The Christmas South occurrence is located on a hill approximately 1 kilometre south of Christmas Lake, north of Canim Lake.
The area is underlain by a succession of interbedded hornblende basalt flows, fine- grained, banded volcaniclastic sediments, and aphanitic rhyodacite tuffs of the Upper Triassic Nicola Group. The bedded rocks strike from 188 to 285 degrees and dip from 38 to 85 degrees to the northwest. The entire assemblage is intruded by fine to medium grained hornblende diorite.
Alteration in the country rock is generally restricted to weak to moderate silicification accompanied by 2 to 3 per cent disseminated pyrite. Pyrite is commonly concentrated along fractures. Gypsum was noted locally associated with pyrite on fractures. Minor quartz stockwork veining was also noted in several locations. Strong carbonate-pyrite alteration is noted in a 100-metre wide zone along the main road.
Locally, chalcopyrite, pyrite and pyrrhotite mineralization occurs in andesites, tuffs and sedimentary rocks that have been hornfelsed adjacent to a diorite plug.
In 1983, four rock chip samples B1576, B1763, B1769 and B1775 yielded vales of 1.48, 1.88, 1.22 and 6.29 grams per tonne gold, respectively (Assessment Report 12138). In 1985, a grab sample (KR 046) assayed 3.55 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 14452). In 1986, a rock sample assayed 5.910 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 16170).
In 2003, diamond drilling yielded values up to 1.56 grams per tonne gold. Diamond drill hole 03-1 intercepted 9.3 metres averaging 0.821 gram per tonne gold from 57.3 to 66.6 metres depth, including 8.1 metres yielding 1.060 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 27272).
In 1970, most of the ground between the road beside Christmas Lake and the north shore of Canim Lake was held as the Merv Group by Troy Silver Mines. Rokon Mines Limited held the 22 claim RK property southeast of the Troy Silver ground, directly south of the wedge-shaped lake east of Christmas Lake. Drilling and trenching was done on the Troy Silver ground sometime before 1970. During 1983 through 1987, E & B Explorations Incorporated, later in conjunction with Ming Mines, conducted programs of rock and soil geochemical surveys, magnetic, induced polarization and VLF-EM surveys and reconnaissance geological mapping on the area as the Christmas 1-8 claims. This work identified seven gold-in-soil anomalous zones.
During 2002 through 2004, Nustar Resources Inc. completed programs of prospecting, rock sampling, trenching, a self- potential geophysical survey and two diamond drill holes, totalling 299.9 metres, on the area as the Christmas South claim. During 2005 through 2014, Omega Exploration Services completed programs of soil and rock sampling, ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys and geological mapping on the area as the Christmas Lake property.
