AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Yukon Geological Survey’s Outreach Program: 2023 highlights

The Yukon Geological Survey (YGS) includes a staff of approximately 20 geoscientists that conduct a wide variety of studies, including traditional bedrock and surficial mapping, community hazards mapping (e.g., monitoring landslides and thawing permafrost), mineral assessments, metallogeny and geothermal research. The role of geoscientists is to provide the knowledge required to meet society’s demand for natural resources, environmental sustainability, and improved resiliency against geohazards (American Geosciences Institute, 2012).

The mandate of YGS is to provide objective, geoscience-related information to government, Yukon First Nations, and the public. Our research helps inform geoscience-related policy and investment decisions in Yukon, as well as support the land-use planning process. As a public government organization, we must improve geoscience literacy through effective communication so that all citizens of the Yukon understand how Earth’s systems (lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere) influence their everyday lives. Educating Yukoners will help them to make informed judgments that affect our territory and encourage public participation in policy making.

Yukon Geological Survey recognizes the importance of having geoscientists on staff who are dedicated to outreach and education. As of September 2023, YGS has two full-time, permanent Outreach Geologist positions. This paper is a summary of YGS’ outreach and education activities over the last year

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Yukon Mining, Development & Exploration Overview 2004

This volume contains overviews on Yukon Mining, Development and Exploration, Placer Mining, Mining Incentives Program, and activities of the Yukon Geological Survey.

Mineral exploration in Yukon increased dramatically in 2004 with estimated total expenditures of $22 million, compared to $13 million spent in 2003. Most was spent on gold exploration, with less spent on base metals and gemstones. The number of new mineral claims staked also rose substantially in 2004, as did the claims in good standing. Current or anticipated mining development projects in Yukon include: the Wolverine (Zn-Cu-Pb-Ag-Au) project, the Carmacks Copper (Cu-Au) project and the Minto (Cu-Au-Ag) and Keno Hill (Ag-Pb) projects.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Regional stream sediment and water geochemical data, Finlayson Lake area, southeastern Yukon Territory (NTS 105G)

This CD-ROM contains stream sediment and water data. These data have been compiled in separate flatfiles in Microsoft Excel file format. These standard file formats are easily imported into most spreadsheet, database and GIS computer programs. Products derived from these raw data consist of: data listings and a sample location map as Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Western Arctic Regional Network of Seismographs (WARNS): History, challenges and improvements in continuous broadband seismic data recordings in northwestern Canada

The Western Arctic Regional Network of Seismographs (WARNS) is a collection of 20 seismic stations that addresses critical gaps in the seismic network coverage in northwestern Canada. This seismic network has a complex history of adoption and integration of past temporary seismic experiments. We summarize this history along with the challenges in operating in the Canadian North. The WARNS stations provide continuous, weak-motion broadband seismic recordings. The data from these are made accessible (in real time for many stations) via integration within the EarthScope Data Management Centre. This enables open access and facilitates improvements in regional earthquake monitoring and geoscientific discovery. Northwestern Canada is geologically and tectonically complex, which leads to elevated geohazard potential. The environment in the Canadian north is also rapidly evolving in response to climate change, which has the potential to enhance hazards. Studies that rely on data from WARNS play an important role in developing adaptation strategies for the evolving needs and hazards in Canada’s north.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Brewery Creek property, west-central Yukon

The Brewery Creek property is a low grade oxide gold deposit hosted by syenitic intrusive rocks in the south Klondike area. The deposit apears to be structurally controlled by a low angle fault which may be part of the Tintina fault system. Drilling to date has proved up several million tonnes of mineralization grading approximately 2.5 g/t Au.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Paleomagnetic Study of the mid-Cretaceous Mount McIntyre pluton, Whitehorse map area (105D), southern Yukon Territory

The paleomagnetic signature of the mid-Cretaceous Mount McIntyre Pluton, west of Whitehorse, was evaluated to develop a better understanding of the motion history of Cordilleran terranes through time. Excluding an anomalous result from the Carmacks Group, all previous tectonic estimates for terranes in the Yukon have been extrapolated from Alaska, British Columbia or the northwestern United States. The Mount McIntyre Pluton (109 Ma) and the adjacent Whitehorse Pluton (112 Ma), are granitic bodies that intrude Triassic and Jurassic sedimentary strata of the Stikine Terrane.

