VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 16, 2024 — Yukon Metals Corp. (CSE: YMC, FSE: E770, OTCQB: YMMCF), the “Company” or “Yukon Metals”, is pleased to announce an exploration update on its 2,285-hectare Birch project, located approximately 65 km northeast of Burwash Landing.
Completed fieldwork at the Birch property (Figure 1) includes a soil sampling and prospecting program (Figures 2 to 6). Assays for 964 soil samples on a 50m x 100m grid over the northern and central portion of the claim block were received and show encouraging gold, copper and molybdenum results including a strong copper and gold anomaly in the north of the claim block. The anomalous zone trends roughly east-west and extends over 1,400 meters. Rock-chip float samples on the eastern portion of the zone returned up to 2.42 % copper with up to 0.94 g/t gold within pyrite-chalcopyrite rich skarn (Figure 2, Table 1). These strongly-oxidised massive sulfide boulders have been traced parallel to mapped east-west striking limestone-marble outcrops in the area.
Rory Quinn, President & CEO stated, “These additional geochemical results have reinforced the potential of the project to host a gold rich copper porphyry system . The positive identification of skarn mineralization fits well within the exploration model that we are developing for the Birch project. Once the new geophysical data is integrated with our mapped geology and geochemical data sets we will be able to design first pass drilling of the optimal targets scheduled for spring of 2025 .”
Yukon Metals has also completed a shallow electrical resistivity and induced polarization geophysical survey over the anomalous northern zone to better define bedrock structure and rock type with results in process.
Table 1- Significant results from the 2024 prospecting program at Birch.
Sample | Au g/t | Ag g/t | Cu % | Zn % | Type |
288068 | 6.64 | 2.1 | 0.22 | 0.01 | Float |
288069 | 1.62 | 0.3 | 0.02 | 0.00 | Float |
288071 | 0.57 | 0.5 | 0.01 | 0.01 | Float |
288094 | 1.29 | 0.7 | 0.03 | 0.00 | Float |
288095 | 0.10 | 4.9 | 0.94 | 1.92 | Float |
288096 | 0.24 | 3.7 | 0.62 | 15.55 | Float |
288097 | 0.04 | 1.5 | 0.42 | 0.08 | Float |
288098 | 0.16 | 6.3 | 1.16 | 2.08 | Float |
288100 | 0.07 | 8.5 | 0.25 | 5.87 | Float |
288158 | 0.94 | 42.1 | 2.42 | 0.08 | Float |
288159 | 0.33 | 34.1 | 0.63 | 0.04 | Float |
288160 | 0.17 | 3.2 | 0.32 | 0.01 | Float |
288161 | 0.09 | 4.5 | 0.52 | 0.01 | Float |
288162 | 0.67 | 72.8 | 2.40 | 0.09 | Float |
288163 | 0.03 | 4.1 | 0.19 | 0.02 | Float |
288164 | 0.15 | 14.6 | 0.41 | 0.01 | Float |
288165 | 0.40 | 2.9 | 0.05 | 0.00 | Float |
288166 | 0.02 | 1.9 | 0.13 | 0.01 | Float |
K137057 | 0.09 | 17.4 | 0.48 | 0.03 | Outcrop |
K137059 | 0.36 | 20.3 | 0.41 | 0.01 | Float |
K654501 | 14.05 | 12.0 | 0.43 | 0.01 | Float |
About the Birch Project
Yukon Metals owns 100% of the Birch project located 65km northeast of the community of Burwash Landing, and accessible via helicopter. Rock exposures at the Birch project area are dominated by frost-heaved boulders in unglaciated terrain, with outcrop present on steeper ridges. The project lies predominantly within the Finlayson assemblage of the Yukon-Tanana Terrane, consisting of variably carbonaceous schist and quartzite, marble, garnet amphibolite and rare metaplutonic rocks.
The Yukon-Tanana Terrane structurally overlies the Ruby Range Batholith which is regionally mapped in the northeastern portion of the property occurring as Ruby Range quartz-feldspar porphyry and Rhyolite Creek porphyry and intermediate and felsic volcanic rock (Israel et. Al., 2011). Project-level mapping indicates the geology of the area is comprised of schists and marble units, moderately to strongly oxidised felsic intrusive, and patchy oxidised porphyritic rhyolite dykes.
Copper, zinc and molybdenum mineralization was first identified in the area in the early 1970s as part of a small exploration campaign which uncovered several skarn horizons in the northern project area, as well as molybdenite in quartz veins and stringers in granodiorite float on the southeastern side of the property (MINFILE 115G 077). Gold was not assayed for until interest renewed in the early 2010s with soil and mapping exploration work over the area uncovering several high soil anomalies ranging from 0.02-15g/t Au.
The Birch claims were staked over skarn copper and soil gold anomalies in 2022 by Lapie Mining Inc., and subsequently acquired by Yukon Metals in 2024 as part of the Berdahl land package.
Vision Quest, a Yukon First Nations-owned and operated exploration company working closely with Yukon Metals, conducted the sampling program using field staff whose traditional territory includes the Birch property.
Sample Methodology
Rock and soil samples were sent to ALS Minerals for analysis with sample preparation in Whitehorse, Yukon and analysis in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
Rock samples were prepared by crush to 70 % passing 2mm, 250g split pulverised better than 85% passing 75 microns (Prep-31A). Pulp samples were analysed for 34 elements by four acid digestion and ICP-AES (ME-ICP61). All samples were analyzed for gold by fire assay and AAS with a 50g nominal sample weight (Au-AA24). Samples over 10g/t Au were assayed by 50g sample fire assay with gravimetric finish (Au-GRA22).
Soil samples were collected with a battery-powered permafrost soil drill collecting high-quality samples below boulders and frozen ground to depths of 1m. This technique was designed specifically for Yukon geochemical exploration to better delineate mineralization along steep, rocky and permanently frozen north-facing slopes unsuitable for traditional soil sampling techniques. Samples were dried and sieved to 180 um (Prep-41A) and analysed for 51 elements by aqua regia digestion and ICP-MS and ICP-AES (AuME-TL44).
Rock samples taken while prospecting referenced in this release are selective in nature and collected to determine the presence or absence of mineralization and may not be representative of the mineralization hosted on the project.
Figure 1- Birch project location map.