Work History
 
Gold was first discovered in the Nansen Creek area in 1899 by stampeders heading for the Klondike gold fields and the area has seen intermittent exploration since that time. Between June and September 1958, Asbestos Corporation (Exploration) Ltd. staked the occurrence within Billy cl 1-24 (73553 – claims not staked sequentially). The company added Billy cl 25-30 (73785) in October 1958.
 
In 1959, Asbestos Corporation carried out reconnaissance geological mapping and dug two trenches totalling 305 m in length. The company collared 8 packsack diamond drill holes (123 m) on a quartz-feldspar porphyry dyke exposed in one of the trenches.
 
During the 1960’s and 70’s various companies carried out exploration/mining at the neighboring Mount Nansen and Brown-McDade properties (MINFILE occurrences 115I 065 and 064). This occurrence appears to have been located away from the main exploration targets and was located either on open ground or fringe claims that were held in good standing through assessment work carried out elsewhere in the area.
 
In February 1991, a private syndicate which controlled the Brown-McDade property, staked DD cl 41-48 (YA59636) 0.5 km to the southeast. The claims were part of a larger group of DD claims. In 1984, the syndicate sold the Brown-McDade property and the DD claims to B.Y.G. Natural Resources Ltd., which owned the neighbouring Mount Nansen mine.
 
Re-staked within Ont cl 1-43 (YA87167) in June1985 by B.Y.G. Natural Resources Ltd. The company added Ont cl 44-51 (YA92655) in July 1985. Between 1984 and early 1999, B.Y.G. Natural Resources carried out extensive exploration work on their consolidated Mount Nansen mine site including intermittently mining various deposits between 1996 through 1998 before closing permanently in early 1999. During this period it appears the company only carried out cursory exploration in and around the occurrence area.
 
In March 1999, B.Y.G. Natural Resources was placed into receivership due to environmental and financing problems at their Mount Nansen facilities. All of their claims were placed into receivership including the Ont claims. Most of the Ont claims expired in February 2003, however Ont claims 38, 40, 42, and 44-47 located to the north remain in good standing.
 
Re-staked within Val cl 1-9 (YC25903) in Feb/2003 by Bill Trerice, a local placer miner. The claims were staked to protect Trerice’s placer claims. In September 2011, Trerice optioned the Val claims to Rockhaven Resources Lt.d for a combination of cash and shares. Trerice also retained 1% net smelter return interest in the property.
 
During the 2012 exploration season Rockhaven Resources carried out excavator trenching and grid soil sampling over the Val claims. In September 2012, the company staked fractional Val cl 10-15 (YE85801) to cover open ground discovered during the summer’s exploration program.
 
In June and July 2013 Rockhaven Resources dug 2 excavator trenches (330 m) to test the bedrock underlying the strongest soil geochemical anomaly identified from the 2012 soil sampling program.
 
Regional & Property Geology
 
The Val occurrence is located within the Yukon-Tanana Terrane (YTT) approximately 100 km southwest of the Tintina Fault. The YTT is comprised of Late Devonian to Early Mississippian metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks (Colpron et al., 2006). Basement rocks in the area are dominantly meta-plutonic gneisses of the Pelly gneiss, metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of the Nisling and metamorphosed mafic to ultramafic rocks. These basement rocks are intruded by Jurassic foliated plutonic rocks of the Long Lake Suite (AR 096670).

Detailed geological mapping on the property has been limited by sparse outcrop exposure and extensive vegetative cover. Geologists employed by Rockhaven Resources have established the region’s geology from regional mapping, trenching, drilling and magnetic data, mostly while working on the company’s neighboring Klaza deposit (MINFILE occurrence 115I 067). Geology within the occurrence area has been estimated from sparse outcrops and trenching carried out by Rockhaven Resources and various local placer miners.

The occurrence area is underlain by a biotite-hornblende granodiorite stock assigned to the Mid-Cretaceous Whitehorse Suite (unit mKgW). Exposures of the granodiorite are restricted to 2013 excavator trenches and placer excavations in the banks of Back Creek. The granodiorite is topped by Mid-Cretaceous Mount Nansen Suite volcanic rocks (unit mKN) exposed on topographic highs. Both the volcanics and the granodiorite are cut by feldspar porphyry dykes (unit LKfp) that are thought to be part of an unnamed intrusive suite that is younger than the Mount Nansen suite but older than the regional Prospector Mountain Suite. The porphyry dykes are frequently associated with mineralized veins that host mineralization in the area (AR 096670).

Mineralization & Results

Mineralization at the Val occurrence consists of fault-controlled, gold and silver-bearing sheeted veins, veinlets and breccias hosted within a structural zone ranging from 10 to 20 m wide in weakly argillite altered granodiorite. Sulphide minerals at Val consist of arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena, and sphalerite as stringers and disseminations. The mineralization is associated with feldspar porphyry dykes that strike west-northwest (AR 096670).

Asbestos Corporation dug two trenches totalling 305 m on Billy mineral claim 25 located on the southwest side of Back creek, approximately 2 km south-southeast of the occurrence, (outside of the current Val claim block). The trenches exposed scattered quartz-feldspar porphyry containing approximately 10% quartz, increasing at times to 15 to 20% quartz to the east. Pyrite is a common accessory mineral through much of the rock but is concentrated along a few bands measuring up to a metre in width.

Asbestos Corporation collared 8 packsack drill holes in one of the trenches to verify the continuity of the observed mineralization. None of the holes returned significant mineralization, however, hydrothermal alteration in the form of kaolinization and sericitization, together with surface weathering and limonite staining caused strong alteration in all the holes. Trace galena was scattered in some sections of the core. Asbestos Corporation assayed two sections of drill core and two drill sludge samples, however, results were not reported.

The DD and Ont claims appear to have been staked to protect the possible strike extent of mineralization found at the adjoining Mount Nansen mine. B.Y.G. Natural Resources carried out numerous large regional exploration programs in the area but no significant work appears to have been carried out on the claims. The claims were likely held in good standing through assessment work completed elsewhere within the company’s large claim block.

The Val claims were originally staked by B. Trerice to protect his placer claim holdings and related infrastructure located within the Back Creek drainage. Exploration success obtained by Rockhaven Resources on its neighboring Klaza property (MINFILE occurrence 115I 067) led the company to explore other claims in the area. Soil sampling carried out in 2012 outlined three anomalous gold-silver-lead soil anomalies on the property. Trenching carried out on the north flank of Back Creek uncovered two narrow, weakly mineralized gougey veins anomalous in gold and silver.

In 2013, Rockhaven Resources dug two trenches to test soil anomaly “B” which the company described as the best gold-in-soil anomaly found to date on the claim group. The trenches discovered fault-controlled, gold and silver-bearing veins and breccia that are intimately associated with feldspar porphyry dykes. The mineralization occurs within sheeted veins and veinlets. The host granodiorite exhibits pervasive weak argillic alteration within the zones. Sericitization of the host granodiorite is found directly adjacent to hydrothermal channel ways. The occurrence location is located at the approximately mid-point between the two trenches. 
 

62.0668

-137.120320

Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence

Report Number	Year	Title	Worktypes	Holes Drilled	Meters Drilled
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
096522	2012	Assessment Report Describing Soil Sampling and Excavator Trenching at the Val Property	Soil - Geochemistry, Backhoe - Trenching
095089	2009	Report on a Geophysical Survey on the Mount Nansen Property and the Tawa Property	Electromagnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Magnetic - Airborne Geophysics
092701	1989	Report on the Geology and Mineral Inventory of the Mt. Nansen and Tawa Properties With Assessment of the Economic Potential for Open Pit Mining of Oxidized Mineralization in the Brown-McDade Zone	Data Compilation - Pre-existing Data, Resource Estimate - Studies
062230	1966	Preliminary Feasibility Report Development and Mining Operations at the Mount Nansen Properties	Pre-feasibility - Studies
062258	1965	[Summary of the Peso Silver Mines Ltd. Properties]	Data Compilation - Pre-existing Data, Research/Summarize - Pre-existing Data, Resource Estimate - Studies
092505	1959	Dickson Gold Option, Carmacks, Yukon Terr. Billy Claim Group	Diamond - Drilling, Drill Core - Geochemistry, Drill Cuttings - Geochemistry, Mechanical - Trenching	8	122.83