AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Silver-bearing veins and replacement deposits of the Rancheria District

Numerous silver-rich, galena- and sphalerite-bearing veins and stratabound lenses are located on both sides of the Yukon-British Columbia border in the Rancheria District. Some veins are within either the Cassiar Batholith or other mid-Cretaceous intrusions; some veins and lenses are near the Cassiar Batholith within early and middle Paleozoic carbonate rocks/and others are far from any exposed Cretaceous Batholiths. Green first thought that a distinctive type was defined by those associated with Lower Cambrian limestone. Gabrielse and Mulligan emphasized the well-defined stratigraphic and structural controls of those located near the Casssiar Batholith, and inferred that they were related to that intrusion. Stratabound lenses far from large intrusions are recent discoveries. Exploration geologists first considered them to be Paleozoic syngenetic/diagenetic deposits, but later exploration has revealed their epigenetic nature. No explanation has been offered for the origin of veins within the Cretacoeus intrusions.

This report describes the characteristics of the deposits, and attempts to show that they comprise a distinct type with a common genesis. If so, the deposits are younger than and unrelated to mid-Cretaceous Batholiths. They are closely related to:: steeply dipping faults with a variety of strikes, mafic dykes, felsic dykes and breccias. The deposits, dykes, faults and breccais may all be related to regionally extensive, large scale, northwest-trending, dextral transcurrent faults that were active during Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary time.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Adit Ice Plug Prevention

Many adits in the Yukon have water flowing from them in winter, which freezes and builds up like a road glacier. Ice completely blocks the adit and dams water behind it, filling the mine. Eventually the ice dam fails, releasing the water suddenly. A large volume of water suddenly released from a mine may cause property damage, jeopardize public safety, or result in a toxic surge downstream if mine water is conatminated.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Structural controls on hydrothermal gold mineralization in the White River area, Yukon

New mapping and drilling associated with gold exploration has elucidated the structural and lithological controls on hydrothermal gold systems in the White River area. The Paleozoic basement consists of a sequence of amphibolite facies clastic metasedimentary and meta-igneous rocks that host lower grade ultramafic rocks, some magmatically and some tectonically emplaced during the Late Triassic – Early Jurassic. Mapped ultramafic bodies show close congruence with published airborne magnetic anomalies. All of these rocks are cut by brittle normal faults and fractures, and dykes correlated with middle Cretaceous to early Tertiary extension-related intrusive rocks. Gold mineralization associated with these fractures is strongly controlled by host rock types. Two main rock types, felsic gneiss and quartzite, are preferentially fractured and hydrothermally altered. Other rock types are only weakly fractured and locally altered. In particular, ultramafic bodies and micaceous lithologies locally impeded fluid flow.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
The sedimentology of Pleistocene deposits associated with placer gold bearing gravels in the Livingstone Creek area, Yukon Territory

Due to the depletion of traditional economic gold placer deposits in unglaciated areas of the Yukon, the study of the relationship of placer gravels to overlying glacial sediments in ice covered regions is important to future exploration activities. The livingstone Creek area in south central Yukon has supported placer mining operations for over 90 years. Present activity is centred on gold-bearing gravels buried by thick Pleistocene glacial deposits. The placer gravels are associated with coarse interglacial stream and gulch deposits and they are overlain by fine-grained, proximal, glaciolacustrine sediments.

During the last glaciation, damming of gold-bearing, high gradient interglacial tributary stream channels by main valley ice caused rapid environmental changes. Depositional processes dominated over erosion in the ice-marginal lakes, and thick sequences of fine-grained suspension deposits, debris flow sediments, and deltaic sands and gravels accumulated. In addition, when glaciers expanded and overrode the area, these thick deposits protected the underlying placer gravels from subglacial erosion and dilution. Subglacial tills were probably deposited by lodgement, meltout and flow. During deglaciation, ice-marginal sedimentation again dominated. Post-glacial streams later cut through the glacial sediments and re-exposed the gold-bearing gravels.

