General Information
Primary Commodities: copper
Secondary Commodities: gold
Aliases: Avalanche, CL97-R24
Deposit Type(s): Unknown
Location(s): 60.101180 N, -131.794670 W
NTS Mapsheet(s): 105B04
Location Comments: Based on the location of rock sample CL97-R24
Hand Samples Available at YGS: Yes
Capsule
Work History
The area was prospected in 1980 by Cordilleran Engineering for Regional Resources Ltd but no claims were staked. In 1996 Fairfield Minerals Ltd carried out reconnaissance stream sediment sampling and follow-up prospecting programs in the area, the results of which led the company to stake Cl claims 1-100 (YB89142). After an initial program of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical sampling and airborne geophysics, the company staked Cl claims 101-122 in Jul/97. Later in 1997, Fairfield carried out IP surveying, geochemical sampling, prospecting and excavator trenching. In 2007, Tarsis Capital Corp purchased the property and carried out airborne magnetic and VTEM surveys. In 2008, the company completed a soil sampling survey and in 2009, interpreted the geophysical data from the 2007 program.
Capsule Geology
The occurrence lies within a belt of Yukon-Tanana Terrane rocks. This belt of rocks is part of an accreted island arc assemblage consisting of biomodal volcanics, coeval plutons and sedimentary rocks, as well as younger Jurassic and Cretaceous intrusions. The main units in the area are felsic metavolcanic rocks, (quartz-muscovite schist) and intermediate to mafic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Devono-Mississippian Finlayson Group, and plutonic rocks of the Early Jurassic Long Lake Suite (granodiorite). The occurrence itself is underlain by Finlayson Group quartz-muscovite schist.
Initial prospecting in the area by Fairfield in 1996 outlined several kill zones where semi-massive and disseminated bands of pyrite and chalcopyrite were identified within the felsic metavolcanic stratigraphy. In 1997, a 400 x 800 m copper-in-soil anomaly (Cu >150 ppm) was identified; the peak copper value was 6324 ppm Cu. A sample of schist from the anomaly area contained disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite and assayed 12,112 ppm Cu. Several samples within a 250 m radius of this sample assayed from 3398 ppm Cu to 8674 ppm Cu. One rock sample 1.6 km west-northwest of the occurrence (T343-R1) was collected in a quartz-carbonate alteration zone and assayed 673 ppb Au.
The 1997 IP and resistivity survey on the Cabin Lake grid delineated a series of chargeability and resistivity highs at the upslope limit of the large copper-in-soil anomaly. A property-wide VTEM survey in 2007 did not identify significant EM conductors associated with the geochemically anomalous volcaniclastic strata in the west central part of the claim block.
Lead isotopic studies (2002) on galena collected from the area yielded a broad Devonian to Mississippian model age, thus providing strong support for a syngenetic origin for the mineralization in this area. The origin of the copper mineralization is unknown, but may be associated with a hydrothermal alteration halo of the nearby Jurassic intrusion, which contains chalcopyrite-molybenite-pyrite bearing quartz veinlets. The proximity of the intrusion may also partially account for the sericite and chlorite alteration, and local silification documented in the trenches on the property.
The area was prospected in 1980 by Cordilleran Engineering for Regional Resources Ltd but no claims were staked. In 1996 Fairfield Minerals Ltd carried out reconnaissance stream sediment sampling and follow-up prospecting programs in the area, the results of which led the company to stake Cl claims 1-100 (YB89142). After an initial program of prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical sampling and airborne geophysics, the company staked Cl claims 101-122 in Jul/97. Later in 1997, Fairfield carried out IP surveying, geochemical sampling, prospecting and excavator trenching. In 2007, Tarsis Capital Corp purchased the property and carried out airborne magnetic and VTEM surveys. In 2008, the company completed a soil sampling survey and in 2009, interpreted the geophysical data from the 2007 program.
Capsule Geology
The occurrence lies within a belt of Yukon-Tanana Terrane rocks. This belt of rocks is part of an accreted island arc assemblage consisting of biomodal volcanics, coeval plutons and sedimentary rocks, as well as younger Jurassic and Cretaceous intrusions. The main units in the area are felsic metavolcanic rocks, (quartz-muscovite schist) and intermediate to mafic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Devono-Mississippian Finlayson Group, and plutonic rocks of the Early Jurassic Long Lake Suite (granodiorite). The occurrence itself is underlain by Finlayson Group quartz-muscovite schist.
Initial prospecting in the area by Fairfield in 1996 outlined several kill zones where semi-massive and disseminated bands of pyrite and chalcopyrite were identified within the felsic metavolcanic stratigraphy. In 1997, a 400 x 800 m copper-in-soil anomaly (Cu >150 ppm) was identified; the peak copper value was 6324 ppm Cu. A sample of schist from the anomaly area contained disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite and assayed 12,112 ppm Cu. Several samples within a 250 m radius of this sample assayed from 3398 ppm Cu to 8674 ppm Cu. One rock sample 1.6 km west-northwest of the occurrence (T343-R1) was collected in a quartz-carbonate alteration zone and assayed 673 ppb Au.
The 1997 IP and resistivity survey on the Cabin Lake grid delineated a series of chargeability and resistivity highs at the upslope limit of the large copper-in-soil anomaly. A property-wide VTEM survey in 2007 did not identify significant EM conductors associated with the geochemically anomalous volcaniclastic strata in the west central part of the claim block.
Lead isotopic studies (2002) on galena collected from the area yielded a broad Devonian to Mississippian model age, thus providing strong support for a syngenetic origin for the mineralization in this area. The origin of the copper mineralization is unknown, but may be associated with a hydrothermal alteration halo of the nearby Jurassic intrusion, which contains chalcopyrite-molybenite-pyrite bearing quartz veinlets. The proximity of the intrusion may also partially account for the sericite and chlorite alteration, and local silification documented in the trenches on the property.
Location Map
Last Updated: May 4, 2020
Work History
| Year | Work Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Airborne Geophysics | Interpretation of 2007 geophysical surveys |
| 2008 | Geochemistry: Soil | |
| 2007 | Airborne Geophysics: Magnetic | |
| 2007 | Airborne Geophysics: VTEM | |
| 1997 | Airborne Geophysics: Electromagnetic | Also magnetic survey. |
| 1997 | Geochemistry: Rock | Also soil sampling. |
| 1997 | Geology: Bedrock Mapping | |
| 1997 | Geochemistry: Soil | |
| 1997 | Ground Geophysics: IP | |
| 1997 | Ground Geophysics: Resistivity | |
| 1997 | Trenching: Mechanical | Also Hand trenching. |
| 1996 | Geochemistry: Silt | Program was reconnaissance in nature. |
| 1996 | Other: Prospecting | Program was reconnaissance in nature. |
Regional Geology - Terrane
Group: Intermontane
Affinity: W Laurentia
Name: Yukon-Tanana
Realm: peri-Laurentian
Regional Geology - Bedrock
Supergroup:
Group/Suite: Finlayson
Formation:
Member:
Terrane: Yukon-Tanana
Period Max: Devonian
Age Max: 365 MA
Period Min: Carboniferous
Age Min: 345 MA
Rock Major: tuff
Rock Minor:
Reference: Roots et al. (2004) - GSC OF 4630; YGS OF 2004-2
Geological Unit (1M): DMF
Geological Unit (250K): DMF2
Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence
| Report Number | Year | Title | Worktypes | Holes Drilled | Meters Drilled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 095074 | 2009 | Assessment Report Describing Soil Sampling and Detailed Interpretation of 2007 VTEM Geophysical Survey at the Cabin Lake Property | Electromagnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Magnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Soil - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Process/Interpret - Pre-existing Data | ||
| 095020 | 2007 | Assessment Report Describing Geophysical Surveys at the Cabin Lake Property | Electromagnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Magnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Magnetic - Airborne Geophysics, VTEM - Airborne Geophysics | ||
| 093843 | 1997 | 1997 Geological, Geochemical, Geophysical and Trenching Report on the Cabin Lake Property | Electromagnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Magnetic - Airborne Geophysics, Magnetic - Airborne Geophysics, VTEM - Airborne Geophysics, Rock - Geochemistry, Rock - Geochemistry, Silt - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Soil - Geochemistry, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, Bedrock Mapping - Geology, EM - Ground Geophysics, IP - Ground Geophysics, Line Cutting - Other, Prospecting - Other, Backhoe - Trenching, Backhoe - Trenching, Hand - Trenching |
Related References
| Number | Title | Page(s) | Document Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| YEG1997 | Yukon Exploration and Geology 1997 | 20,35 | Annual Report |
| YEG2001_16 | Lead isotopic constraints on the metallogeny of southern Wolf Lake, southeastern Teslin and northern Jennings River map areas, Yukon and British Columbia: Preliminary results | Annual Report Paper |
| Citations |
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