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Occurrence Details


Occurrence Number
106D 026
Occurrence Name
Potato Hills
Occurrence Type
Hard-rock
Status
Showing


General Information

Secondary Commodities: bismuth, tungsten, gold
Aliases: Pan
Deposit Type(s): Skarn W
Location(s): 64.040280 N, -135.754170 W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 106D04
Location Comments: .5 Kilometres
Hand Samples Available at YGS: No

Capsule

Work History


*The exact location of this occurrence is uncertain but it likely lies several hundred metres further east near an area Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation Ltd identified in 1978 as the 30 + 800 Skarn Zone.

Placer scheelite was noted in Dublin Gulch (Creek) in 1904 by the Geological Survey of Canada. Staked as Tungsten King, etc cl (12723) in Sep/18 by W. Steinberg and restaked about 1941 by A.J. Kinsey and R. Fisher and optioned to Treadwell Yukon Company Ltd. Claims owned by Mayo Silver Mines Ltd covered this occurrence in 1961-64 but the tungsten potential was not investigated.
The first interest in the bulk tonnage tungsten potential commenced in Jun/68 when Pan cl 1-36 (Y27203) were staked by C. Provencher. The Pan claims covered this occurrence and the Ray Gulch occurrence (Minfile Occurrence #106D 027) located approximately 1.5 km to the south. After 1968 both occurrences were explored simultaneously for tungsten mineralization, however the majority of exploration was directed towards the Ray Gulch occurrence.
The property was optioned in 1968 by Great Plains Development Company of Canada Ltd, which conducted bulldozer trenching and added Pan cl 37-68 (Y31528) in Sep/68. Tam Mines Ltd added Arpa cl 29, 31, 39, 40 (Y31715) and Arpa cl 57-96 (Y31727) to the claim group in Feb/69 and bulldozer trenched later in the year. Connaught Mines Ltd optioned all of the claims from 1969 to 1971 but assigned their rights in 1970 and 1971 to Canex Aerial Exploration Ltd, which carried out an extensive soil geochemical survey in 1970, and bulldozer trenched and drilled three holes (457.2 m) in 1971. The claims reverted early in 1972 to Provencher, who transferred them to a private company, Scheelite Hills Minerals Ltd.
The west side of the occurrence area was restaked as R & D cl 1-16 (YA1393) in Oct/75 by R. Holway & D. Duensing, who trenched in 1976 and transferred the claims to Dublin Gulch Mining Ltd. The remainder was restaked as Mar cl 1-24 (YA14897) in Mar/77 by Queenstake Resources Ltd, which performed mapping and bulldozer trenching later in the year. In 1978, Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation Ltd entered a joint venture with Queenstake, optioned the R & D group, enlarged the property and conducted extensive mapping and sampling in l978 and 1979. Once again the bulk of the exploration was focused on the Ray Gulch occurrence. Cantung dropped its interest in 1986.
Some of the R & D and Mar cl were transferred to Ivanhoe Goldfields Ltd in Mar/93. In Sep/93, Ivanhoe dug several test pits in decomposed bedrock on the R & D claims and the Olive Crown Grant (a claim staked in 1908 and kept in good standing since). Samples were screened, gravity concentrated and assayed.
In Aug/94 First Dynasty Mines Ltd acquired Ivanhoe Goldfields Ltd. In 1995, First Dynasty which was interested in bulk mining the neighboring Eagle Zone (gold), located 3.5 km to the southeast (Minfile Occurrence #106D 025), carried out diamond drilling east of Potato Hills (part of the area covered by this occurrence) to test for mineralization under the site of the proposed heap leach pad area. In 1995 and 1996 First Dynasty and its wholly owned subsidiary, New Millennium Mining Ltd carried out a major drilling program to outline a core resource/reserve on the adjoining Eagle Zone. Only a minor amount of work was carried out on the tungsten potential of this occurrence and the neighboring Ray Gulch occurrence.
First Dynasty changed its name to Sterlite Gold Ltd in Jul/2002. In Oct/2004, StrataGold Corporation entered into an agreement to acquire all of Sterlite's interest in Dublin Gulch, including this occurrence. In addition StrataGold purchased Queenstake Resources surviving rights and interests in various claims. Queenstake retained a 1% royalty on ore processed from the Ray Gulch occurrence and surrounding leases. StrataGold renamed the Ray Gulch occurrence the Mar-Tungsten deposit. This occurrence (the Potatoe Hills area) resides just north of the boundary of the core claims which define the Mar-Tungsten property but still resides within the larger Dublin Gulch property.

Capsule Geology

The area has not yet been remapped by the Yukon Geological Survey however C. Roots (1997) of the Geological Survey of Canada under contract with the Exploration and Geological Services Division (now part of the Yukon Geological Survey) remapped topographic map sheet 105M located directly to the south in the mid-1990's. In 2003 Gordey and Makepeace released a geological compilation of the Yukon which covered this area. In addition various company geologists have mapped the Dublin Gulch area in detail.
Geological work carried out by Roots, Gordey and Makepeace and various company geologists shows that the Dublin Gulch area is underlain by deformed Upper Proterozoic to Lower Cambrian clastic rocks of the Hyland Group that have been intruded by the Dublin Gulch Stock, a Late Cretaceous medium-grained granodiorite stock assigned to the Tombstone Suite. The stock is cut by minor late dykes. Rare narrow intrusive breccia dykes have also been reported. Alteration, gold and tungsten mineralization is directly associated with these intrusions.
On The Dublin Gulch property scheelite occurs with feldspar, muscovite, pyrite and small amounts of arsenopyrite in a quartz stockwork and as disseminations near the veins, which cut granite of the Dublin Gulch Stock. Alteration is weak and consists of narrow argillic envelopes around the veins. Scheelite is also found in skarn zones hosted in clastic sediments located adjacent to the intrusion. Canada Tungsten reports that the color of the skarn units vary from light green to dark green with the color dependent on the composition of the pyroxenes and the amount of calcium in the skarn. The light green skarns represent the diopside end of the pyroxene solid solution series while the dark green skarns represent the hedenbergite end of the series. The light green skarns have not undergone intense skarnification while the dark green hedenbergite skarns have undergone almost complete skarnification.
The exact location of exploration work carried out prior to 1970 is uncertain. Canada Tungsten's Assessment Report #0904471 mentions an area named the 39 + 800 Skarn Zone which "encompasses old trenches that were cut in the 1960's". The skarn beds are dark green and well laminated. Scheelite is finely disseminated throughout the skarn beds but is noticeably scarce at this location. Channel samples collected by the company returned between 0.01% and 0.29% tungsten oxide (WO3).
On the Dublin Gulch property the highest grade occurrences are found within quartz veins within the stock and grade up to 10.1% tungsten oxide. Veining within the metasedimentary rocks can range up to 10 cm wide, assay up to 1.3% tungsten oxide with wallrock grading as high as 3.4% tungsten oxide. A pegmatite vein consisting of quartz and white mica assayed 6.4% tungsten oxide across 25 cm.
First Dynasty's 1995 diamond drill holes were drilled southwest of Potatoe Hills in an area earmarked for a proposed heap leach pad. A total of 376 selective samples were analyzed from the 9 drill holes and 93% assayed below detection limit. One sample returned 40.02 g/t Au. This sample was attributed to a single 40 cm quartz-arsenopyrite vein.
StrataGold is currently concentrating their exploration efforts towards finding additional bulk tonnage gold deposits similar to the Eagle Zone located 3.5 km to the southwest and increasing the reserves of the Mar-Tungsten Deposit located 1.5 km to the south. The area covered by this occurrence will likely be used as a site for a heap leach pad or other infrastructure required for bulk tonnage mining.

References

CANEX AERIAL EXPLORATION LTD, Oct/71. Assessment Report *#060948 by B. Ainsworth.

CATHRO, R.J., Apr/69. Tungsten in Yukon. Western Miner, p. 32-34.

CONNAUGHT MINES LTD, Mar/70. Assessment Report *#060841 by R.J. Cathro.

FIRST DYNASTY MINES LTD, Mar/96. Assessment Report #093409 by M. Sieb.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Summary Report 1904, Part A, p. 18-42; Summary Report 1918, Part B, p. 10-15.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA Memoir 234, p. 31-32.

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).

IVANHOE GOLDFIELDS LTD, Sept/93. Assessment Report #093140 by C.N. Orssich.

LITTLE, H.W., 1959. Tungsten Deposits of Canada. Geological Survey of Canada Economic Geology Series
No. 17, p. 21-29, 34-36.

MINERAL INDUSTRY REPORT 1971-72, p. 24-25; 1978, p. 14-15.

ROOTS, C.F., 1997. Bedrock geology of Mayo area, central Yukon (105M). Exploration and Geological Services Division, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Geoscience Map 1997-1, 1:50 000 scale.

ROOTS, C.F., 1997. Geology of the Mayo Map Area, Yukon Territory (105M). Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Bulletin 7, 82 p.

SEDAR. System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval system - Company Profiles.

SMIT, H., ET AL. Summary Information on the Dublin Gulch Project, Yukon Territory. In: Yukon Exploration and Geology, 1995, Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, p.33-36.

STRATAGOLD CORPORATION, News Release, 18 Oct/2004; 15 Jan/2008.

WHITEHORSE STAR, 14 Jun/95; 21 Sep/95.

YUKON EXPLORATION 1985-86, p. 293-294.

YUKON GEOLOGY AND EXPLORATION 1979-80, p. 238 to 240.

YUKON EXPLORATION & GEOLOGY 1995, p.8, 33; 1996, p. 13-14, 30, 32; 1997, p. 12, 35.

Location Map

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2018

Work History

Year Work Type Comment
1996 Studies: Feasibility
1995 Studies: Feasibility
1993 Trenching
1993 Ground Geophysics: EM
1979 Ground Geophysics: Magnetics
1979 Trenching
1978 Geochemistry: Silt
1978 Geochemistry: Soil
1978 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1977 Geology: Bedrock Mapping
1977 Trenching: Mechanical
1976 Trenching
1971 Drilling: Diamond Three holes, 457.2 m.
1971 Trenching: Mechanical
1970 Geochemistry: Soil
1968 Trenching: Mechanical

Regional Geology - Terrane

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


Regional Geology - Bedrock

Supergroup:
Group/Suite: Mayo
Formation:
Member:
Terrane:
Period Max: Cretaceous
Age Max: 98 MA
Period Min: Cretaceous
Age Min: 93 MA
Rock Major: quartz monzonite/granodiorite/quartz diorite/syenite
Rock Minor:
Reference: Green & Roddick (1972) - GSC Map 1282A
Geological Unit (1M): mKM
Geological Unit (250K): mKgM

Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence

Report Number Year Title Worktypes Holes Drilled Meters Drilled
097130 2017 Assessment Report on the VBW Claims: Geological, Geochemical and Remote Sensing Exploration Program - 2017 Magnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Rock - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, LIDAR - Remote Sensing
096246 2012 2011 Dublin Gulch Exploration, Drilling, Regional Surface Sampling, Engineering and Environmental Programs Diamond - Drilling, Diamond - Drilling, Reverse Circulation - Drilling, Reverse Circulation - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry, Drill Core - Geochemistry, Drill Cuttings - Geochemistry, Drill Cuttings - Geochemistry, Rock - Geochemistry, Rock - Geochemistry, Regional Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Regional Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Bulk Sample - Lab Work/Physical Studies, Bulk Sample - Lab Work/Physical Studies, Environmental Assessment/Impact - Studies, Environmental Assessment/Impact - Studies, Geotechnical - Studies, Geotechnical - Studies, Backhoe - Trenching, Backhoe - Trenching 268 35882.36
096209 2010 2010 Dublin Gulch Exploration Geology Program All Weather Road - Development, Surface, Auger - Drilling, Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry, Rock - Geochemistry, Tailings - Geochemistry, Water - Geochemistry, Bulk Sample - Lab Work/Physical Studies, Prospecting - Other, Environmental Assessment/Impact - Studies, Geotechnical - Studies 84 11072.39
095673 2009 2009 Dublin Gulch Exploration Program Auger - Drilling, Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry, Hand - Trenching 28 5121.50
095654 2008 Dublin Gulch, Assessment Report 2008 Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry, Rock - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Environmental Assessment/Impact - Studies, Backhoe - Trenching 48 8301.23
095592 2006 2006 Dublin Gulch Exploration Program Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry, Rock - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Hand - Trenching 10 4281.51
094788 2004 2004 [Dublin Gulch] Geophysical Survey Electromagnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Magnetic - Airborne Geophysics
093409 1995 Core and Reverse Circulation Drilling on the Dublin Gulch Claim Groups Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry 79 13865
091387 1982 Dublin Gulch 1982 Assessment Dill Logs & Trench Geology Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry, Rock - Geochemistry, Mechanical - Trenching 3 738.24
090915 1981 1981 Exploration Program, Dublin Gulch Rock - Geochemistry, Silt - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Prospecting - Other, Mechanical - Trenching
090564 1979 Geological, Geochemical, and Geophysical Report Rock - Geochemistry, Silt - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, EM - Ground Geophysics, Seismic - Ground Geophysics, Research/Summarize - Pre-existing Data
090482 1978 1978 Project Report on the Secret Creek Property Orthophoto - Airphotography, Silt - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Detailed Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Line Cutting - Other, Prospecting - Other, Surveying - Other, Mechanical - Trenching
090471 1978 1978 Project Report on the Dublin Gulch Property Orthophoto - Airphotography, Rock - Geochemistry, Silt - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Magnetics - Ground Geophysics, Prospecting - Other
060948 1970 Geochemical Report Pan & Apra Claims Soil - Geochemistry
060841 1970 Summary Report on Potato Hills Tungsten Research/Summarize - Pre-existing Data
060185 1969 Tungsten Prospect Dublin Gulch and Haggart Creek Property Evaluation Rock - Geochemistry, Detailed Surficial Mapping - Geology, Prospecting - Other, Research/Summarize - Pre-existing Data, Preliminary Economic Assessment - Studies
062258 1965 [Summary of the Peso Silver Mines Ltd. Properties] Data Compilation - Pre-existing Data, Research/Summarize - Pre-existing Data, Resource Estimate - Studies
092069 1964 Prospectus on the Mayo Silver Mines Ltd. Property Evaluation - Other, Preliminary Economic Assessment - Studies

Related References

Number Title Page(s) Document Type
ARMC007457 Wedge EM survey results map - E. Barker property - Haggart Creek Geophysical Map
ARMC007458 Property Information Form - E.H. Barker lode claims, Haggart Creek Report
ARMC007459 Topographic map with field notes - Dublin Gulch Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC007460 Sketch map - Geology - Haggart Creek - 100 CL-group Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC007461 Sketch map - JEM survey - Haggart Creek Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC007463 Mayo claim sheet - 106-D-4 - Haggart Creek and Dublin Gulch Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC007466 Correspondence Re: Barker lode claims - Galena Hill Miscellaneous Company Documents
ARMC012960 Potato tungsten showing - Dublin Gulch, Mayo district, Yukon Territory Report
ARMC012959 Tungsten prospect - Dublin Gluch and Haggart Creek, Yukon Territory - Mr. Conrad Provencher - Property evaluation Report
ARMC012750 Maps of the Tungsten project showing the geology of Dublin Gulch and the pace 8 compass survey of bulldozer trenching for the Potato Hills tungsten project in the Dublin Gulch area Geoscience Map (General)
ARMC012963 Hand-written notes on thin section descriptions of Potato Hill rock samples Miscellaneous Company Documents
ARMC014969 Summary report - Potato Hills tungsten - Mayo area, Yukon Territory for Connaught Mines Ltd. Report
ARMC014781 Final report 1964 - Mayo Silver Mines Ltd. (N.P.L.) - Mayo, Yukon Report
ARMC012964 Correspondence Re: Potato Hill area - File 11-2-95 Miscellaneous Company Documents
ARMC012962 Assay results - Potato Hills prospect, Yukon
ARMC012961 Bulldozer trenching and sampling program with assays and trench diagrams - Potato tungsten showing - Dublin Gulch, Mayo district, Y.T.  Report
Citations

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