Work History

Staked as Banner, etc. cl (4575) in August, 1900 by A. Wildhaber, who explored with shallow trenches. Starting in August, 1902, it was gradually re-staked and consolidated into a 27 claim property Belfast, etc. (6025) by Mrs Margaret Mitchell. In 1911, development consisted of a 15.2 m drift from the bottom of an 25.6 m shaft, and numerous trenches and shallow shafts. In 1912, the property was optioned by A.E. Garvey.

Re-staked as Agnes, etc. cl (57739) in July, 1952 by G. Murdock and G. Shaw and optioned in 1953 by Yukon Consolidated Gold Corporation Ltd., which cleaned out the shaft and re-sampled the workings. Re-staked as Alpha cl (79137) in August, 1962 by C. Henderson and associates, who bulldozer trenched, and later as Dominion cl 1-4 (86971) and King Soloman cl 1-7 (86975) in August, 1965 by Thornburg Mining Company (Orekon Syndicate), which conducted extensive bulldozer trenching in 1966-1972. The showing was re-staked in November, 1980 as Sheba cl 1 (YA55109), Dominion cl 1-4 (YA55110) and King Solomon cl 1-36 (YA55114) by Orekon and Liidex Exploration Ltd., which performed an airborne geophysical survey and mapping in 1981. Cominco surrounded the core claims in January, 1980 with KSD cl 1-44 (YA49490) and performed mapping, geochemistry and IP surveys later in the year.

Re-staked in April, 1987 as J.A.E. cl 1-27 (YA89000) by J.A.E. Resources Ltd, which hand trenched, drilled three reverse circulation holes and shipped a 2,967 kg bulk sample in 1988 and conducted a magnetometer survey in 1989. B. Hakansson tied on BH cl 1-8 (YB89946) to the west in August, 1987 and performed geochemical sampling in 1988.

In 1990, two Hughes-Lang companies (Klondike Reef Mines Ltd and Arbor Resources Ltd.) optioned the property and conducted induced polarization, resistivity and magnetometer surveys and geochemical sampling. In 1991, Wealth Resources Ltd. (another Hughes-Lang company) carried out further mapping, prospecting and geophysics. In July, 1994 J.A.E. Resources carried out 3,126 cubic metres of trenching on the claims.

In 1996, Barramundi Gold Ltd. optioned the J.A.E claims and in June, 1986 staked fractional J cl 1-13 (YB88033) around the J.A.E. claims. Barramundi staked Mojo cl 1-18 (YB94599) to the west in September, 1996. From May to late September, 1996, the company carried out mapping and geochemical sampling along road cuts, old trenches, and 1,000 m of new trenches on various claims in the area. The company also completed regional silt sampling, mapping, prospecting, and rock sampling programs over much of the Klondike region. At the end of 1997, Barramundi dropped the option on the J.A.E. claims.

In March, 1999 Barramundi completed a regional airborne magnetometer and VLF-EM survey over a 16 km x 24 km area centered about King Solomon Dome, an area which included this occurrence.

In 2000, J.A.E. Resources carried out further trenching and sampling around this occurrence. In 2006, Klondike Star Mineral Corp. (KSMC) performed prospecting near the Mitchell shaft as part of an option agreement with J.A.E. Resources. Work by KSMC and J.A.E. Resources consisted of detail mapping, further trenching, and bulk sampling from in 2007 and mapping and prospecting in 2008.

In 2010, Kestrel Gold Inc. optioned the J.A.E. claims from J.A.E. Resources Ltd. and performed IP ground geophysics and soil sampling in 2011.

In 2017, Kestrel performed additional soil geochemical sampling which they added to in 2019. In 2020, the company did more soil sampling, prospecting, trenching and reverse circulation drilling.

Regional & Property Geology

The Hunker Dome area is located within the Klondike region, which is underlain by the Permian Klondike Schist Assemblage of the Yukon-Tanana terrane (YTT). The Klondike Schist represents a transition from plutonism to arc volcanism that has undergone greenschist facies metamorphism and consists of metaplutonic Sulphur Creek orthogneiss in the west that transitions eastward to a package of metavolcanic and metasedimentary units including: felsic to mafic (quartz-mica ± chlorite) schist, graphitic schist, and quartz augen schist (PKf and PKs). Evidence of five deformation events (D1 to D5) are present in within the Klondike Schist Assemblage as a result of obduction and regional thrusting and faulting related to uplift, which have produced a visible S2 and S3 foliation fabric in the schist units.

The Mitchell shaft area is underlain dominantly by medium to dark green mafic schist (unit Psq) and tan weathering intermediate schist (muscovite and/or chlorite quartzite and quartz-muscovite-chlorite schist unit Psq). Regional foliation trends north-northwest and dips are shallow to the southwest. Numerous structurally controlled mesothermal quartz veins cross-cut foliation. The veins are commonly white bull quartz, locally rusty, mineralized and typically 0.1 to 0.5 m wide on average. A few veins, such as the Mitchell, are up to 1.5 m wide.

Mineralization & Results

Mineralization generally occurs as trace to disseminated pyrite, galena ± chalcopyrite, azurite, malachite, arsenopyrite and tetrahedrite. Alteration of the schist rock is common adjacent to most quartz veins and includes: orange-red to yellow, pyritized, silicified and bleached schists.

At the Mitchell showing, spectacular samples of free gold were reportedly found on surface in the late 1890's. The main showing consists of two parallel quartz veins striking 060 which cut chlorite and chlorite-quartz-actinolite schist (unit Psc) of the Permian Klondike Schist Assemblage and have been traced for a length of 1 km. One vein is 1.2 to 2 m wide and barren, while the other is 10 to 45 cm wide and contains trace amounts of visible gold along with rutile and pyrite. The mineralized vein is surrounded by a pyritized and sericitized alteration envelope in which pyrite has replaced euhedral magnetite porphyroblasts in the schist. MacLean collected 34 samples and all those consisting of unmineralized quartz assayed trace in gold and silver. Traces of fine free gold were seen in a few samples. Three samples containing abundant galena and pyrite averaged 21.9 g/t Au and 3.3 g/t Ag.

Yukon Consolidated found considerable bornite in a 10 m section of the shaft, from which assays varied from 5% to 25% Cu with about 685.7 g/t Ag. Orekon Syndicate located several very small, but rich sulphide pockets in the main vein and located several parallel veins. Orekon shipped 0.8 tonnes to the Tacoma smelter in 1966 which assayed 10,457 g/t Ag, 23.5% Pb and 2.9% Cu, and 3.7 tonnes to the Shelby smelter in 1969 which assayed 4,680 g/t Ag, 26.3% Pb, 0.7% Zn, 0.4% Cu and 1.4 g/t Au. Seventeen grab samples of sulphide by various geologists gave an arithmetic average of 9,943 g/t Ag, 34.2% Pb, 2.3% Zn, 2.9% Cu and 6.9 g/t Au. These pockets contain pyrite, galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite and arsenopyrite and are separated by up to 100 m of relatively barren vein. Cathro sampled altered pyritized schist near the shaft in 1970 and obtained assays of 4.1 g/t to 48.0 g/t Au. Apparently unpyritized schist and quartz returned assays of 0.69 g/t to 1.4 g/t Au.

The 1980 geochemical survey in an overburden-covered area south of the Mitchell occurrence gave generally low gold values, but showed a continuous arsenic anomaly which appears to be related to stratigraphy. The IP response was flat, however, in 1990 Arbor outlined IP anomalies extending north from the Sheba vein and south from the Mitchell vein, suggesting that the veins may join.

Hoymann and Friedrich (1992) analyzed gold inclusions in pyrite from the Mitchell vein and found a mean silver content of 17.58 wt%. They identified three stages of mineralization in the Mitchell and Sheba veins: (1) quartz-carbonate-gold-arsenopyrite-pyrite-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-galena; (2) quartz-carbonate-chalcopyrite-sphalerite-tetrahedrite-freibergite-polybasite-polyargyrite-argentite-pyrostilbnite-galena; (3) quartz-gold. Fluid inclusions contain CO2 and have salinities ranging from 0 to 7.2 wt% NaCl equivalent. Homogenization temperatures range from 390°C down to 120°C, and show a systematic decrease from Stage 1 to Stage 3.

During the 1996 field season, Barramundi excavated, mapped and sampled several older trenches, as well as 5 of their own trenches, including: Sheba East, JAE Road, Orekon, Lower Road, and Mitchell North. Anomalous rock samples were taken from quartz veins and altered schists adjacent to quartz veins. The best rock sample returned 32.0 g/t Au over 0.1 m from an old trench of the Sheba Vein. A soil grid covering most of the JAE claims revealed several gold anomalies; the best of which returned 500 ppb Au near the Mitchell Vein. Barramundi's regional silt program indentified anomalous gold results in basins to the immediate northeast and southwest draining the J.A.E. claims. The best silt sample returned 46 ppb Au and came from the southwest side of the claims located at the head of Sulphur Creek.

Barramundi's airborne geophysical survey covered their intensive claim holding in the Klondike region. Although a report was filed for assessment it contained only general results. Results on specific anomalies/conductor were retained by the company.

J.A.E. Resources' 2000 field program was focused on newly discovered and known mineral showings surrounding the Mitchell and Sheba (MINFILE occurrence 115O 188) veins. The best results were returned from trench #3 located 50 m north of the Mitchell shaft. Seventeen 1.5 m chip/channel samples collected across the vein and adjacent hanging wall returned an average value of 6.1 g/t Au. Further trenching was completed in 2005 by J.A.E. Resources and three trenches near the Mitchell shaft that returned anomalous gold values of up to 802 ppb Au over 5.2 m in trench 12 to the south; 3733 ppb Au over 3.0 m in trench13 in the center; and 1510 ppb Au over 4.0 m in trench 14 to the north.

Prospecting in 2006 by Klondike Star Mineral Corp. (KSMC) returned grab samples of up to 840.6 ppb Au. In 2007, KSMC performed further trenching in the area and chip samples from trench 07-TR-02 returned 0.258 g/t Au.

In 2011, Kestrel Gold performed soils as part of an option agreement with J.A.E. Resources that returned up to 4 g/t Au with an average of 23.9 ppb Au.