Stratigraphic, sedimentologic and geomorphic evidence from the Livingstone Creek area suggests that small tributary valleys, oriented transverse to the former direction of ice flow in the adjacent main valleys would make good exploration targets in regions of new placer interest.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Mineral Assessment of the Ddhaw Ghro Habitat Protection Area, Yukon

This report summarizes the results of geological field work and detailed mineral assessment of the Ddhaw Ghro Habitat Protection area. 

The mineral potential of the highest-ranking tract is due to the presence of known showings and the results of mapping and sampling programs by Viceroy Resources and YTG. The most significant mineral deposit types applicable to Dhaw Ghro Special Management Area (SMA) are intrusive-related mineralization such as Carlin-type, skarn, and manto. The northeastern and eastem parts of the SMA show the highest mineral potential.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
First vertical derivative of the magnetic field, McQuesten Aeromagnetic Survey, NTS 115P/6 and 115P/7, Yukon

Map of the first vertical derivative of the magnetic field derived from data acquired during an aeromagnetic survey carried out by Goldak Airborne Surveys from November 19, 2008 to February 19, 2009. The data were recorded using a split-beam cesium vapour magnetometer mounted in the tail boom of a Piper Navajo aircraft.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Yukon Placer Mining Industry 1983-1984

This volume contains reports describing the placer mining industry in Yukon during 1983 and 1984. There are two sections in this volume. The first contains reports describing certain aspects of the placer mining industry, while the second contains maps showing the distribution of placer claims and leases, and descriptions of individual mining operations.

Reports in the first section describe the placer mining industry as a whole, and outline some regulations concerning placer mining in the Yukon. Several papers describe specific mining and processing methods, or specific mining operations.

Reports in the second section describe 232 individual mining operations active in Yukon between 1983 and/or 1984.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Soil genesis in relation to glacial history in central Yukon

Reconnaissance studies of soils on low-elevation McConnell (~30-12 ka), Reid (~150-80 ka) and pre-Reid (~2.6-0.2 Ma) glacial deposits were conducted in the 1970s and 1980s. We initiated a study in the summer of 2008 to assess whether the distinct morphological and clay mineral characteristics of these soil groups are also present at upland sites in south-central Yukon, approximately 25 km southwest of Carmacks. Soils at the pre-Reid sites are developed on weathered bedrock. Solum thickness at these sites exceeds the depth of the excavated pits (85-110 cm), and the solum has been strongly cryoturbated. Soils at the Reid and McConnell sites are developed on till with solum thicknesses of 50-75 cm and <50 cm respectively. These younger soils do not exhibit significant cryoturbation at depth. No significant differences in solum colour are apparent among the soil groups, and no clay skins were observed. Results of chemical and micromorphological analyses will be reported in 2009.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Upper Triassic rocks at Hill 4308, Laberge map area, 105E, Yukon

Upper Triassic carbonate, volcanic and clastic rocks deposited in the Whitehorse Trough, a Mesozoic forearc basin, are well-exposed at Hill 4308. The deposition of these rocks occurred in three distinct stages: 1) sedimentation of lime sands and clastics on the flank of a volcanic high, 2) development of reefal carbonates and associated limestones, and 3) renewal of clastic deposition with both erosion and continued growth of patch reefs. The reefal carbonates are similar in structure and composition to reefal carbonates at Lime Peak about 6 km to the south, but the stratigraphic section at Lime Peak differs from that at Hill 4308, the former representing more continuous deposition of carbonate on an underlying clastic foundation. Differences between Hilll 4308 and Lime Peak may reflect local variation in relative sea level and in the distribution and intensity of clastic sedimentation experienced by nearby localities in tectonically active areas.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Technical report: A comparison of aerochem and traditional stream sediment sampling

Stream sediment sampling is a commonly practiced method in early-stage exploration. Aerochem is an airborne sampling system (patent pending) that reduces the helicopter overhead inherent with conventional sampling, particularly in difficult to reach areas such as rugged terrain or dense vegetation.

Although beneficial from cost-efficiency and safety perspectives over conventional hand stream sediment sampling, a key question is whether the data gathered by the airborne technique are equivalent to the conventional technique. A comparison test to assess whether sampling biases exist and are significant to the geochemical outcome was performed in August of 2015, in the Kluane area of Yukon. Three samples were collected from each of 68 sites, one using the Aerochem technique and two using conventional hand-sampling.

Digital appendices:
Appendix 1 - 1:35,000 scale maps; assay and results comparisons
Appendix 2 - Principal component analysis
Appendix 3 - Stream sediment assay results.xls
Appendix 4 - Certificates of analysis
Appendix 5 - Project log
Appendix 6 - Photos

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Geology of the White River Native Copper Deposits, Yukon (115F)

The White River copper deposit, in upper Triassic Nikolai Greenstone of southwestern Yukon, is representative of the native copper-basalt association. Native copper and chalcocite are the association. Native copper and chalcocite are the most abundant ore minerals, but a substantial amount of bornite is known, as well as lesser amounts of chalcopyrite, pyrite, digenite, covellite, cuprite and native silver. These minerals are found in crosscutting fractures, amygdules, gas release tubes, small crackle zones, and as local disseminations in basalt; and although concentrated near the margins of a single glomeroporphyritic unit, are neither confined to that unit nor to a single zone within it.

Two stages of copper mineralization are postulated: Stage I mineralization is thought to account for most of the native copper as a product of continental weathering of Nikolai basalts. Stage II mineralization is a much later event characterized by copper sulphides in crosscutting structures.

Native copper and copper sulphides of Stage II appear to form a stable and primary product of a low grade (regional) metamorphism indicated by such minerals as chlorite, epidote, prehnite, pumpellyite, calcite analcite and apophyllite which have essentially the same mode of occurrence as primary copper minerals. Consequently, metamorphism (prehnite-pumpellyite facies) is interpreted to have been the mineralizing process. Whole-rock potassium-argon dating suggests an age no older than 120 million years for the metamorphic mineralizing event; hence, stage II mineralization post-dated host rock formation by at least 80 million years. It is probabe that many other copper occurrences in Nikolai Greenstone have formed in a similar manner. Also, it is likely that some of these mineralizing fluids could have moved higher in the stratigraphic sequence and precipitated copper minerals in other units.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Case study of Donjek debris flow, southwest Yukon

A high-magnitude debris flow occurred in late summer 2000 from tightly folded sedimentary rocks in a steep 2.66 km2 basin in the remote Donjek River valley of southwest Yukon. The debris flow deposited at least 206 344 m3 of material, with a peak discharge on the order of 1000 m3/s. No evidence of any previous events of this magnitude was found at the site. The headscarp is aligned with the strike of a west-plunging overturned syncline in heavily weathered Upper Paleozoic to Upper Triassic argillite, interbedded siltstone and argillite, and thinly bedded limestone. Tree-ring analysis on two white spruce killed by the debris flow indicate that the debris flow occurred in July to early-mid August 2000. The heaviest monthly total precipitation on record (1967-2003) for August occurred in 2000 and most likely played a role in slope failure. The volume and peak discharge estimated are the largest reported from a debris flow occurring in the last 100 years in the St. Elias Mountains.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Metallogenic Map, Whitehorse Map Area, Yukon

This report discusses the distribution of intrusion related and other mineral occurrences in the Whitehorse map-area, Yukon. Mineral occurrences recorded in the Archer, Cathro and Associates, Ltd., Northern Cordillera Mineral Inventory have been classified according to deposit type and principal commodities then plotted on a lithologic map (1:250 000 scale) which is in part an updated version of the Geological Survey of Canada four mile map for the Whitehorse map-area by Wheeler (1961).

