9 minute read
Yukon exploration, development, and mining 2020
figure 1: the minto mine site.
This article was written by the Yukon Geological Survey, Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Government of Yukon.
Mineral explorers were faced with uncertain conditions in the spring of 2020 as COVID-19 restrictions were put in place. Yukon’s chief medical officer of health declared a public health emergency in March 2020, which precipitated the closing of many public facilities. Days later, the
Government of Yukon declared mining (including exploration) an essential service. The exploration season started slowly, but gained momentum by midsummer as metal prices increased. The revised spending intentions reported by NRCan in September were $76.9M in exploration and deposit appraisal (compared to $166.2M in 2019). Mine complex development expenditures – including capital expenditures and repair & maintenance – were reported at $58.8M (https://sead.nrcanrncan.gc.ca/expl-expl/ExploTable. aspx?FileT=342019&Lang=en), down from $231.8M in 2019. Development work in 2020 occurred at the Eagle mine, Bellekeno, Bermingham, Coffee Project, Selwyn Project, and Kudz Ze Kayah.
A temporary increase in the funding for the Yukon Mineral Exploration Program (YMEP) grant, from CAN$1.46 million to CAN$2.5 million, injected some much-needed financing. In total, funding for 41 placer and 62 hard rock projects were leveraged into CAN$8.8 million in exploration expenditures.
There were 95 active hard rock exploration projects in 2020; 23 of these had projected expenditures of CAN$1 million or more. Almost 90 per cent of small projects (<$100,000 in expenditures) received Yukon Mineral Exploration Program grant funding. Gold was the main commodity of interest (58 per cent by spending), followed by copper, silver, zinc-lead, and others.
mininG anD DeveLoPment
Minto Exploration Ltd. has been ramping up production at the highgrade Minto copper-gold-silver mine (Figure 1). The company is working two deposits underground: Minto East, which is almost mined-out, and Copper Keel, which is being prepared for mining. The company completed 11,000 metres of surface and
underground diamond drilling with a view to defining further resources. The company is in the process of getting approval for Phase 7 development of Minto North II and Minto East II underground.
Victoria Gold Corp. achieved commercial production in July 2020 at its intrusion-related Eagle Gold Mine. The Q3 2020 gold production was more than 35,000 ounces. Mine design is for yearly production of 210,000 ounces of gold from the open pit/heap leach operation. The company also conducted a drill program 11 kilometres northeast of Eagle at its Raven and Lynx targets: 35 diamond drillholes (8,040 metres), trenching and soil sampling. Stepout drillhole NG20-33C returned 2.77 g/t Au over 65.7 metres.
Alexco Resource Corp. restarted production at its Keno Hill silver deposits in late 2020, starting with mill-feed from Bellekeno. From there, mining will move to the Flame & Moth and then to the Bermingham deposit. Total reserves for these projects is 1.2 million tonnes at 805 g/t Ag for an eight-year mine life. The company is projected to produce four-million ounces of silver annually once in full production. The company also undertook an 8,000-metre diamond drilling program at Bermingham to test deep mineralization. Results from this work are pending.
BMC Minerals (No. 1) Ltd., a private company, received a screening report and recommendation from the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) in October 2020 for its volcanogenic massive sulphide Kudz Ze Kayah project to proceed with mitigative measures. The positive recommendation lists 30 mitigation measures for the operation. BMC also released an updated positive feasibility study.
Western Copper and Gold Corp. continues to advance its Casino porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum project in western Yukon. A drill program of 12,031 metres in 49 holes was carried out. The company released an updated NI 43-101 resource estimate in 2020. The measured, Indicated and Inferred (M,I & I) mill resource is 3.6 billion tonnes containing 10.7 billion lbs. copper and 19.1 million oz. gold. The Heap Leach Resource (M, I & I) is 249 tonnes containing 2.0 million oz. gold.