Paleomagnetic measurements on samples from 20 granitic sites yielded three clusters of ChRM directions. Each cluster is specific to a geographical area of the Mount McIntyre pluton. The two most northeasterly sites are from a region of mixed igneous rocks between the Mount McIntyre and Whitehorse Plutons and thus are not considered. The other 11 northern sites give a well-defined mean ChRM direction that is steeply down and northeast. Seven sites in the southern part of the pluton gave a well-defined ChRM direction that is directed steeply down and to the northwest.

The mean paleopole for the southern sites give an estimate of ~3900 km of northward or poleward translation with no rotation. In contrast, the paleopole for the northern sites in the Mount McIntyre Pluton suggests a poleward translation ~1600 km with ~80° of clockwise rotation. The motion must have occurred between 109 Ma and 45 Ma because earlier studies have shown that Stikine Terrane was fixed with respect to North America by Eocene time.

The southern sites of the Mount McIntyre pluton support an estimate of ~2300 km of northward displacement between ~70 Ma and 45 Ma as derived from the ~70 Ma Carmacks Group volcanics. The result from the northern sites is statistically similar to the value determined for the Whitehorse Pluton, as do several other igenous units in southern British Columbia. Geobarometric estimates, made to determine the nature of any post-crystallization tilting of the pluton, were inconclusive. The contrast in tectonic motion estimates for the northern and southern portions of the Mount McIntyre pluton can be accommodated by a large fault between the portions, but a more definitive explanation requires the accumulation of more paleomagnetic sampling, age dating and structural information.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
A new mineral occurrence in Yukon-Tanana Terrane near Little Salmon Lake (105 L/2), central Yukon

A new occurrence of sulphide-bearing iron formation is reported from a roadcut of Yukon-Tanana Terrane rocks along the Robert Campbell Highway, near Little Salmon Lake. This new discovery confirms the high potential for volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits similar to those of the Finlayson Lake district in Yukon-Tanana Terrane southwest of Tintina Trench.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Placer-lode gold relationships in the Nansen placer district, Yukon

Compositional studies have been undertaken on gold particles recovered from hypogene ore, eluvial material and placer samples in and around the Klaza property. These data have been correlated with previous descriptions of in situ mineralization to elucidate placer-lode relationships and systematic change in gold compositions between porphyry and epithermal environments.
Gold alloy from the porphyry environment is Ag-poor with respect to Au formed in later stage veins. Silver, and to a lesser extent Cu, have been the main discriminants for inferring the source of Au within the placers, and in general, vein mineralization is a more important source-type than porphyry mineralization.
The signature of Pb-Bi-Te previously identified in the inclusion suites of Au grains from Nucleus/Revenue, Casino and Sonora Gulch has also been identified at Klaza, demonstrating that generic compositional signatures can underpin a robust exploration methodology. The relative sizes of porphyry and epithermal footprints of detrital Au together with their respective compositions are important considerations when targeting Cu-Au systems.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Pathfinder signatures in placer gold derived from Au-bearing porphyries

orphyry and epithermal mineralization of early Late Cretaceous (ca. 76-74 Ma) at Casino, Revenue/Nucleus, and Sonora Gulch areas in the central and eastern Dawson Range in west-central Yukon is spatially related to numerous placer gold mining areas. Placer-lode relationships have been established through study of gold alloy compositions and associated mineral inclusion assemblages. At Casino, hypogene gold grains are liberated by erosion and pass into the placer system without compositional modification, as evidenced by the common alloy signatures and a mineral association of Au, (Bi-Pb-Te-S) minerals and chalcopyrite. A second signature of higher-Ag, chalcopyrite-poor gold has been identified in placer populations, but this gold type also exhibited the Bi-Pb-Te-S signature. The results suggest that the placers contain a mixture of gold derived from the porphyry and peripheral or shallow level epithermal mineralization. The Bi-Pb-Te-S association evident at Casino was also recorded at Revenue/Nucleus and Sonora Gulch. This generic signature of gold in Cu-Mo (-Au) porphyry deposits and their associated distal epithermal manifestations could be applied to exploration in areas where placer-lode relationships are unclear.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Microearthquake Seismicity on the Duke River, Denali Fault System

