Project Information
- Ore Deposit: Epithermal, Orogenic gold, Placer gold, Porphyry
- Commodity: Copper, Gold
- Research Themes: Exploration Methods, Gold Deposits, Regional Metallogeny
- Location: Yukon Territory; Alaska
- Project Status: Completed
- Start Date: 2014
- End Date: 2019
The Yukon-Alaska Metallogeny (YAM) Project builds on the successes of the Yukon Gold Project (2010-2014), which focused on the emerging White Gold district. Kaminak Gold Corp.'s 2010 discovery of the Coffee gold deposit in the nearby Dawson Range further emphasized the multi-million ounce gold potential of the Yukon, and spurred new research and exploration in the region. In parallel with MDRU’s deposit characterization study of the Coffee gold deposit, the YAM Project has generated new insights into the regional geologic and metallogenic framework of the Dawson Range, with the project scope also extending into eastern and central Alaska. This project was sponsored by Kaminak Gold Corporation, Goldcorp, Copper North Mining Corp., Sumac Mines Ltd., Yukon Geological Survey with funding support from NSERC and NRCan.
The YAM project is built upon four interrelated research modules:
- Module 1: Magmatic and Metallogenic Evolution -What is the temporal and spatial distribution of magmatic units that are prospective for porphyry and epithermal styles of mineralization?
- Module 2: Deposit-scale Controls on Early Jurassic Copper Mineralization -What are the geologic controls on copper and precious metal formation at the enigmatic Carmacks Copper Cu-Au-Ag deposit, and how does this relate to regional magmatic and structural processes?
- Module 3: Regional Tectonic and Structural Studies – What is the structural architecture and tectono-stratigraphic framework of the host terranes, and how does this relate to metallogeny and the distribution of mineral belts?
- Module 4: Models for Gold Ore Formation – In areas of complex geology, can vein textures, mineralogy, fluid inclusion properties, and absolute ages be used to differentiate between gold deposit models that affect decision-making at an early exploration stage? Can this information enhance knowledge of ore-forming processes?
Related Projects
Structural and Thermal Evolution of the Klondike Gold Fields, Yukon
Paragenetic Relationships and Timing of Orogenic Gold, Klondike District, Western Yukon
Controls on Gold Mineralization at the Coffee Gold Deposit, Dawson Range, Yukon, Canada
Publications
- Stroh, Brodie, 2019. Resolving monazite growth mechanisms in orogenic gold settings. MSc thesis, The University of British Columbia, 182 pages plus appendices. Go to UBC thesis portal.
- Kovacs, Nikolett, 2018. Genesis and post-ore modification of the migmatized Carmacks Copper Cu-Au-Ag porphyry deposit, Yukon, Canada. MSc thesis, The University of British Columbia, 182 pages plus appendices. Go to UBC thesis portal.
- Kovacs, N., Allan, M.M., Zagorevski, A., Milton, J.E. and Hart, C.J.R., 2017. New geological insights into the Carmacks Copper Cu-Au-Ag deposit, central Yukon (Yukon MINFILE 115I 008). In: Yukon Exploration and Geology 2016, K.E. MacFarlane and L.H. Weston (eds.), Yukon Geological Survey, p. 117-140. Download pdf.
Contact Craig Hart for more information.
We are pleased to collaborate with the Yukon Geological Survey, Geological Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, and the University of Leeds on this project.
