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Occurrence Details


Occurrence Number
115I 096
Occurrence Name
Rusk
Occurrence Type
Hard-rock
Status
Showing


General Information

Secondary Commodities: copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, lead
Deposit Type(s): Vein Polymetallic Ag-Pb-Zn+/-Au
Location(s): 62.082310 N, -137.253580 W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 115I03
Location Comments: Location provided by Rockhaven Resources 2019
Hand Samples Available at YGS: Yes

Capsule

Work History

Staked as Bit cl 1-6 (93441) in November 1965 by Mount Nansen Mines Ltd, which performed mapping and geochemical sampling in 1966. Area Exploration Company Ltd (Cyprus Exploration Corporation Ltd) optioned the claims in 1971, added Rusk cl 1-39 (Y66939) in August 1972 and explored with grid soil sampling and mapping in 1972-1973.

Re-staked as LD cl 1-14 (YA8225) in September 1976 by G. Dickson, who re-staked as Swiss cl 1-62 (YA24209) in May 1979. Dickson trenched in 1980 and 1981, re-staked as J. Bill cl 1-32 (YA78049) in August 1983, added Rat cl 1-24 (YA81428) to the south and Bull cl 1-8 (YA81420) to the east in February 1984. Dickson trenched in 1984 and added Bull cl 9-28 (YA86288) in December 1984.

Part of the property was optioned in 1986 to Chevron Canada Resources Ltd, which explored with mapping, grid soil sampling, EM-16 surveys and bulldozer trenching in 1986 and 1987 before dropping the option. In October 1994 the J. Bill, Rat and Bull claims were transferred to Dickson's widow, J. Dickson.

In May 1995, Dickson's claims were transferred to Aurchem Exploration Ltd and combined with the company's other claim holdings in the area, which collectively became known as the Discovery Creek project.

In July 1996, BYG Natural Resources Inc signed a letter of intent to explore Aurchem's claims in the Mount Nansen area. Subsequently in September 97, BYG entered into an agreement with Trumpeter Yukon Gold Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of BYG) whereby Trumpeter would be entitled to earn a 60% interest in the Aurchem claims by assuming a portion of the financial obligations outlined in the original agreement. As of December 1997, BYG and Trumpeter had not completed the terms outlined in the original letter of intent and negotiated a restructuring of the terms with Aurchem. In February 1999, BYG announced plans to temporarily shut down the Mount Nansen Mine to the southeast of the Rusk occurrence. In March 1999, BYG was placed in receivership and the Nansen mine became a Type II Minesite.

The J. Bill, Rat and Bull claims reverted to Aurchem after the federal government took over maintenance of the adjoining Mount Nansen mine site in July 1999. Aurchem carried out a limited exploration in 2001 and 2002, attempting to find new exploration targets from compilation of existing exploration data. In 2003 the company collected a limited number of soil samples on the J. Bill claims located north of Slate creek. The company also stripped three 75 to 90 m long areas in the same area to allow the ground to thaw out.

In 2009, 101073531 Saskatchewan Corp. flew a regional airborne and magnetic survey that included the Rusk occurrence.

In 2012, Rockhaven purchased the J. Bill claims that include the Rusk occurrence from Aurchem. These claims now form the eastern edge of the Klaza Property. In 2016 and 2017, Rockhaven performed rock and soil sampling at the Rusk occurrence and carried out ground magnetic and IP surveys in 2017.

Regional & Property Geology

The occurrence is located in the Dawson Range within Yukon-Tanana Terrane (YTT). The rocks of the YTT in this region consist of Early Mississipian metamorphic rocks separated into meta-sedimentary and meta-igneous suites (Stroshein, 1998). The meta-sedimentary suite consists of micaceous quartz-feldspar gneiss, schist and quartzite of the Nasina Assemblage. The meta-igneous package is comprised of biotite-hornblende feldspar gneiss and coarse-grained granodiorite orthogneiss with lesser amphibolite.

Four rock types dominate the geology surrounding the occurrence and are comprised of:
1. Paleozoic metamorphic Yukon-Tanana gneiss, quartzite, and amphibolite to the south;
2. Triassic to Jurassic metamorphosed alkali-feldspar-rich plutonic suites;
3. Mid-Cretaceous Mount Nansen Suite andesite, felsic lapilli tuffs, basaltic to latite volcanic rocks; and quartz feldspar porphyry, dacite, latite, and quartz monzonite porphyritic hypabyssal rocks; and
4. Mid-Cretaceous Whitehorse granodiorite.

The dominant rock type at the Rusk occurrence is an aphanitic, well jointed Mount Nansen Suite rhyolite to dacite.

Mineralization & Results

The original discovery, which was explored by Dickson, is a pyrite-arsenopyrite-galena-sphalerite-quartz vein about 1 m wide that cuts rhyolite of the Mid-Cretaceous Mount Nansen Group.

The 1986 soil sampling outlined four gold-lead-silver anomalies while the EM-16 surveys and bulldozer trenching were relatively ineffective and produced negative results.

The area sampled in 2003 is underlain by medium-grained, dark grey quartz diorite and brown weathering equigranular, medium grained granodiorite. The quartz diorite outcrops west of a previously discovered gold-in-soil anomaly where boulders of granodiorite and rare quartz-feldspar fragments are found in frost polygons. Gold values range up to 217 ppb. A grab sample of clay altered quartz-feldspar porphyry from a frost polygon returned 0.320 g/t gold. 

Location Map

Last Updated: Aug 5, 2020

Work History

Year Work Type Comment
2017 Geochemistry: Rock
2017 Geochemistry: Soil
2017 Ground Geophysics: IP
2017 Ground Geophysics: Magnetics
2016 Geochemistry: Rock
2016 Geochemistry: Soil
2009 Airborne Geophysics: Magnetic And EM.
2003 Geochemistry: Soil Limited number collected.
2003 Trenching: Mechanical Stripped 3 areas to allow ground to thaw.
2001 Pre-existing Data: Process/Interpret Company processed previous data looking for areas previously over looked.
2001 Trenching: Mechanical Limited.
1990 Trenching: Mechanical
1987 Geochemistry: Soil
1987 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1987 Ground Geophysics: EM
1987 Trenching: Mechanical
1986 Geochemistry: Soil
1986 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1986 Ground Geophysics: EM
1986 Trenching: Mechanical
1984 Trenching
1983 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1981 Trenching: Mechanical
1980 Trenching: Mechanical
1973 Geochemistry: Soil
1973 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1972 Geochemistry: Soil
1972 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1966 Geochemistry: Soil
1966 Geology: Bedrock Mapping

Regional Geology - Terrane

Group: Intermontane
Affinity: W Laurentia
Name: Yukon-Tanana
Realm: peri-Laurentian


Regional Geology - Bedrock

Supergroup:
Group/Suite: Mount Nansen
Formation:
Member:
Terrane:
Period Max: Cretaceous
Age Max: 110 MA
Period Min: Cretaceous
Age Min: 90 MA
Rock Major: andesite/dacite/breccia/tuffs/rhyolite/porphyry/plugs/dykes/sills
Rock Minor:
Reference: Tempelman-Kluit (1984) - GSC OF 1101
Geological Unit (1M): mKN
Geological Unit (250K): mKN

Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence

Report Number Year Title Worktypes Holes Drilled Meters Drilled
097138 2017 Assessment Report describing Geology, Mineralization, Soil Geochemistry, Rock Geochemistry, Geophysical Surveys, Excavator and Hand Trenching, Diamond Drilling and Metallurgical Testing Metallurgical Tests - Lab Work/Physical Studies
097000 2016 Assessment Report describing geology, mineralization, soil geochemistry, rock geochemistry, geophysical surveys, excavator and hand trenching, diamond drilling, metallurgical testing and preliminary economics at the Klaza property Diamond - Drilling, Rock - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, IP - Ground Geophysics, Metallurgical Tests - Lab Work/Physical Studies, Process/Interpret - Pre-existing Data, Preliminary Economic Assessment - Studies 44 78873.13
095089 2009 Report on a Geophysical Survey on the Mount Nansen Property and the Tawa Property Electromagnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Magnetic - Airborne Geophysics

Related References

Number Title Page(s) Document Type
ARMC006742 Geology map - Target 1, 101, 102, 103 - 1983-1985 - Mt. Nanasen area Geoscience Map (Geological - Bedrock)
ARMC006743 Fig 3b - Map showing targets 1W, 101, 102, 103 Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC006744 Sample locations map - 1985 program - Target 1W, 101, 102, 103 - Gold-silver regional Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC006745 Sketch map - Target IW Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC006746 Certificate of analysis - YIW Assays
ARMC007048 Claim map - Mt. Nansen area Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC007052 Examination notes - J Bill property Miscellaneous Company Documents
ARMC007055 Mt. Nansen area map with field notes Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC012147 Rusk Creek zone and ancillary projects, 1972 - Mt. Nansen project Report
YEG1998_20 A summary report on the geology of the Brown-McDade gold-silver deposit, Mount Nansen mine area, Yukon Annual Report Paper
YEG1997_14 Geology and mineral deposits of the Mount Nansen camp, Yukon Annual Report Paper
1987-2(G) Geology of Mt. Nansen (115I/3) and Stoddart Creek (115I/6), Dawson Range, Central Yukon Open File (Geological - Bedrock)
Citations
DICKINSON, R.A., AND SAWYER, J.B.P., 1976. Porphyry mineralization at Mt Nansen. Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Special Volume 15, p. 336-343.
DICKINSON, R.A., Apr/72. Petrology and alteration of the Mt Nansen porphyry stock. Unpublished B.A.Sc. Thesis, University of British Columbia.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, 1995. Airborne Geophysical Survey of Mount Nansen, Yukon Territory (NTS 115I/3). Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. Open File 3000 (scale 1:150 000).
JOHNSTON, S.T. and MORTENSEN, J.K., 1994. Regional Setting of Porphyry Cu-Mo Deposits, Volcanogenic Massive-Sulfide Deposits and Mesothermal Gold Deposits in the Yukon-Tanana Terrane, Yukon. In: Yukon Metallogeny: Recent Developments, p. 30-34.
SAWYER, J.B., AND DICKINSON, R.A. Porphyry mineralization at Mt Nansen. Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Special Volume 15, p. 336-343.
TEMPELMAN-KLUIT, D.J., 1984. Geology of Laberge (105E) and Carmacks (115I), Yukon Territory. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 1101.

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