A seven station seismograph array operated at two sites on the western segment of the Duke River Fault between May 22, 1987 and August 13, 1987 detected 146 earthquakes of which 44 were located. Distribution of microearthquake epicentres, S-P times and moderate earthquake epicentres delineate three zones of seismicity. Most microseismicity is confined to a 15 km wide central zone, parallel to the Duke River Fault and centred approximately 5 km north of it, where shallow and midcrustal microearthquake focii are centred beneath structures deforming the Tertiary cover. Faulting here is well constrained to oblique thrusting on a slip plane striking parallel to the Cement Creek fault. A northern zone of shallow focus microseismicity is centred on the Woverine Plateau and the valley of the White River. A southern zone of microearthquake focii centred on the Icefield Ranges delineates an unmapped fault, 40 km long and striking west from known faults south of the Duke River Fault. The distribution of epicentres and a composite focal plane solution suggest that reverse faulting with southward vergence is occurring in this zone. The results of this study and the historical record of epicentres suggest that the Totschunda and Duke River Fault segments of the Denali Fault System are structurally linked and that no connection between the Denali Fault System and the Pacific margin is in this area.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Geology and Geochemistry of the Teslin Crossing Pluton: A gold-rich alkalic porphyry target

The Teslin Crossing Pluton is a small (~75 km2), elliptical body which intrudes Jurassic Whitehorse Trough strata of Stikine Terrane. The pluton consists of a border phase, a lithologically and texturally complex central phase, and associated sills and dyke swarms. The border phase consists of a grey, crowded hornblende-plagioclase porphyry. The central phase consists of pink, medium to coarse grained, equigranular monzonite and syenite. Pyroxene and hornblende are essential constituents. Abundant accessory minerals include magnetite (up to 5%), titanite, apatite, rutile and zircon. Modal quartz is absent. Dykes and sills have compositions similar to the border phase. All phases contain a large amount of pea- to cobble-sized xenoliths including coarse-grained pyroxenite, coarse-grained gabbro and fine-grained diorite. The border phase also include sedimentary xenoliths. Locally there are zones of brecciation and potassic alteration.

Geochemically the pluton is alkalic with 3.1-3.4% K2O, 60-68% SiO2 and minor normative quartz. Most rocks are metaluminous but more evolved phases are slightly peraluminous. The pluton is classified as a slightly silica-saturated, pyroxenite-associated syenite. New and existing collections of macrofossils from the sedimentary rocks adjacent to the pluton indicate an age range of Pliensbachian to Aalenian, and provide a maximum age constraint for the pluton. A preliminary U-Pb date from the sill complex yields an age of approximately 175 Ma which is younger than the K-Ar ages of 181-186 Ma from the pluton. The Teslin Crossing pluton is an Early Jurassic alkalic plutonic complex in Stikine Terrane, and as such, is an excellent target for gold-rich porphyry copper mineralization.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
'Alpine-type' ultramafic rocks of the Kluane metamorphic assemblage, southwest Yukon: Oceanic crust fragments of a late Mesozoic back-arc basin along the northern Coast Belt

