Exploration History

First noted by the GSC in 1944 and staked as Star and Sun cl (55956) in Jul/46 by Western Ranges Prospecting Syndicate (Conwest Exploration Ltd, Frobisher Exploration Company Ltd, and Nova-Co Exploration Ltd), which built a road and performed mapping and bulldozer and hand trenching in 1946-48 before it was incorporated as Yukon Ranges Exploration Ltd in 1949. During 1948, 3.6 tonnes were cobbed for later shipment, but there is no record of it leaving the property.

Restaked as Enterprise cl (60350) in Jun/51 by D.E. Taylor & A.F. Holliday; as SS cl 1-4 (73036) in Apr/57 by S.R. Shiell; as Marg cl (79537) in Jul/62; as Blue cl (88941) in Sep/64 by Rancheria Mining Company Ltd; as Andrew cl (Y13746) in Sep/66 by S. Papp, who performed mapping, grid soil sampling and magnetic surveying in 1967, hand trenching in 1968 and bulldozer trenching in 1970; as Foub cl (Y74252) in Sept/73 by R. Bailey, who trenched in 1974; and as J, etc cl (YA665) in Aug/76 by H. Jones and C. Wilman, who trenched in 1977. G. Coffey tied on the Oco cl (YA21698) to the east in Aug/77.

The northwestern showing lies within an area withdrawn from staking from late 1977 to Jun/84 as a gas pipeline corridor. The other showings were restaked as YP & Idaho cl (YA35662) in Dec/79 by C. Wilman and trenched in 1980 by Unity Gold Resources Inc. Marbaco Resources Ltd tied on Mac cl 1-4 (YA57125) to the east in Oct/80 and June/81. The YP claims were acquired by Flame Petro-Minerals Corp and were sold to Butler Mountain Moly Corp, which changed its name to Butler Mountain Minerals Inc in 1982.

The Idaho group was restaked as Idaho cl 1-64 (YA46866) in Jan/80 by C.W. Beck, et al and acquired by Butler Mountain in 1982. Butler Mountain added more claims and explored with mapping, EM and geochemical surveying in 1983-84, drilled 10 holes (2 683 m) in 1983, 11 holes (3 155 m) in 1984 and 13 holes (2 000 m) in 1985.

Fringe claims include Lydia cl 1-24 & Flo cl 1-22 (YA69069) to the north and south in Sept/82-Feb/83 by Jantar Resources Ltd, which carried out mapping and geochemical sampling later in 1983-84; Moon cl (YA69632) to the southeast in Mar/83 by Oroteck Resource Corp, which carried out EM, magnetic and geochemical surveying in 1984; Blue, Star & Ace cl (YA69608) in Feb/83 by Acorn Resorces Ltd, which carried out EM, magnetic and geochemical surveying in 1983 and 1984 (the latter in a joint venture with Butler Mountain); Tom cl 1-34 (YA69031) to the east in Sept/82 by Flame Petro-Minerals Ltd, which were sold to Fairlady Energy Inc and explored with geological mapping and geochemical sampling in 1983. Regional Resources Ltd tied on PL cl 1-70 (YA71144) and Butler Mountain added Kent cl 1-14 (YA71304) in June/84. The Star group was explored with magnetic, EM and geochemical surveying by Dynamite Oil & Gas Inc in 1984 and was then transferred to Twinkle Resources Inc, which carried out geological mapping and geochemical sampling in 1985. Regional completed a similar program plus road building on the PL group in 1985 before transferring the claims to Fairfield Minerals Ltd, which carried out trenching in 1986 on Claim PL4. Fairlady performed soil geochemical surveying and trenching in 1987 and restaked the Tom group as SES cl 1-34 (YB12045) in May/88.

B. Kreft staked SH and SLT cl (YB34924) 1.5 km to the west in Jun/92 and restaked the main showing as Glen cl 1 and Peter cl 1-2 (YB34971) in Aug/92. Restaked as CJ cl 1-5 (YB59957) by G.V. White in Jun/95. G. Lee staked L cl 1-2 (YB62265) on the east side of the CJ claims in Sept/95. B. Kreft staked Pete cl 1-3 (YB62271) 2 km to the southwest in the same month.

In Oct/96 G. Lee restaked the occurrence and surrounded his L claims with Wildcat cl 1-48 (YB87360). R. Stack added Wildcat 51-58 (YB91858) to the block at the same time. The partners carried out magnetic and EM surveying in 1998 and 1999.

In 2009, Killdeer Minerals Inc. optioned the Wildcat property from G. Lee and performed five holes (902 m) of diamond drilling.

Capsule Geology

At least five showings occur in Lower Cambrian dolomite near the margin of the Cassiar Batholith, within an area about 1 000 m by 400 m. The dolomite is domed into a gentle anticline and is bounded to the east by a north-trending fault. The mineralization occurs as discontinuous lenses and is strongly leached on surface. The main showing occurs at the southeast end, on the west side of the easternmost of three small hills, where a gossan zone about 500 m long and up to 4.3 m wide contains oxidized galena, sphalerite and siderite. The best surface chip sample assayed 174.8 g/t Ag, 1.4% Pb, 3.6% Zn and 0.69 g/t Au across 4.3 m, while a 0.3 m vein of galena assayed 1 083.4 g/t Ag, 46.3% Pb and 4.4% Zn.

Drilling in 1983 of a nearby EM conductor encountered a different type of mineralization below the showing. Massive sulphides are associated with quartz-porphyry dykes in a north-trending fault zone and also occur as fragments, together with porphyry, limestone and phyllite, within an explosive diatreme breccia. The porphyry has been dated at 50 Ma, which coincides with major strike-slip movement on regional faults. The mineralization consists of pyrrhotite, sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and arsenopyrite, somewhat similar to the nearby Midway deposit. The best assays reported were 15.4 g/t Au, 13.7 g/t Ag, 0.08% Cu, 0.07% Pb and 0.8% Zn across 3.4 m (Hole 83-3), and 102.9 g/t Ag, 10.7% Zn and 339.4 g/t Ag, 5.1% Zn in two 2.1 m wide zones (Hole 83-6). The 1984 and 1985 drilling results were generally disappointing and failed to enlarge the occurrence.

A north-striking vein about 150 m to the east contains patchy galena. A selected specimen assayed 198.9 g/t Ag, 20.1% Pb and 3.4% Zn. Continuity of mineralization along strike is poor. Several showings occur between 500 and 800 m to the west, close to the batholith contact. The closest, situated on the north side of the hill, was the site of the early hand cobbing. The orientation and the vein are now obscured. Selected specimens of galena from this location average 925.7 g/t Ag, 84% Pb and 0.7 g/t Au. The other zones consist of disseminated and veinlet galena and sphalerite and are very low grade. Another zone near the contact is associated with skarn alteration. A similar showing was located by Fairfield in 1986 and gave a best assay of 1.8% Zn, 0.3% Pb and 24.0 g/t Ag across 4 m.

Germann, Friedrich and Schattner (1992) recognized four distinct phases of mineralization, and estimated a maximum formation temperature of 465°-490° C and formation pressures corresponding to a depth of 2 500 m, using arsenopyrite geothermometry and fluid inclusion data. Fluid inclusions have a surprisingly low salinity of 3-4 weight percent NaCl equivalent, suggesting that the vein fluids had a relatively small magmatic component.

Geophysical surveying in 1998 and 1999 identified several coincident magnetic field highs and EM conductors north of the main showing that were recommended for followup by geological mapping and prospecting.

Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence