Work History

First staked Aug/91 as Caribou 1-4 (YB18601), Candy 1-4 (YB18605), Flower 1-4 (YB18609), Jane 1-4 (YB18613), Red 1 (YB18617) and Can 1-2 (YB18618) by R. Berdahl, who prospected and sampled in 1991 and 1992. Berdhal's claims were allowed to lapse early in 1997 and after a brief reconnaissance, Viceroy Exploration (Canada) Inc staked Lightning cl 1-12 (YB80993) in Jun/97 on the northwest flank of the main peak in the area. Further reconnaissance and silt sampling led to the staking of Tempest cl 1-12 (YB80969), Lightning cl 13-152 (YB98044) and Tempest cl 13-60 (YB81387) between late June and Aug/97. Viceroy carried out geological mapping, geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling and hand trenching in 1998.
In March and Apr/98, Prospector International Resources Inc staked 449 Got It, Bigtime and Gotcha claims (YC00435) surrounding Viceroy's claims on the north, south and west sides. The company then carried out a helicopter borne high sensitivity aeromagnetic survey over their claim block later in Apr/98 and geological mapping in 2000.
In Mar/99, NovaGold Resources Inc acquired 100% of Viceroy's interest in the Tempest/Lightning claims and 21 other grassroots properties in the Yukon in exchange for 3.4 million common shares. Later in 1999, NovaGold carried out geological mapping and geochemical (rock, silt and soil) sampling across the central and northwest areas of the claim group.

Capsule Geology

The claims are underlain by calcareous shale, sandstone and chert of the Ordovician to Silurian Road River Group imbricated along thrust faults with Devonian to Mississippian Earn Group conglomerate, greywacke and shale, all of which have been intruded by porphyritic quartz monzonite dykes of probable mid-Cretaceous age. Sediments of both groups near fault contacts have undergone extensive quartz stockworking with development of moderate limonitic staining.
Silt from creeks draining the north central area of the Lightning/Tempest claims contain anomalous levels of gold, silver, copper, cadmium, barite, antimony, arsenic and mercury, delineating a 4.5 km long trend with values up to 330 ppb Au and 118 ppm Ag. Several east-southeast trending dykes with abundant quartz veining (up to 706 ppb Au) occur along the trend. Minor stibnite veining in the area returned 123 ppb Au with 11.2 ppm Ag, 1 111 ppm Cu, 30 885 ppm Sb and 11 ppm Hg.
A broad 1 400 m by 500 m gold and pathfinder element anomaly, located 1 km southwest of the mineralized dykes, is associated with an area of abundant breccia and fracture controlled quartz veining within graphitic shale which coincides with an inferred thrust fault. The anomaly is comprised of consistent, but weak values up to 35 ppb Au with up to 9.5 ppm Ag, 1 051 ppm Zn, 200 ppm As and 50 ppm Sb near an area of abundant ferricrete.
Sampling of stongly limonitic float identified at the Berdhal showings failed to return significant metal values and no significant values were returned from the ferricrete showings. Two other areas of coincident gold and silver anomalies in silt occur in central and southern areas of the Tempest/Lightning claim group.
Surveying by Prospector International outlined magnetic low features corresponding both with mapped felsic intrusive bodies on the southern Got It claims and mapped gossan zones in black shales on the Gotcha claims. A number of faults, contacts and northwest bearing structural trends were also recognized.

References

BERDAHL, R., Jan/93. Assessment Report #093074 by R. Hulstein.

NOVAGOLD RESOURCES INC, Mar/99. News Release.

NOVAGOLD RESOURCES INC, Mar/2000. Assessment Report #094081 by C.M. Schulze.

PROSPECTOR INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES INC, Jun/99. Assessment Report #094044 by B.D. Game.

ROOTS, C.F. et al., 1995: Bedrock Geology of Lansing Range map area (105N) east half, Hess Mountains, Yukon. 1:50 000 scale map. DIAND Open File 1995-7 (G) ( GSC Open File 3171).

VICEROY EXPLORATION (CANADA) INC, Jan/99. Assessment Report #093928 by C.M. Schulze.

YUKON EXPLORATION AND GEOLOGY 1998, p. 27; 1999, p. 11-12, 30; 2000, p. 26.