Golden Predator Mining Corp. released a new NI 43-101 resource in 2020 for its Brewery Creek gold property. The new oxide estimate comes in at 22.2 million tonnes at 1.11 g/t Au (Indicated) and 16.8 million tonnes at 0.92 g/t Au (Inferred).The sulphide (Inferred) estimate is 30.6 million tonnes at 0.84 g/t Au. The company also completed 3,000 metres of infill drilling at the Classic and Lonestar zones. Results from this drilling are pending.
Northern Foodservices
Specializing in exploration, mining and oil & gas camps in Nunavut, NWT and western Canada.
Our new 54,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Edmonton stocks a full line of the freshest produce, meat, seafood, bread, dairy, dry, and paper products available at a moment’s notice.
54,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Edmonton with nine loading bays. 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Yellowknife with four loading bays.
Our Yellowknife branch contains the largest in-stock inventory north of 60º. Whether you’re in Western Canada or the North, we can supply your needs through our Yellowknife or Edmonton Centre. Full or partial cases available.
YELLOWKNIFE 867.873.5338 TOLL FREE 1.866.698.3663
353A Old Airport Road • Box 187, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2N2 Fax: 867.873.4281 www.nwtfood.com
Edmonton Branch Ph: 780.451.5408 Fax: 780.451.5481
Newmont Corporation continued exploring its Coffee Gold Project in western Yukon, which is in the “Developing the Draft Screening Report” stage of YESAB. The 2020 program included drilling on untested anomalies outside of the deposit area. In 2020, the company announced an updated NI 43-101 resource for the project of 58.1 million tonnes at 1.43 g/t Au (M, I & I).
Advancement of ATAC Resources Ltd.’s Tiger Gold Deposit triggered land use planning for the Beaver River watershed within which a proposed all-season access road would be constructed; the planning is ongoing. A preliminary economic assessment with a new NI 43-101 resource estimate was released in 2020: M, I & I (sulphide and oxide) resource of 4.7 Mt at 3.15 g/t Au for a total of 0.48 million oz. gold. In 2020, the company trenched and drilled the Airstrip Anomaly (1,565 metres; 25 holes). A highlight was drillhole ASR-20-018, which intersected 0.51 g/t Au over 36.58 metres. This zone is being recognized as an orogenictarget, distinct from the carbonate replacement Tiger deposit.
Rockhaven Resources Ltd. released a preliminary economic assessment on its Klaza epithermal gold-silver property in 2020 (Figure 2). The assessment envisioned a 12-year mine life producing 750,000 oz. gold and 13.8 million oz. silver for the project. Exploration continues at the project. In 2020, 6,042 metres (22 holes) of diamond drilling on “out-board” targets was completed. Results from this work are pending.
White Gold Corp. worked its Golden Saddle and Arc deposits with 3,000 metres of diamond drilling and 20 RAB holes (results pending). Its JP Ross property underwent trenching at the Stage Fright (e.g., 8.88 g/t Au over 2.5 metres), Notorious, and Sabotage targets. The Ryan’s Surprise project also saw attention with six diamond drillholes (1632.5 metres), e.g., WHTRS20D018 – 8.69 g/t Au over 12.30 metres.
Klondike Gold Corp. explored its Klondike Gold property south of Dawson City with 13 drillholes at Lone Star and nine holes at the Stander target. Broad widths of gold mineralization were intersected, e.g., 61.10 metres of 1.07 g/t Au in DDH LS20-337.
In 2020, Triumph Gold Corp. focused its efforts outside of defined deposits at its Freegold Mountain property. Diamond drilling tested new copper-gold porphyry targets generated by a 3D magnetic inversion model. Other drill targets included the Goldstar Vein and the Irene-Goldstar Epithermal Corridor where mineralization was intersected, but drilling results have not yet been reported.
Banyan Gold Corp. announced a maiden NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate in 2020 on its AurMac gold vein project near the Eagle Gold Mine. The inferred resource (Airstrip and Powerline) is 52.578 million tonnes at 0.535 g/t Au, for a total resource of 903,945 ounces gold. The 2020 exploration program included 6,811 metres of diamond drilling in 36 holes. Highlights include DDH MC-20-67 at the Airstrip Zone, which intersected 1.02 g/t Au over 47.7 metres.
Stratabound Minerals Corp. sampled, mapped, and completed a ground geophysical survey on its Golden Culvert gold vein project in southeastern Yukon before beginning a late-season drill program. Results are not yet available.
In the Mayo/Keno Hill area, Alianza Minerals explored its Mt. Haldane silver property with 10 diamond drill holes (2,500 metres). Strategic Metals Ltd. explored its Mount Hinton goldsilver vein property with 6,978 metres of diamond drilling (32 holes) where visible native gold was observed in quartz veins. Metallic Minerals Corp. had two drills turning at its Keno Silver Project. Mayo Lake Minerals Inc. carried out a late-season drill program at its Carlin-Roop gold project north
of Mayo Lake (six holes, 900 metres). Results for all these projects are pending.
Sitka Gold Corp. worked its earlystage RC gold property near Mayo with a diamond drill program of 1,500 metres (six holes). Early results include 139.1 metres of 0.61 g/t Au in DDRCCC20-004.
Flow Metals Corp. explored its the Sixty Mile gold project near Dawson City in 2020 with RAB drilling (835 metres), trenching, ground geophysics, and re-sampling of historic drill core. Multiple zones with arsenic and gold were identified.
The Charlotte property of Taurus Gold Corp. saw renewed activity. This epithermal gold vein target was explored with 2,347 metres of diamond drilling in 11 drillholes. Results are pending.
Makara Mining Corp. announced a 2,000-metre reverse circulation drilling program at its Rude Creek gold property east of the Casino deposit. The drill program was designed to target a gold-in-soil anomaly. Drill results are pending.
Whitehorse Gold Corp., a spin-off company from New Pacific Metals Corp., revisited the Skukum Creek gold project in the Wheaton Valley outside of Whitehorse. The exploration program included a plan for 2,000 metres of drilling. Results are pending.
Figure 3: Geologists at the MacMillan Pass property.
siGnificant exPLoration Projects – base metaLs
Fireweed Zinc Ltd. continued to advance its MacMillan Pass sedimenthosted lead-zinc project at MacPass (Figure 3). Eight diamond drillholes (2,316 metres) at the Boundary Zone predominantly targeted gravity high anomalies. Reverse circulation (RC) infill holes (nine holes, 507 metres) were drilled at the Tom and Jason deposits. All assays are pending. A late-season airborne VTEM-magnetic geophysics survey was also carried out over the western part of the claim block.
Cantex Mine Development Corp. worked its lead-zinc-silver North Rackla property, completing mapping, trenching, and diamond drilling. Drilling at the Main Zone intersected visible mineralization to 680-metre vertical depth. Released drill results include DDH YKDD20-159 with 14.90 metres of 66.70 g/t Ag, 25.55 per cent lead+zinc, and multiple shorter significant intersections.
Nickel Creek Platinum Corp. performed a large loop transient EM survey and 1,200 metres of drilling at its Nickel Shaw ultramafic hosted nickel-copper-cobalt property. Results are pending.
Go Cobalt explored its Monster iron oxide copper gold property with a late-season drill program (630 metres of RC drilling in five holes). Results are pending.
The exploration season started slowly but gathered speed as the summer progressed. Late season programs overwhelmed the assay labs, and results continue to trickle in. The successes of the 2020 season will continue to reveal themselves in the coming months. 8
SUITE 300, 6 ROSLYN ROAD, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA www.delcommunications.com
DEL Communications & You, the key to publishing success.
We offer outstanding personal service and quality in the areas of...
• Creative Design • Advertising Sales • Trade Publications • Video Production & Editing • Qualified Sales & Editorial Team
6315 Mattern St, Smithers Airport P.O. Box 477, Smithers, V0J 2N0
P: (250) 847-4300 F: (250) 847-4322
email: info@apexdrill.com