Mica-quartz schist and olivine serpentinites form the Kluane metamorphic assemblage, a 150-km-long belt that is wedged between the Yukon-Tanana Terrane and the Insular Superterrane in the northern Coast Belt. The olivine serpentinites are serpentinized dunites that occur as lens-shaped bodies, interlayered along strike, with the mica-quartz schist. The larger ultramafic bodies developed a foliation and shear sense that is similarly oriented to those in the adjacent schist, suggesting 'Alpine-type' emplacement. Tectonic juxtaposition of schist and ultramafic rocks occurred during collapse and subduction of a back-arc basin underneath the North American continental margin in the Late Cretaceous. Oxygen isotope analyses point to values similar to known ophiolitic serpentinites. The ultramafic rocks are interpreted to be part of an oceanic crust that formed topographic highs during subduction and were subsequently sheared off and tectonically interleaved with metasedimentary rocks during the accretionary process.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Tectonics of the Intermontane and Insular terranes, and development of Mesozoic synorogenic basins in southern Yukon: Carmacks to Kluane Lake

This field trip crosses southwestern Yukon and examines the geology of the Intermontane and Insular terranes, and synorogenic sedimentary basins that developed during Mesozoic terrane accretion.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
List of Wells and Formation Tops, Yukon Territory, version 1.0

In 2004, the Yukon Oil and Gas Management Branch in Whitehorse, arranged with the National Energy Board (NEB) in 2004 to compile formation tops for the Yukon oil and gas wells. Previously, Yukon well tops had been picked by a number of geologists from the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). Many of these well tops were published in various GSC publications and in several editions of the NEB Schedule of Wells. This report is an effort to update and revise the formation tops and to offer a consistent data set spanning the entire territory.
In total, 73 oil and gas were drilled during the period 1957 to 2005. The majority of these wells were drilled between 1957 and 1985, however, there was been drilling activity in the Territory in 2004 and 2005.
Formation tops for this dataset were picked using wireline logs exclusively. The data are presented in both imperial and metric values to accommodate both historical and recent well data, as well as user preference. The data set is complemented by the Yukon Stratigraphic Correlation Chart v. 3.04.
Formation tops are useful for the regional mapping of subsurface horizons. A variety of information can be obtained from this type of mapping, including structural trends and facies boundaries. Using regional correlation of formation tops, cross-sections can be constructed to aid in the understanding of basin morphology.
The List of Wells and Formation Tops, Yukon Territory, version 1.0, is an evolving dataset. We encourage comments and notification of any errors. This dataset will be updated regularly when new research warrants revision.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
New stratigraphic and provenance studies of Triassic sedimentary rocks in Yukon and northern British Columbia.

New fieldwork investigating the provenance and stratigraphic setting of Triassic sedimentary rocks in the northern Cordillera focused on previously documented, but largely unstudied, exposures overlying the Yukon-Tanana, Slide Mountain and Cassiar terranes. We report on the lithologies observed and samples collected from the Sheldon Lake, Quiet Lake and Glenlyon map areas of Yukon, and McDame map area of northern British Columbia. Our research goal is to characterize sediment source regions in the Triassic and constrain early Mesozoic basin development in the northern Cordillera. We interpret the Triassic sedimentary evolution in Yukon and northern British Columbia to be intimately tied to collision of the Yukon-Tanana terrane with the ancient Pacific margin by closing of the Slide Mountain ocean. Our new samples collected from Middle to Late Triassic strata will further constrain that collisional event and add to the database that consists mainly of Early to Middle Triassic miogeoclinal rocks.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Glacial history of Howard’s Pass and applications to drift prospecting.

Four stages of ice-flow occurred in Howard’s Pass during the late Wisconsinan McConnell glaciation. The first stage is marked by ice growth from local cirques. During the second stage, an ice divide developed east of the Nahanni River, with ice flowing southwest across Howard’s Pass. Ice sheet growth continued during stage 3 and the ice divide migrated southwest into the Logan Mountains. At this time ice flowed northward across the study area. Stage 4 is marked by deglaciation and more topographically influenced ice-flow. This last phase of ice-flow is the most important for drift prospecting in the valley bottoms. Conversely, drift transport directions at higher elevation are likely remnant from earlier stages of ice-flow. A mobile-metal-ion survey over a known deposit returned promising results, supporting the potential of this geochemical technique in other drift-covered areas of Howard’s Pass.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Cambro-Ordovician Volcanic Rocks in Eastern Dawson Map-Area, Ogilvie Mountains, Yukon

Basalt and minor rhyolite flows and breccias in the northwestern extension of Selwyn Basin are stratigraphically above maroon argillite (Lower Cambrian Hyland Group) and beneath black chert (Middle Ordovician Road River Group). All are intensely folded and repeated by shallow thrust faults. The lower part of the volcanic succession is dominated by subaqueous flows, and the upper part includes shallow and subaerial breccias and limestone pods. The volcanic unit is interpreted as many small overlapping seamounts fed by gabbroic dykes. The basaltic rocks are alkalic and contain high concentrations of TiO2 (1.7 - 3.6%), P2O5 (0.5 - 1.2%) and Zr (140 ppm). They resemble the volcanic Marmot Formation in the northeastern part of Selwyn Basin, and are consistent with extension and thinning of continental crust. The volcanic rocks lack significant sulphide mineralization, except where hornfelsed near Cretaceous intrusions. Local high barium concentrations suggest that volcanism may have contributed to stratabound barite in overlying Devonian shales.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Yukon Geological Survey 2020 overview

Like everywhere else around the world, 2020 was underscored in Yukon by the sudden spread of the COVID-19 virus and the drastic social and economic changes it precipitated. For Yukon Geological Survey (YGS), this meant a hasty retreat from offices in March, a reduced and modified field season, disruption of our client services, and uncertainties about the duration of the “new normal” and the impact it might have on Yukon’s communities and minerals sector in the long term.
Relative to most regions of Canada, Yukon has fared relatively well and by June, the minerals sector was focused on how they could undertake exploration rather than how they might recover from a cancelled field season. Similarly, YGS managed to complete most of its planned field activities (albeit with a reduced scope), and to administer an expanded Yukon Mineral Exploration Program.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Mineral Industry Report 1974

This report is a review of the Yukon mineral industry for 1974 by the Northern Natural Resources and Environment Branch, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. The information in this report was obtained from visits to mineral properties and by personal communciation with individuals involved as well as from technical reports, trade journals, newspapers, publications of the Geological Survey of Canada and the monthly reports of the Mining Recorders of the Dawson, Mayo, Watson Lake and Whitehorse Mining Districts.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon
Facies and Depositional Setting of Laberge Conglomerates (Jurassic), Whitehorse Trough

The Whitehorse Trough, south-central Yukon, originated as a Mesozoic fore-arc basin separating the allochthonous Stikine Terrane to the west from the North American craton. Late Triassic erosion of a volcanic arc supplied detritus to the basin. Subsequent cessation of volcanism, unroofing and deep erosion of the arc into the Middle Jurassic resulted in a progressive increase in granodioritic sediment. Late Triassic-Jurassic Laberge conglomerate within the Whitehorse Trough are coarse, polymictic and typically massive. Inverse or normal grading, planar stratification and cross-bedding are less common. Conglomerates are debris flow, sheet-flood and bar deposits of braided alluvial fan-deltas. These conglomerates usually overlie and grade basinward into feldspathic graywacke or arkosic sandstone. Crystal tuffs grade laterally into sandstone and occur as interbeds as well. Sandstones commonly display trough cross-bedding or planar stratification. Hummocky cross-stratification rarely occurs in sandstones interbedded with bioturbated silty mudstone. Other facies include graded sandstone-mudstone with Bouma BC(E) sequences; float-stone/micritic limestone and rare calcarenite/rudite. Sandstone-conglomerate facies transitions indicate a vertical progression from shallow marine and shoreface sedimentary strata of Late Triassic age to coarse alluvial fan conglomerates of Jurassic age, reflecting progradation of fan-delta systems with progressive infilling of the basin. The Stikine Terrane accreted to North America in the Late Jurassic with basin shallowing and closure reflected by changes in the sedimentary sequences.

Organization: Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon