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Occurrence Details


Occurrence Number
106D 079
Occurrence Name
Chieftain
Occurrence Type
Hard-rock
Status
Showing


General Information

Secondary Commodities: bismuth, cobalt, uranium, gold, silver, copper
Deposit Type(s): Iron Oxide Breccias & Veins (Wernecke Breccias)
Location(s): 64.891670 N, -134.178610 W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 106D16
Location Comments: .5 Kilometres
Hand Samples Available at YGS: No

Capsule

Work History

Staked as Ser cl 1-36 (YA7068) in Sep/76 by Prism Syndicate (Prism Resources Ltd, Canex Placer, Granby Mining Corporation Ltd & Chieftain Development Corporation Ltd). Noranda Mines Ltd staked Bri cl 1-4 (YA7050) 3.2 km to the southwest in Sep/76 following airborne radiometric and magnetic surveys. Prism explored with mapping and radiometric surveys in 1977.
Texaco Canada Resources Ltd added Adub cl 1-16 (YA41897) 2.4 km to the southwest in Jun/80 and Hail cl 1-4 (YA42025) to the north in Jul/80 and performed mapping and sampling in 1981 and 1982.
Restaked as Mica 1-46 cl (YB28540) and Hail 1-10 cl (YB28564) by Pamicon Developments Ltd between Jul and Oct/92. Pamicon did limited prospecting, sampling and mapping on the Mica claims in August and September, 1992. Pamicon formed a joint venture with Equity Engineering Ltd and Westmin Resources Ltd and performed geochemical surveys, geological mapping and IP and magnetic surveys in 1993. Hail cl 11-18 (YB22503) were added in Aug/93 and Mica cl 47-52 (YB42317) were added in Oct/93. In Jan/94 Pamicon and Equity transferred 100% interest in the Mica and Hail claim groups to Westmin which then formed the Fairchild Joint Venture with Newmont Exploration Ltd. In July and Aug/94, Pamicon and Equity on behalf of the joint venture carried out a program consisting of geological mapping, stream sediment sampling and soil sampling.
Restaked as CH cl 1-20 (YC42405) in Nov/2005 by Fronteer Development Group Incorporated. In Jan/2006 Fronteer (80%) and Rimfire Minerals Corporation (20%) signed an agreement with Newmont Exploration Canada Ltd and NVI Mining Ltd (which bought Westmin's assets) to purchase all claims and exploration data relating to 700 mineral claims owned by the Fairchild Joint Venture in the Wernecke Mountains, Yukon. Fronteer Development was appointed operator of the project. In the summer of 2006 Fronteer Development carried out an airborne gravity survey over their entire claim holdings and carried out limited rock and soil sampling and geological mapping on the CH claims.

Capsule Geology

The occurrence is at the western margin of the Wernecke Supergroup inlier, a metamorphosed and altered sequence of Early Proterozoic clastic and carbonate rocks (Fairchild Lake Group, Quartet Group and Gillespie Lake Group, from oldest to youngest) that are intruded by Early to Middle Proterozoic mafic sills and dykes, and cut by Middle Proterozoic Wernecke Breccia. According to Thorkelson (2000), Wernecke Breccia development is best modeled as a set of hydrothermal and/or phreatic breccias; brecciation being caused by explosive expanson of volatile-rich fluids. Hunt (2005) attributed Wernecke Breccia formation to periodic over-pressuring of dominantly basinal fluids, which lead to repeated brecciation of host strata and mineral precipitation.
The occurrence is located approximately 10 km northeast of the Bear Creek airstrip, on the west bank of the eastern branch of a northly flowing unnamed creek which empties into the Bonnet Plume River. The area was regionally mapped by L. Green (1972) of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1961 as part of a helicopter-supported party known as Operation Ogilvie. The area was remapped as part of a larger bulletin by D. Thorkelson (2000) who was under contract with Exploration and Geological Services Division (now part of the Yukon Geological Survey). In addition Thorkelson worked closely with geologists employed by Westmin Resources which held a large number of claims in the region. The work of these geologists was incorporated into a geological compilation of the Yukon released by Gordey and Makepeace of the Geological Survey of Canada in 2003.
Each of the original claim groups was staked on occurrences of chalcopyrite with minor brannerite, pitchblende and cobaltite that are associated with Middle Proterozoic Wernecke Breccia bodies cutting Lower Proterozoic Quartet Group argillite. The best assays reported were 0.03% uranium oxide (U3O8) from a grab sample on the Ser claim group, up to 0.5% uranium oxide (U3O8) from float samples fromTexaco Canada's Hail group, and up to 2.4 g/t gold and 3 100 ppm copper from a specimen collected in trenches on the Adub claim group. The Hail float was thought to be derived from a narrow shear zone cutting breccia.
The 1993 program carried out on the Mica and Hail claims uncovered several areas of copper mineralization in altered metasedimentary rocks and in hematite rich Wernecke Breccias. A more extensive program carried out in 1994 determined that the copper mineralization is widespread and also occurs in and around altered Middle Proterozoic diorite dykes. The diorite dykes are usually located with or near Wernecke Breccia bodies. A rock sample collected from altered diorite in a strongly faulted area near outcrops of heterolithic Wernecke Breccia and Quartet Group shale assayed 4 900 ppm copper and 15 ppb gold. The 1994 program also found numerous copper +/- gold, cobalt, bismuth, and silver soil geochemical anomalies.
Fronteer has not released any data on the CH claims. Preliminary results from the surviving Hail claims appear to verify results obtained by the Fairchild Joint Venture.

References

EQUITY ENGINEERING LTD, Feb/95. Assessment Report #093261 by K.A. Owerko.

FRONTEER DEVELOPMENT GROUP INCORPORATED AND RIMFIRE MINERALS CORPORATION, Apr/2007. Assessment Report #094956 by R.S. Hefferman, R. Black, H. Awmack and D. Baker.

FRONTEER DEVELOPMENT GROUP INC. News Releases, 19 May/2006, 10 Jul/2006; 19 Dec/2006, 17 May/07.

FRONTEER DEVELOPMENT GROUP INC. March/2009. Web Site: www.fronteergroup.com. (contains 2007 Wernecke Exploration report).

GREEN, L.H. 1972. Geology of Nash Creek, Larsen Creek and Dawson Map-Areas, Yukon Territory. Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 364.

GORDEY, S.P. AND MAKEPEACE, A.J., 2003. Yukon Digital Geology, version 2.0, S.P. Gordey and A.J. Makepeace (comp); Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 1749 and Yukon Geological Survey, Open File 2003-9 (D).

HUNT, J., 2005. The geology and genesis of iron oxide-copper-gold mineralization associated with Wernecke Breccia, Yukon Canada, PhD thesis, James Cook University, Australia, 2 volumes, 120 p.

MINERAL INDUSTRY REPORT 1977, p. 45.

PAMICON DEVELOPMENTS LTD, Feb/94. Assessment Report #093170 by M.A. Stammers.

PRISM RESOURCES LTD, Mar/78. Assessment Report #090299 by J.H. Montgomery and B. Dewonck.

THORKELSON, D.J., AND WALLACE, C.A., 1993. Development of Wernecke Breccia in Slats Creek (106D/16) map area, Wernecke Mountains, Yukon. In: Yukon Exploration and Geology 1992, Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, p. 77-87.

THORKELSON, D.J. AND WALLACE, C.A., 1998. Geological Map of Slats Creek map area, Wernecke Mountains, Yukon (106D/16). Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon Region, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Geoscience Map 1998-9, 1:50,000 scale.

THORKELSON, D.J. AND WALLACE, C.A., 2000. Geology and mineral occurrences of the Slats Creek, Fairchild Lake and "Dolores Creek" areas, Wernecke Mountains, Yukon (106D/16, 106C/13, 106C/14). Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon Region, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Bulletin 10, 73 p.

WESTMIN RESOURCES LTD, Dec/92. Assessment Report #093122 by D.A. Caulfield.

