The geology of the region consists of (?)Hadrynian to Paleozoic Snowshoe Group rocks. The Snowshoe Group is an assemblage of dominantly metasedimentary rocks within the Barkerville Terrane of south-central British Columbia. The metasedimentary rocks consist of mainly marble, quartzite and phyllite which in the Yanks Peak area comprise the Keithley and Harvey Ridge successions. Metamorphism of the region varies from chlorite to sillimanite and higher grade. The lode gold deposits of the region occur only in rocks metamorphosed no higher than greenschist facies.

The Homestake showing consists of gold mineralization which occurs erratically in northeast trending quartz veins which, in this area, cut quartz sericite schist. The veins are structurally controlled and their orientations are "in part controlled by the regional fault and fracture pattern" (Struik, 1988; Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 421). It is suggested that gold mineralization and chlorite grade metamorphism was coeval.

The Homestake vein, which is about 0.6 metre wide, contains abundant pyrite with associated gold. An adit just above creek level (French Snowshoe Creek) is driven 6.7 metres eastward and exposes at its face a 66 centimetre quartz vein striking 060 degrees and dipping 75 degrees south. A selected grab sample taken in 1954 contained 50 per cent pyrite and assayed 7.54 grams per tonne gold (Bulletin 34, page 63). The vein is also exposed in the west bank of the creek, where it is 66 centimetres wide.

In 1954, B.E. Taylor, of Wells, held four claims comprising the Homestake group. The claims extend in single file down French Snowshoe Creek from Calgary Dam, which is about 1067 metres upstream from the abandoned settlement of Snarlberg. The claims take in the camp buildings at Snarlberg. One showing consists of a quartz vein at about 1432 metres elevation on the east bank of French Snowshoe Creek. The vein is southeast of the camp buildings and is reached from them by foot-trail.