Work History

Staked as Dah cl 1-22 (YA92012) and cl 25-47 (YA92056) in Jun/85 by Freegold Venture (controlled by Chevron Canada Resources Ltd) , which performed mapping and geochemical sampling later in the summer. The group added Dah cl 48-49 (YA92744) in Jul/85 and Dah cl 50F-59F (YA93757), cl 60-66 (YA93767) and cl 68-70 (YA93774) in Oct/85.

Silverquest Resources Ltd optioned the claims in spring 1986, added Dah cl 71-91 (YA94887) in Jun/86 and performed bulldozer trenching throughout the summer. The claims were sold to Rinsey Mines Ltd in March, 1990 and optioned to Eastfield Resources Ltd in Mar/93.

Restaked in Jun/93 as Faith 1-20 cl (YB38082) by J.P. Ross. Between June and Sept/93 Ross carried out soil, silt and rock sampling, trenching and prospecting on the showing. In Jun/94 Ross optioned the property to Island-Arc Resources Corporation but no work was carried out.

In Jun/2001 Ross collected a series of soil, bedrock and float samples from two freshly dug areas located within Silverquest Resources' trench 86-5. 
Restaked as Idaho cl 1-22 (YC4111) in Feb/2006 and cl 23-52 (YC46510) in Mar/2006 by ATAC Resources Ltd. In May/2006 the company optioned a 50% interest in the claims to Klondike Silver Corporation in return for shares and certain work commitments. Klondike Silver funded the 2006 exploration program which consisted of induced polarization geophysical surveys and a 5 hole (556 m) reverse circulating drilling program. In the summer of 2007 Klondike Silver funded a 4 hole (1 188.4 m) diamond drill program. The company staked Idaho cl 53-58 (YC65240) in Jul/2007. Klondike Silver terminated the option agreement in Nov/2007 and returned the claims to ATAC Resources.

In 2015 ATAC conducted an airborne geophysical magnntic and radiometric survey and in 2020 more soil sampling.

Capsule Geology

The occurrence is located within the Dawson Range of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. The Dawson Range is a north-westerly trending interior mountain belt that extends northwest of Carmacks, to the Alaska border, west-central Yukon. In the occurrence area, the Dawson Range comprises the Wolverine Creek Metamorphic Suite, Dawson Range batholith, Casino Plutonic Suite and Prospector Mountain Plutonic Suite. 
The area was mapped regionally at 1:250 000 scale by Tempelman-Kluit in 1974 &1984 followed by Payne et al. (1987) who re-mapped the 115J /9 and J/10 map sheets at 1:50 000 scale. Johnston (1995) updated Payne's work using recent isotopic determinations, geochemical analyses, geological mapping and data obtained from an Airborne Multiparameter Geophysical Survey flown by the Geological Survey of Canada. Limited field checks were carried out to verify Johnston's findings. Selby et al., (1999) used major and trace element compositions and rare earth element studies to further refine the age and composition of the various geological units underlying the occurrence area. 
The occurrence is underlain by metasedimentary and metaigneous rocks assigned by Johnston (1993) to the Devonian to Mississippian Wolverine Creek Metamorphic Suite, part of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. Isotopic studies of the Dawson Range Batholith and Casino Plutonic Suite by Selby et al. indicate that the Yukon-Tanana terrane lies on top rocks of a Precambrian provenance. The Wolverine Creek Metamorphic Suite is intruded by the mid-Cretaceous Dawson Range batholith. The batholith is characterized by hornblende-biotite-quartz diorite, hornblende-biotite diorite, and biotite-hornblende granodiorite phases. The Dawson Range batholith is in turn, intruded by a series of small stocks measuring up to 18 km in diameter and assigned to the Casino Plutonic Suite. These stocks are characterized by fine- to medium-grained leucocratic granite, quartz monzonite and alaskite with associated aplite phases. Although field relationships indicates that the Casino Plutonic Suite intrudes the Dawson Range batholith thus leading Johnston to assign a Late Cretaceous age to the suite, recent work by Selby et al., and age dating by Hart (1998) and others has shown that its age is indistinguishable from the batholith. Numerous Late Cretaceous porphyry dykes likely belonging to the Prospector Mountain Plutonic Suite are known to intrude the area. 

Exploration work carried out by Freegold Venture and Silverquest Resources identified three types of mineralization on the property. They are: 

(1) Disseminated sulphides in quartz diorite dykes. 
(2) Chalcedony-calcite veins in limonitic quartz-feldspar porphyry (dyke). 
(3) Sulphide-bearing manganiferous quartz veins. 

The manganiferous quartz veins were judged the most significant of the three types. They consist of limonite boxwork with minor pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena and sphalerite and occur in altered shear zones cutting mid-Cretaceous granitic rocks. Specimens of vein material assayed up to 15 g/t gold and 1 389 g/t silver. Soil sampling outlined 4 multielement anomalies along a 5 km long by up to 1 000 m wide belt trending east-northeast more or less coincident with a major surface linear. Two of the anomalies displayed polymetallic associations of gold, arsenic, silver, lead, zinc and antimony while the remaining two displayed gold and arsenic associations. The soil survey returned values up to 6550 ppb gold, 122 ppm silver, 6 180 ppm lead, 2 620 ppm arsenic, 2 300 ppm zinc and 1 110 ppm antimony. Follow-up trenching was ineffective as none of the trenches reached bedrock due to heavy permafrost. 
Ross's 1993 work program was primarily aimed at confirming results obtained from previous programs. Although Ross did not obtain results as high as previous operators, seven float samples collected from trench 86-2 returned an average of 5.66 g/t gold and 178.7 g/t silver. Ross hoped his 2001 work program would return 1-2 g/t gold over lengths of 10 to 20 metres but his best result was 225 ppb gold over 0.91 metres. The best overall result of the program was from a 25 cm wide reddish-brown gouge zone which returned 808 ppb gold. The trenches were described as very wet and recessive thus the results may have been affected by dilution. 
The 2006 induced polarization (IP) survey covered an area roughly 1.5 by 2 km and centred over the strongest gold-lead silver soil anomaly in the western part of the claim block. It outlined coincident northeast trending zones of moderate to high chargeability and low resistivity that are approximately 1 300 m long and up to 600 m wide. The anomalies are blind to surface and open along strike. 
The five 2006 reverse circulation holes tested float occurrences and soil geochemical anomalies in the western and central part of the claim block. Collar locations were based solely upon prospecting and geochemical data as the results of the IP survey were not received prior to drilling. Anomalous gold and silver values were encountered in most of the holes. Particularly interesting were the results from holes ID-06-03 and 05 which tested downdip from geochemical anomalies that overly the main IP target. Hole 03 was collared near a narrow moderate chargeability anomaly that appears to be an apophysis of the main anomaly. It encountered two mineralized intervals, with the first returning 0.608 g/t gold and 20.6 g/t silver across 6.10 m starting at 9.14 m and the second yielding 0.551 g/t gold, 32.6 g/t silver, 0.46% lead and 1.53% zinc across 3.05 m starting at 73.15 m. Hole 05 produced two 3.05 m intervals grading 0.33 g/t gold with 70.1 g/t silver and 0.092 g/t gold with 52.3 g/t silver. These intervals were cut from 36.58 and 60.96 m respectively. The company noted that none of the holes were drilled deep enough to test the IP anomalies. The metal signature of the soil geochemical anomalies and percussion drill results combined with geological setting and airborne radiometric data suggest a high level porphyry system. The mineralization exposed at surface and found in drill holes may be related to stockwork fracture zones that overlie a deeper porphyry copper-gold deposit. 
The best intersection of the 2007 drill program was returned by hole ID-07-03 which returned 60.35 g/t silver, 0.9% lead and 0.8% zinc across 11.4 m.

References

ATAC RESOURCES LTD, News Release. 3 Apr/2006, 6 Jun/2006. 

ATAC RESOURCES LTD, Jan/2009. Web Site: www.atacresources.com. 

FREEGOLD VENTURE, Apr/86. Assessment Report #091821 by W.D. Eaton. 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, 1994b. Airborne Geophysical Survey, Selwyn River - West, Yukon Territory (NTS 115J/10, 11, 14, 15). Open File 2816. 

GEORGE CROSS NEWSLETTER, 15 Mar/93. 

HART, C.J.R., AND SELBY, D. 1998. The Pattison Creek Pluton - a Mineralized Casino Intrusion made bigger with gamma rays. In Yukon exploration and Geology 1997. exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, pp. 89-96. 

JOHNSTON, S.T. , 1993, Geological map of Wolverine Creek map area Dawson Range, Yukon (115I/12). Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Open File 1993-3 (G). 

JOHNSTON, S.T., 1995. Geological compilation with interpretation from geophysical surveys of the northern Dawson Range, central Yukon (115 J/9 & 10; 115I/12) (1:100 000 scale map). Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Open file 1995-2 (G). 

JOHNSTON, S.T. and SHIVES, R.B.K., 1995. Interpretation of an airborne multiparameter geophysical survey of the northern Dawson Range, central Yukon: A progress report. In: Yukon Exploration and Geology, 1994. Exploration and Geological Services Division, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, p. 105-111. 

KLONDIKE SILVER CORPORATION AND ATAC RESOURCES LTD, Jun/2007. Assessment Report #094808 by W. Wengzynowski. 

KLONDIKE SILVER CORPORATION AND ATAC RESOURCES LTD, Aug/2008. Assessment Report #094994 by H. Smith. 

KLONDIKE SILVER CORPORATION, News Release. 10 May/2007. 

KLONDIKE SILVER CORPORATION, Sep/2009. Annual Audited Financial Statements, May 31, 2009 and 2008, p. 20-21. (available on Sedar). 

PAYNE, J.G., Gonzalez, R.A. AKHURST, K., and Sisson, W.G., 1987. Geology of Colorado Creek (115-J/10), Selwyn River (115-J/9), and Prospector Mountain (115-I/5) map areas, western Dawson Range, west-central Yukon. Exploration and Geological Services Division, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Yukon Region, Open File 1987-3, 141 p. 

ROSS, J.P., Aug/94. Assessment Report #093238 by B.J. Price. 

ROSS, J.P., Dec/2001. Assessment Report #094259 by J.P. Ross. 

SELBY, D., CREASER, R.A. AND NESBETT, B.E., 1999. Major and trace element composition and Sr-Nd-Pb systematics of crystalline rocks from the Dawson Range, Yukon, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 36, pg 1463-1481. 

SILVERQUEST RESOURCES LTD, Oct/86. Bulldozer trenching program, Idaho Creek Property, Yukon. By R.C. Carne. Funded under Exploration Incentive Program, Project Number EIP86-021. Available from Energy, Mines and Resources Library, Whitehorse, Yukon. 

TEMPLEMAN-KLUIT, D.J., 1974. Reconnaissance geology of Aishihik Lake, Snag and part of the Stewart River map areas, west-central Yukon territory. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 73-14, p.93. 

TEMPLEMAN-KLUIT, D.J., 1984. Geology of Laberge (105E) and Carmacks (115I) map areas, Yukon Territory. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 1101. 

YUKON EXPLORATION 1985-86, p. 363-364. 

YUKON EXPLORATION AND GEOLOGY 2006, p. 18, 41, 46; 2007 p. 19, 37, 41.

 

Assessment Reports that overlap occurrence