YUKON EXPLORATION AND GEOLOGY 1981, p. 195; 1983, p. 228-229; 2006, p. 34.

Location Map

Last Updated: Aug 30, 2018

Work History

Year Work Type Comment
2006 Airborne Geophysics: Gravity
2006 Geochemistry: Rock Limited program.
2006 Geology: Bedrock Mapping Limited program.
2006 Geochemistry: Soil Limited program.
1994 Geochemistry: Silt
1994 Geochemistry: Soil
1994 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1993 Geochemistry: Soil Also rock sampling.
1993 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1993 Ground Geophysics: Magnetics Also IP survey.
1992 Geochemistry: Rock Program was preliminary in nature.
1992 Geology: Bedrock Mapping Program was preliminary in nature.
1992 Other: Prospecting Program was preliminary in nature.
1983 Geochemistry: Soil Talus sampling.
1983 Geology: Detailed Bedrock Mapping
1983 Trenching
1982 Geochemistry: Soil
1982 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1982 Ground Geophysics: Scintillometer Also VLF-EM survey.
1982 Other: Prospecting
1982 Trenching
1981 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1980 Airborne Geophysics: Radiometric
1980 Geochemistry: Rock
1980 Other: Prospecting
1980 Trenching: Handblast
1980 Ground Geophysics: Scintillometer
1977 Geochemistry: Rock
1977 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1977 Ground Geophysics: Radiometric Survey
1976 Airborne Geophysics: Radiometric Also magnetic survey.

Regional Geology - Terrane

Group: Ancestral North America
Affinity: W Laurentia
Name: North America - platformal strata
Realm: Laurentia


Regional Geology - Bedrock

Supergroup: Wernecke
Group/Suite: Gillespie Lake
Formation:
Member: basal
Terrane: Laurentia
Period Max: Statherian
Age Max: 1800 MA
Period Min: Statherian
Age Min: 1600 MA
Rock Major: dolostone, shale, sandstone
Rock Minor:
Reference: Thorkelson & Wallace (1998) - YGS GM 1998-9
Geological Unit (1M): lPG
Geological Unit (250K): lPG

Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence

Report Number Year Title Worktypes Holes Drilled Meters Drilled
095646 2007 2007 Geological, Geochemical and Geophysical Report on the Werneckes Project Diamond - Drilling, Rock - Geochemistry, Silt - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Detailed Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Regional Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Magnetics - Ground Geophysics, Scintillometer - Ground Geophysics, Prospecting - Other, Backhoe - Trenching, Hand - Trenching, Handblast - Trenching 28 6537.96
094956 2006 2006 Geological, Geochemical and Geophysical Report on the Werneckes Project Reverse Circulation - Airborne Geophysics, Rock - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Scintillometer - Ground Geophysics, Prospecting - Other
093378 1995 Geological and Geochemical Assessment on the Reid 1-104 Claim Group Silt - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Prospecting - Other
093261 1994 1994 Geological and Geochemical Assessment Report on the Mica 1-52,Hail 1-18 and Reid 1-104 Claim Group Silt - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Prospecting - Other
091456 1983 Exploration, 1982, Gold, Silver and Uranium Deposits, Glacier Lake Region Rock - Geochemistry, Silt - Geochemistry, Detailed Bedrock Mapping - Geology, EM - Ground Geophysics, Scintillometer - Ground Geophysics, Petrographic - Lab Work/Physical Studies, Prospecting - Other, Hand - Trenching
090868 1980 Exploration Report-Year 1980 on the Bear River Properties Rock - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Regional Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Gamma-ray Spectrometry - Ground Geophysics, Prospecting - Other, Hand - Trenching, Handblast - Trenching
090299 1977 Assessment Report Ser 1-36 Claims Rock - Geochemistry, Gamma-ray Spectrometry - Ground Geophysics, Prospecting - Other

Related References

Number Title Page(s) Document Type
ARMC007821 Map - Reef Project Geochemical Map
Citations

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