Work History
Nordac Resources Ltd carried out an initial reconnaissance of the area in Jul/95, to follow up two lake sediment geochemical anomalies reported in a 1994 GSC Regional Geochemical Survey. The company staked D2 cl 1-24 (YB60180) in late July/95. Subsequent prospecting and geochemical sampling in August resulted in the company staking D2 cl 25-108 (YB61382) in Sep/95.
In Feb/96, a multi-component helicopter electromagnetic and magnetic field survey was flown over the claim group, the results of which prompted Nordac to stake D2 cl 109-235 (YB77285). This was followed up later in the year with ground geophysical surveys, geological mapping and hand trenching.
In 1997, Nordac carried out a program of grid soil sampling and drilled six holes (980 m).
Nordac Resources Ltd was reorganized in Jun/01 and renamed Strategic Metals Ltd.
In 2001, Nordac Resources was restructured as Strategic Metals. In 2006, Strategic Metals contracted Geotech Ltd. of Aurora, Ontario to fly versatile time electromagnetic (VTEM) and magnetic surveys over the northern part of the property. In 2009, Strategic Metals allowed all but 38 D2 claims to lapse.
Capsule Geology
The area has not yet been re-mapped by Yukon Geology Program geologists, however previous mapping carried out by the GSC and others suggests that the occurrence is underlain by rocks belonging to the upper succession of the Yukon-Tanana Terrane as mapped by Murphy (1999) in the Finlayson area.
Mapping by Nordac shows that the property is underlain by a sequence of layered metamorphic rocks largely comprised of quartz-muscovite and quartz-muscovite-chlorite schist which have felsic to intermediate volcanic protoliths. A few thin magnetite-bearing, biotite-rich units that represent a more mafic protolith are also present. Compositional layering generally parallels foliation which strikes northwest, dipping gently southwest. The layered metamorphic rocks are intruded by small stocks, dykes and sills of feldspar rich, trachytic textured granitic rock, probably related to other nearby Late Cretaceous to Tertiary felsic igneous and volcanic rocks. The claim block is bordered on the southwest and northeast by large masses of sheared granitic intrusive rocks and granitic gneiss of the Mid-Mississippian Simpson Range plutonic suite. The nature of the contacts between the layered metamorphic rocks and the metaplutonic rocks are not known.
Exploration work carried out in 1995 and 1996 outlined four areas of mineralized float and/or outcrop and six soil geochemical targets. The best results were returned from the RFG and BW zones which likely represent a single mineralized horizon within the package of metavolcanic rock. The RFG zone consists of two poorly exposed outcrops separated by talus cover. The lower zone consists of a 50 cm interval of siliceous muscovite schist with laminae and thin beds of partially to completely oxidized and leached pyrite, sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite. This is overlain by 30 cm of siliceous argillite. The base of mineralized beds is not exposed. The upper zone is an area of mineralized talus which appears to have a source region upslope of, and 30 m stratigraphically above, the lower zone. Host lithology and style of mineralization are similar to the latter. No barite was noted in the RFG zone. Grab samples returned up to 2.17% Cu, 10.50% Pb, 2.26% Zn, and 128.6 g/t Ag.
The BW zone lies 350 m east of the RFG zone and consists of abundant talus float similar to the RFG material except that the BW host rocks carry a strong manganese stain and tend to be more chloritic. The extent of mineralized float suggests a strike length of at least 400 m for the zone. Grab samples returned values up to 1.57% Cu, 2.22% Pb, 0.95% Zn, 185.0 g/t Ag and 160 ppb Au. Silt samples collected from creeks draining the mineralized areas returned moderately to strongly anomalous Cu, Pb, Zn values as well as high Ag, Ba and Cd response.
The airborne geophysical survey results indicate that the total magnetic field is quite flat, save for a prominent 30 to 50 nT magnetic field high parallel to the general trend of known mineralization. This magnetic high is coincident with the BW zone and 100 m north of the RFG zone. A discrete electromagnetic anomaly with a conductance of 10 to 20 Seimens occurs 400 m southeast of the BW zone. HLEM data from the ground survey suggests a subtle flat-lying or shallow-dipping conductor that approximately coincides with the inferred surface trace of the mineralized horizon.
The 1997 drill program indicated that the various lithologies in the area generally form continuous horizons, that a barite/magnetite horizon intersected in the three deepest holes is thickening at depth and that mineralized intervals encountered in four of six holes show good correlation with the projected surface trace of the mineralized outcrops. Sulphide intersections in drill core are all enriched in zinc (up to 7.82% across 0.30 m) while lead and copper are only moderately and weakly elevated and although narrow and sub-economic in grade, are consistent with a distal Kuroko-type metal assemblage.
References
AMEROK GEOSCIENCES LTD, 1996. Assessment Report #093504 by M.A.. Power.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA , 1994. Regional Lake Sediment and Water Geochemical Data, Southeastern Yukon (Parts of NTS 105A). Open File 2860.
GEORGE CROSS NEWSLETTER, 16 Dec/96.
MURPHY, D.C. AND PIERCEY, S.J., 1999. Finlayson project: Geological evolution of Yukon-Tanana Terrane and its relationship to Campbell Range belt, northern Wolverine map area, southeastern Yukon. In: Yukon Exploration and Geology 1998, C.F. Roots and D.S. Emonds (eds), Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, p. 47-62.
NORDAC RESOURCES LTD, Aug/96. Assessment Report #093503 by R.C. Carne.
NORDAC RESOURCES LTD, Aug/96. Assessment Report #093504 by M.A.. Power.
NORDAC RESOURCES LTD, Aug/96. Assessment Report #093505 by R.A.. Pritchard.
NORDAC RESOURCES LTD, Jun/97. Assessment Report #093681 by G.J. Duso.
NORDAC RESOURCES LTD, May/98. Assessment Report #093863 by W.A. Wengzynowski.
STRATEGIC METALS LTD, Dec/01. Web Site: www.strategicmetalsltd.com.
