Much of the output has come from drift mines. The longest channel is the Magalia or Mammoth channel that flowed along the east side of the district. Other productive channels include the Dix, Emma, Little Magalia, Pershbaker, and Nugget channels. In the south portion of the district there are shore gravels. The gold was extremely coarse, and a number of other large nuggets besides the Willard were taken here.
Bedrock is slate and greenstone with smaller amounts of serpentine.
The channels are faulted in places with the downstream side being thrown up. Water has always been a problem in the drift mines. A few gold-quartz veins in greenstone are associated with diorite dikes. Centerville, Kohl, Red Hill. Survey Prof. Paper 73, pp.84-86.