quartz diorite phase of the Eocene to Oligocene Mount Washington Plutonic Suite, is spatially related to gold-quartz veining in the area.
The Golden Horn occurrence lies entirely within the Eocene to Oligocene Zeballos stock (Mount Washington Plutonic Suite) of quartz diorite composition. A few northwest-striking andesite dikes are present.
Locally, five veins have been identified: the Number One vein, on which all development and production has taken place; the Number 2, 3 and 4 veins, west-striking, vertically dipping, quartz lenses following narrow shear zones located approximately 30 to 500 metres north of the Number One vein; and the Forrest vein, which strikes 090 degrees along the south boundary of Lot 1795 and averages 7.5 centimetres in width (Bulletin 27, page 113).
The Number One vein has been traced over a horizontal distance of 1100 metres and a vertical distance of 610 metres. The vein traces a shear zone, striking 090 degrees and dipping 85 degrees north, that averages 25 centimetres in width. The vein itself ranges from 1.0 to 75 centimetres in width, averaging 7.5 to 15 centimetres. The shear zone contains fragments of bleached quartz-diorite country rock. Vein material consists of quartz, calcite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, galena and free gold. Post-vein faulting has remobilized sulphides into pasty masses and smears.
In 1938, a sample of high-grade quartz vein, 2.5 to 7.5 centimetres wide, from an opencut assayed 17.0 grams per tonne gold and 3.4 grams per tonne silver (Minister of Mines Annual Report 1938, page F53).
In 1940, sampling of the No. 1 tunnel, at 1.5 to 3.0-metre spacing, yielded 28.0 grams per tonne gold over a width of 11.5 centimetres and a length of 22.5 metres from 70.5 to 93.0 metres along the tunnel and 52.9 grams per tonne gold over a width of 14.1 centimetres and a length of 17.4 metres from 174.0 to 191.4 metres along the tunnel (Property File - P.W. Racey [1940-05-12]: Report on Golden Horn Group, Nomash River). Sampling of the No. 2 tunnel yielded 42.7 grams per tonne over a width of 20.8 centimetres and a length of 6.0 metres from 72.0 to 78.0 metres from the tunnel portal and 47.6 grams per tonne gold over a width of 19.0 centimetres and a length of 4.5 metres from 76.5 to 81.0 metres from the tunnel portal (Property File - P.W. Racey [1940-05-12]: Report on Golden Horn Group, Nomash River).
Also in 1940, sampling of a separate vein exposed by an open-cut, located 34.5 metres north of the No. 1 adit portal, yielded 5.7 grams per tonne gold over a width of 7.5 centimetres (Property File - P.W. Racey [1940-05-12]: Report on Golden Horn Group, Nomash River).
Another vein is reported on the End Fraction close to the northern boundary of the Golden Horn No. 5 claim. The vein strikes north 86 degrees west and dips 67 degrees south. In 1940, samples from the vein are reported to have assayed up to 41.1 grams per tonne gold over a width of 10 centimetres (Property File - P.W. Racey [1940-05-12]: Report on Golden Horn Group, Nomash River).
The H & J 1-9 claims (Golden Horn property) were staked in 1937 and the following year Pioneer Gold Mines Ltd carried out programs of surface work. In 1939, Homeward Mines Ltd. acquired the property and drove the two main adits or tunnels. By 1940, the No. 1 tunnel was driven over a length of 191.4 metres, and a crosscut was driven north-wards at a distance of 111.0 metres from the tunnel portal in an attempt to intercept one of the other veins to the north. The No. 2 tunnel, located approximately 36 metres vertically below the No. 1 tunnel, was driven over a length of 139.8 metres.
During 1941 and 1942, 3313 tonnes were mined by stoping; of this amount 1270 tonnes were milled with mill-heads running 19.88 grams per tonne gold (Bulletin 27, page 114). Recorded production between 1941 and 1942 includes 46 374 grams of gold, 108 705 grams of silver with 347 kilograms of lead and 318 kilograms of copper.
In 1978, Golden Hinde Mines Ltd. prospected the areas the Paladin group. In 1989, Golden Quadrant Resources completed 12.8 line-kilometres of ground electromagnetic and magnetic surveys on the area. Also, at this time Canalaska Resources prospected and mapped the area as a part of the Central Zeballos property.
In 2003, Canalska Ventures Ltd. completed a regional program of rock, silt and soil sampling on the area. In 2017, the area was prospected and sampled (rock and soil) as the Santa Barbara claims.
