Work History

Staked as Standard Lode (4603) and Nonpareil (4604) claims on Standard Creek, a tributary of Kirkman Creek, in Sep/1899.
In Apr/2003 S. Ryan staked Kirkman cl 1-14 (YC23730) 3 km to the northwest. Ryan carried out reconnaissance soil sampling later in the summer. In May/2004 Ryan staked Kirkman cl 15-40 (YC30529) on the southeast boundary of the initial Kirkman claims. Ryan carried out grid based soil sampling and ground magnetic geophysical surveys on the southwest half of the claim block later in the summer.
In May/2009 Ryan optioned the Kirkman claims to Kaminak Gold Corporation for cash, shares and certain work commitments. Katminak Gold staked Kirkman cl 41-88 (YCyc86825) in May/2009 and restaked the occurrence within Kirkman cl 89-116 (YC87949) in Jun/2009. The company carried out geological mapping, minor trenching and extensive soil sampling in 2009.

Capsule Geology

The geology of the Stewart River Area was remapped by J. Ryan and S. Gordey (2004) of the Geological Survey of Canada beginning in 2000 as a component of the Ancient Pacific Margin NATMAP Project. The NATMAP Project is an interagency project initiated by the Geological Survey of Canada, Yukon Geology Program (now Yukon Geological Survey) and British Columbia Geological Survey Branch to understand the composition, relationships and metallogenic of poorly understood pericratonic terranes lying between the ancestral North American margin and those known with more certainty to be tectonically accreted. The Stewart River component focuses on the Yukon-Tanana terrane, comprising complexly deformed mostly (?) Paleozoic meta-igneous and metasedimentary rocks. In 2005 S. Gordey and J. Ryan released a geological compilation map for the Stewart River area. The map units generally remained the same as the 2004 geology map but age dates were changed to reflect new dates obtained through geochronology data.
J. Ryan reported that the Stewart River area is underlain by twice-transposed, amphibolite-facies gneiss and schist of mostly (?) Paleozoic age. These are intruded by younger plutonic rocks (Jurassic, Cretaceous and Eocene) and overlain by upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks. Metasiliclastic rocks are widespread and dominated by psammite and quartzite, with lesser pelite and rare conglomerate. Preliminary detrital zircon geochronology and geochronology for plutonic rocks constrain the siliclastic rocks to the Middle Paleozoic. Amphibolite interdigitates with and stratigraphically overlies the siliclastic rocks. Marble horizons ((?) reefs) occurs within the amphibolite and siliclastic rocks. Orthogneissic rocks with diorite, tonalite and granodiorite protoliths intrude both the siliclastic and amphibole assemblages; it is interpreted as a subvolcanic intrusive complex.
Most of this area was unglaciated during the last ice age and thus deeply weathered and covered by thick brush and/or forest. Visible outcrop is generally less than 1% throughout the area. Based on geological mapping by Gordey and J. Ryan the area is likely underlain by Devonian to Mississippian quartzite, quartz-mica schist and amphibolite that has been intruded by Permian age K-feldspar augen orthogneiss. At least two regional structures (faults?) cross-cut the area.
The original claims were probably staked on quartz veins which are known to occur in the region. S. Ryan staked the initial Kirkman claims to explore for copper mineralization similar to that found at the Lucky Joe (Minfile Occurrence 115O 051) occurrence located approximately 30 km to the north. Reconnaissance soil sampling carried out in 2003 outline nickel, arsenic and silver spot anomalies on the southern end of Kirkman cl 1-14.
S. Ryan changed his exploration focus in 2004 to locating gold quartz vein mineralization. By the time Ryan optioned the expanded Kirkman claim block to Kaminak Gold in 2009 he had outlined a 1 kilometer long multi-element soil anomaly which is associated with a regional scale fault zone. The results from a total of 632 soil samples collected by Ryan, highlights a linear anomaly consisting of elevated arsenic (48 samples > 100 ppm), antimony (17 samples > 6 ppm) and gold (9 samples > 24 ppb).

References

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).

GORDEY, S.P. AND RYAN, J.J. 2005. Geology, Stewart River Area (115N, 115 O and part of 115J), Yukon Territory; Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 4970, scale 1:250 000.

KAMINAK GOLD CORPORATION, News Release., 4 May/2009, 20 May/2009, 8 Jun/2008, 7 Jul/2009.

KAMINAK GOLD CORPORATION, Nov/2009. Web Site. www.kaminak.com.

MORTENSEN, J.K., 1990. Geology and U-Pb geochronology of the Klondike district, west-central Yukon Territory. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 27, p. 903-914.

RYAN, J.J. AND GORDEY, S.P., 2002: Bedrock geology of Yukon-Tanana terrane in southern Stewart River map area, Yukon Territory; Geological Survey of Canada, Current Research 2002-A1, 11 p.

Ryan, J.J. ET AL., 2003: Update on bedrock geological mapping of the Yukon-Tanana terrane, southern Stewart River map area, Yukon Territory; Geological Survey of Canada, Current Research 2003-A9, 7 p.

Ryan, J.J. AND GORDEY, S.P., 2004; Geology Stewart River Area (Parts of 115N/1, 2, 7,8 and 115O/2- 12), Yukon Territory; Geological Survey of Canada, Open file 4641, scale 1:100 000.

RYAN, S., Oct/2004. Assessment Report #094490 by S. Ryan.

RYAN, S., Oct/2005. Assessment Report #094698 by S. Ryan.

SHIVES, R.B.K., ET. AL. (2002): Airborne multisensor geophysical survey, Stewart River area, Yukon Territory, Phase 1 and 2 (parts of 115N and 116B); Geological Survey of Canada, Open file 4311. (also Yukon Exploration and Geological Services Division, Open File 2002-17D).