Abstract: The Otter Creek area contains sedimentary and volcanic strata of the ancient North American miogeocline: Neoproterozoic to Lower Cambrian shale (Narchilla Formation) and siltstone (Vampire Formation); Late Cambrian to Middle Ordovician argillaceous to massive limestone (Rabbitkettle Formation) and dolostone (Sunblood Formation); Cambrian to Ordovician basalt and associated diabase; Silurian to Devonian MacDonald carbonate platform strata (unit SDc-south) and Selwyn basin shale (Road River Group-north); and thinly bedded silty shale likely of the Devonian to Carboniferous Besa River Formation. The rocks are deformed by six mappable north-trending, east-verging, asymmetric, macroscopic folds with amplitudes of 500-2000 m. Argillaceous and silty units contain a pervasive, axial-planar slaty cleavage. Shortening caused by the folding is about 25%. The Narchilla Formation is structurally emplaced upon Upper Cambrian-Devonian sedimentary rocks on the western margin of the map area, along an east-verging thrust fault with unknown displacement. Late northeast-striking normal faults preserve younger stratigraphic units to the south. Deformation is poorly constrained to the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Cordilleran orogeny.

Four epigenetic(?), stratabound zinc±lead±barite deposits and showings occur at the stratigraphic contact between massive limestone and argillaceous limestone within the Rabbitkettle Formation. Two occurrences contain significant smithsonite, suggesting supergene enrichment of primary sulphide mineralization. Previous lead-isotope studies of galena from the Mel deposit suggest that the age of primary mineralization is Devonian. Primary mineralization cannot be definitively classified within existing genetic deposit models, but is most consistent with manto replacement or Mississippi Valley-type deposit models.

Authors: Pigage, L.C.

Keywords: Besa River Formation, mineralization, Mississippi Valley-type, Narchilla Formation, Rabbitkettle Formation, Road River Group, Sunblood Formation, Vampire Formation

NTS Mapsheet(s): 95D06

Citation: Pigage, L.C., 2008. Preliminary bedrock geology for NTS 95D/6 (Otter Creek area), southeast Yukon. In: Yukon Exploration and Geology 2007, Emond, D.S., Blackburn, L.R., Hill, R.P., and Weston, L.H. (eds.), Yukon Geological Survey, p. 237-255.

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