The Wheaton Creek Jade occurrence is located about 60 kilometres east of the community of Dease Lake.
The lower areas of Wheaton Creek are underlain by a five kilometre wide belt of upper Mississippian to Permian ultramafic rock of the Cache Creek Complex. These rocks, which are the source of the nephrite jade, consist of peridotite, dunite and pyroxenite and are typically altered to serpentinite.
Large nephrite jade boulders are found in abundance from the mouth of Wheaton Creek, upstream to the area just south of the junction with Alice Shea Creek. It has been estimated that up to 3000 tonnes of jade in boulder form occurs along this section of the creek alone.
Jade was first reported on Wheaton Creek in 1938 but it was not until 1957 that any was taken out. Intermittent production has occurred from 1965 to at least 1971. In 1965, 11.3 tonnes was flown out.