Work History

Staked as HY cl 1-62 (YA34614) in Aug/78 by Cordilleran Engineering based on the results of a regional stream sediment sampling program. Cordilleran carried out geological mapping and geochemical soil sampling in 1979.
In 1980, following a regional geochemical and geological mapping program, Cyprus Anvil Mining Corporation staked GS cl 1-96 (YA55840) in Aug/80 to surround the 36 remaining HY claims. At the same time Cyprus Anvil staked SF cl 1-28 (YA55812) contiguously to the north and subsequently optioned the HY claims from Cordilleran. In 1981 the company carried out soil geochemical sampling and geological mapping. During this period Noranda Exploration Company Ltd tied on the MJM cl 1-20 (YA66431) to the north in Jul/81.
The occurrence was restaked as RIS cl 1-52 (YA72116) in Oct/84 by C. Verley.
During October and Nov/94 Westmin Resources Ltd restaked the occurrence as SPK cl 1-130 (YB56577). Westmin expanded the claim block eastward onto the 095 D\5 Map Sheet by staking SPK cl 131-780 (YB57089) in Feb/95. The company carried out regional geochemical stream sediment sampling and geological mapping during May and Jun/95, before completing 715 line-km of airborne magnetic and radiometric geophysical surveying in mid June. During July and Aug/95 Westmin carried out grid soil sampling of the occurrence and contour soil sampling of eastern and southern portions of the claim block.
Restaked as Zap cl 1-20 and 23-44 (YB93334) in Jul/2001 by Aurora Geosciences Ltd, which carried out prospecting, geochemical rock, stream sediment and detailed soil sampling and hand trenching later in the year.

Capsule Geology

The claims cover an area underlain by Upper Proterozoic to Lower Cambrian Hyland Group sediments consisting of green and purplish, gray to marroon phyllite, coarse quartz and feldspar grit, shale and limestone. Numerous, randomly oriented Cretaceous(?) aged quartz-feldspar porphyry dikes reportedly intrude the sedimentary rocks.
Cyprus Anvil noted that of the three elements (Cu, Pb and Zn) the soil samples were analysed for, lead appeared to be the most responsive and was found to generally outline areas containing outcroppings of intrusive rock although several anomalies apparently were unrelated to the intrusions. Zinc anomalies mostly confined to areas with poorly developed drainage were thought to be hydromorphic in nature, while copper anomalies often outlined known intrusive outcrops in which minor chalcopyrite was observed.
Westmin staked the claims to cover presumed sources of gold anomalies in stream sediments, and also to cover known Zn-Cu-Pb soil anomalies. Soil sampling better defined some anomalies known from 1981. The company speculated that the bedrock source of these anomalies was likely the local bedrock, as float boulders within the gridded area locally contain up to 45 ppb Au, 1 485 ppm Cu, >10 000 ppm Pb and >10 000 ppm Zn. The source of a float boulder containing massive pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite discovered in the northern part of the property was not located. Interpretation of the magnetic data revealed a large, subtle, subcircular magnetic low underlying the west-central part of the property thought to be due to an underlying igneous intrusion. A circular magnetic low idenified southeast of this feature was assumed to have been the result of alteration by destruction of magnetite.
Work carried out by Aurora in 2001, confirmed previously indentifed areas anomalous in Pb, Zn, Cd and Ag and served to further define these anomalies. Of note was the fact that all of the more highly anomalous areas occur in deeply incised creek valleys at roughly the same elevation, suggesting that the creeks may be exposing the same, probably flat lying stratigraphic horizon. Trenching in the central region of the claim block encountered broken shaley bedrock and while failing to identify the source of the soil anomalies did indicate anomalous Pb-Zn values in progressively lower soil horizons further upslope.

References

AURORA GEOSCIENCES LTD, Jan/2002. Assessment Report #094266 by S. Casselman.

CYPRUS ANVIL MINING CORPORATION, Nov/81. Assessment Report #090893 by D.A. Perkins and J.W. Mustard.

WESTMIN RESOURCES LTD, May/96. Assessment Report #093467 by D.J.Pawliuk.

YUKON EXPLORATION 1984, p. 42.

YUKON EXPLORATION AND GEOLOGY 1981, p. 94, 95.

YUKON GEOLOGY AND EXPLORATION 1979-80, p. 141.