The Sonora Paleochannel, a buried Quaternary Au-Te deposit Hayes Creek, Dawson Range, Yukon Territory, Canada
Donald G. Strachan, QP, CPG-10376
www.geostrachan.com
Introduction Purpose
Gold (Au) and tetradymite (Te2Bi2S)
nuggets obtained along Sonora Gulch in the Dawson Range, Yukon Territory, Canada (Figures 1 and 2), are described in some detail in corporate filings, most recently in Schulze (2004 and 2009) and Bennett et al (2010). These descriptions instigated further evaluation and collection of verification samples over the last several years. Following up on this work, I visited the Sonora porphyry camp and the Sonora Gulch placer camp in July 2010. Assay results from this initial visit were received in late August 2010. A few of these samples returned high Te assays from a geologic context suggesting significant Te may be economically recoverable in the Dawson Range. My supporting 2010 research is
summarized herein, a potential for economic Te in the Sonora paleochannel is calculated, and recommendations are made.
History Placer History
Placer gold was first discovered in 1898 in Klines Gulch and during considerable trenching for placers from 1946 to 1951. Hayes Creek was placered in the late 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1970’s. An estimated 3,000 oz. of gold was produced from Sonora Gulch and Klines Gulch, with both gold and the softer gold-tetradymite nuggets recovered from both gulches, along with scheelite, galena, and sphalerite (Schulze, 2004, page 14).
10 TPG •
Jul.Aug.Sep 2024
Lode History The lode potential of the surrounding
Sonora Gulch project, including Klines Gulch two kilometers southeast of Sonora Gulch, has been periodically explored since 1899. Underground drifting was recorded from 1900 to 1907, but no production.
Regional porphyry exploration in the 1960s identified the Casino and numerous other Cu-Au deposits and showings along the trend of the Big Creek Fault (Figure 3). The Sonora Gulch area was first staked for its porphyry Cu-Mo potential in 1965 as the Hayes claim by Coranex Ltd (Frobex-Inco- Dome-Denison-McIntyre Porcupine con- sortium). In April 1969 the Dawson Range
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