History
Exploration conducted on the AurMac property prior to 1992 is poorly documented and there are no Yukon Assessment Reports describing this work. Documented exploration dates from 1992 when the Aurex claims were staked. That year, the company prospected and re-sampled 36 historic trenches.
In 1993, Yukon Revenue Mines Ltd. (YRM) optioned the Aurex claims and carried out four phases of drilling from 1993 to 1996. A total of 12,099m of rotary percussion drilling was carried out in 442 holes (generally 15 to 60 m depths).
In 1996, YRM carried out a magnetic and electromagnetic airborne geophysical survey for a total of 460 line-kilometers covering an area of 80 square kilometers.
In 1997, YRM changed its name to YKR International Resources Ltd. (YKR) and in 1998 the new company carried out 4.25 line-km of DC Resistivity and IP-Chargeability surveys.
In 1999 Expatriate Resources Ltd, which owned the adjoining (to the west) Sinster property, optioned the Aurex claims from YKR and carried out geological mapping and geochemical sampling later that year.
In 1999, Expatriate staked the Fisher 23-67 claims and Rex 1-49 claims at the eastern end of the Aurex-Sinister. They then optioned the property to Newmont. In 2000, Newmont conducted a regional airborne geophysical survey, auger drilling, surface geochemical sampling, geological mapping, prospecting and trenching in 2000. Shortly thereafter, Newmont dropped the option.
In 2003, Expatriate transferred its gold properties to a newly formed subsidiary Stratagold Corp. From 2003 to 2009, Stratagold conducted geophysical surveying, surface geochemical sampling and diamond drilling (4038m in 26 holes). In 2008, Stratagold optioned the Fisher claims to Mega Silver Corp. Mega Silver conducted soil sampling and returned the property in 2010.
In 2009, Victoria Gold Corp acquired Stratagold and from  2009 to 2016, carried out surface geochemical sampling and geophysical surveying. 
In 2017, Banyan Gold Corp. optioned the Aurex Property from Victoria Gold and carried out surface geochemical sampling and diamond drilling (509m in 4 holes) within the Aurex Hill Zone.

Between 2017 to 2022, Banyan Gold Corp has completed 6 exploration programs that have included soil sampling, trench sampling, diamond drilling, reverse circulation drilling, airborne LiDAR surveys and airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys. They initially announced inferred mineral resource estimates on May 25, 2020 comprising of 903,945 oz Au between Powerline and Airstrip. Additional drilling in 2020 and 2021 led to another inferred mineral resource estimate released May 13, 2022 comprising 3,990,000 oz Au contained in three near/on surface deposits: Airstrip, Powerline and Aurex Hill.

Geological Setting

The Aurex-McQuesten property lies in the western Selwyn Basin. The major stratigraphic units making up the Selwyn Basin in the McQuesten River area are the Late Proterozoic to Cambrian Hyland Group, the Devonian to Mississippian Earn Group and the Mississippian Keno Hill Quartzite. The Earn Group and Keno Hill Quartzite are intruded by a number of mid-Triassic mafic sills of metre-scale to hundred-metre-scale thickness.  These rocks are intruded by mid-Cretaceous (93-98 Ma), felsic to intermediate plutons of the Mayo Suite. 112 and 90 Ma.
In the Mayo region, the Jurassic-Cretaceous Robert Service thrust juxtaposes Hyland Group rocks against the Keno Hill Quartzite and the underlying Earn Group rocks. North of the Robert Service thrust, but of roughly the same age, the Tombstone thrust sheet was thrust is exposed.