New information added to the map includes: geology and geochronology of the Bennett Lake cauldron subsidence complex; geology of the Atlin Terrane; reinterpreted geology of the adjacent Laberge map-area and part of the Bennett and Atlin map-areas; a reclassification of geologic units in southern Yukon; reconnaissance mapping, classification and geochronology of granitic rocks in the Whitehorse map-area; and detailed stratigraphy of the Upper Triassic Lewes River Group with special emphasis on the Whitehorse Copper Belt and the associated Cu-Fe skarn deposits.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Tectonic assemblage map of Yukon-Tanana and related terranes in Yukon and northern British Columbia (1:1 000 000 scale)

The Yukon-Tanana Terrane (YTT) is a terrane of pericratonic affinity which occupies an intermediate position between continental margin rocks of Ancestral North America (Cassiar Terrane, Selwyn Basin) to the east and arc and oceanic terranes accreted in Mesozoic time to the west (Quesnellia, Stikinia and Cache Creek). It consists of polydeformed and metamorphosed Paleozoic metasedimentary and meta-igneous rocks which have isotopic and provenance ties to Archean and Proterozoic cratonic source regions, comparable to those of sedimentary strata from northwestern Canada, but whose paleogeographic evolution with respect to the Laurentian craton is enigmatic. The YTT is host to significant base metal occurrences, including the Wolverine and Kudz Ze Kayah deposits in the Finlayson Lake district, in the part of the terrane which lies northeast of Tintina Fault.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Surficial geology and Quaternary history of Stevenson Ridge and northern parts of Kluane Lake map areas, Yukon (115K and 115F)

This bulletin describes the surficial geology and Quaternary history of the Stevenson Ridge and northern Kluane Lake map sheets, an area covering more than 12 000 square kilometres of southwestern Yukon. The map area straddles the Pleistocene glacial limits that formed the eastern margin of Beringia during glacial periods. As a result, the landforms of this region are diverse and reflect the contrasting geomorphology characteristic of glaciated versus unglaciated terrain. Importantly, work in this region filled a significant gap in our knowledge of central Yukon glacial limits and how adjacent landscapes were impacted by the Cordilleran Ice Sheet.
Our goal was to produce an in depth description of the region’s surficial geology that is applicable for a wide range of purposes. While this region is remote, there is growing interest in its mineral endowment, specifically in the Dawson Range, east of the White River, and in the Ruby Range. Knowledge of the surficial geology can be employed in exploration geochemistry programs to improve sampling and can assist in placer exploration. Future development in the region will also benefit from this work by providing a framework on terrain hazards, such as permafrost and landslides, and construction materials like aggregate. From a land use planning perspective, the surficial sediments and associated soils are an important control on the region’s biogeography and therefore, habitat. Hundreds of soil pits were hand excavated during this program and this work is reflected in the detailed descriptions within the bulletin and on the maps.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Geology of the Williams Creek copper prospect

Thesis written towards the degree of Bachelor of Applied Science. Petrographic and mineralographic data collected from the Williams Creek property, central Yukon, are presented which describe the host rock, mineralization and alteration and relationships between them.

A copy of this thesis is available online at https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/theses/Abbott_g_1971.pdf. A copy is available at the EMR Library - QE195.A22 1971.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Geology of new gold discoveries in the Coffee Creek area, White Gold District, west-central Yukon.

A new widespread, structurally controlled gold mineralizing system has been identified during the 2010 exploration drilling program at the Coffee Project, west-central Yukon. The Coffee Creek area is underlain by a sequence of shallowly to moderately south to southwest-dipping Paleozoic metamorphic rocks that are considered to be part of the Yukon-Tanana terrane and are intruded by the Cretaceous Coffee Creek granite along a west to northwest-trending contact. During the 2010m drilling program, structurally controlled gold mineralization was discovered in all major lithological units underlying the Coffee property. Importantly, these mineralized zones correspond to a number of discrete structural corridors. The gold zones are steeply dipping and characterized by extensive silicification in addition to sericite and clay alteration accompanied by variable As-Ag-Sb-Ba-Mo enrichment. Polyphase breccias of both hydrothermal and tectonic origin, in addition to andesitedacite dykes, are common within the gold-bearing structural corridors. The dominant sulphide is pyrite, although trace arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite and stibnite are observed locally. The similarity of breccia textures and alteration/sulphide mineralogy between all gold zones currently defined on the Coffee property implies a common mineralizing event.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Outfitting Concessions

Outfitting Concessions (OCs) which are also known as Outfitting Areas, are legal boundaries that define an area where the holder of the concession has the exclusive right to outfit non-residents for the purpose of hunting big game animals (excepting special guide licences). This dataset includes PDF maps of Outfitting Concessions, geospatial data can be found in the [Outfitting Concessions - 250k](https://open.yukon.ca/data/datasets/outfitting-concessions-250k) dataset.


Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Discover Yukon's Mineral Wealth

The Yukon hosts numerous deposits that have been mined in the past, and the highly prospective geology continues to attract exploration interest. It lays claim to 2,700 known mineral occurrences and over 80 mineral deposits with established reserves, a number of which are world-class. The recent advances in mineral deposit modelling have brought fresh ideas about where and how to look for new deposits.

The Yukon is entering a new era of economic partnerships and investment opportunities that are based on government-to-government relationships with First Nations, who are becoming full partners in the territory’s resource development.

If ever there was a good time to take a look, this is it. Come explore and discover the Yukon.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Drift prospecting in the region of the Yukon-Tanana Terrane, southern Yukon

Regional till geochemistry surveys were conducted in the Finlayson Lake, Glenlyon and eastern Carmacks map areas. Detailed till sampling was completed at the Kudz Ze Kayah and Clear Lake massive sulphide deposits to evaluate glacial dispersal near mineralized rock in a mountainous region and a plateau, respectively. A comparative evaluation of the silt-and-clay-sized fraction versus the clay-sized fraction geochemistry indicates that the clay-sized fraction presents higher metal concentrations than the silt and clay, but both size fractions generally delineate the same base metal exploration targets. The correlation between the high gold concentrations in both size fractions is not as good as for base metals because gold occurrences are only refl ected in the silt- or clay-sized particles of till. The beryllium content of till might provide an indication of the occurrence of beryl in bedrock but the low analytical precision of beryllium analyses limits this approach.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Geology of the Carpenter Creek and McKay Hill areas (NTS 106D/6, 11), central Yukon

The Carpenter Creek area straddles the Paleozoic basin-platform transition which is coincident with the Dawson thrust in north-central Yukon. North of the thrust, the strata can be broadly divided into two groups: (1) Proterozoic sedimentary and intrusive rocks, and (2) Paleozoic platformal strata with volcanic rock horizons. The two groups of rocks are separated by an angular unconformity. Below the unconformity, Hart River gabbro sills and dikes (ca. 1.38 Ga) intrude the Gillespie Lake Group. Younger Proterozoic rocks that are not intruded by the gabbro occur on the other side of a fault that traces through the Carpenter Creek valley. These rocks are interpreted to be younger than Gillespie Lake Group and are tentatively assigned to Pinguicula Group. Above the unconformity, Paleozoic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks are interstratified with carbonate rocks. The volcanic rocks occur near the base and top of the Bouvette Formation.
South of the Dawson thrust, in its direct hangingwall, volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks are interlayered with shale, chert and sandstone and intruded by discontinuous gabbro bodies of unknown age. Rare limestone lenses within the volcanic rocks contain coral fossils that constrain the age of these rocks to Middle Ordovician or younger. Hyland Group rocks are thrust over the volcanic unit and comprise shale, quartz grit and limestone. Shale exhibits a well-developed foliation, oriented parallel to the northwest-trending structural grain. Tight folds with NW-SE striking axial planes repeats stratigraphy south of the Dawson thrust.
Within the mapped area, Ag-Pb-Zn ± Au mineralization near Grey Copper Hill occurs right along the unconformity between Upper (?) Proterozoic rocks and the Bouvette Formation (Figs. 1 and 2). Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-mineralization is spatially associated with a strike-slip fault that offsets shale, volcanic rocks and small gabbro bodies near McKay Hill (Figs. 1 and 2).

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon