YUKON PLACER MINING INDUSTRY 1991-1992 Canada
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Indian and Northern Affaires indiennes Affairs Canada et du Nord Canada YUKON PLACER MINING INDUSTRY 1991-1992 Canada On the cover: Mining Inspector's Office 27 below Upper Dominion 1901. When the news of Bonanza and Eldorado Gold reached the outside world, thousands of goldseekers rushed to find their fortune in the Klondike. Mining Inspectors helped to keep order during the staking rush that followed. The first Inspectors were brought in by the Department of the Interior in 1898. Special thanks to Jim Robb for generously contributing his art for our cover. Jim's undisputed talent for capturing true "Yukon Moments" transports us back in time. YUKON PLACER MINING INDUSTRY 1991-1992 This publication was compiled by R. F. Thomson and L. P. Van Kalsbeek, and edited by A. R. Waroway and D. A. Latoski. Placer Mining Inspectors S. J. Howes, J. B. Leary, R. E. Leckie, A. L. Millar, A. E. Rothwell, R. F. Thomson and L. P. van Kalsbeek conducted mine site visits and gathered the data for the Placer Mine Inspection Reports. Placer Mining Section Mineral Resources Directorate Northern Affairs Program Yukon Region Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Whitehorse, Yukon Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1993. Available by mail from Canadian Government Publishing Centre, Supply and Services Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 059, or through other booksellers. Catalogue no. R72-215/1992e ISBN 0-660-14976-1 Published under the authority of the Hon. Tom Siddon, P.C., M.P., Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon, 1993. OS - Y085-000-EF-A 1 It is recommended that reference to this report be made in the following form: Placer Mining Section 1993. Yukon Placer Industry 1991 to 1992 Mineral Resources Directorate, Yukon, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. The Yukon Placer Mining Industry Report 1991 - 1992, is now available in WordPerfect® 6.1 format. Placer Mining Section, Mineral Development Division of Northern Affairs Program, Yukon Region, invites readers to write and inform us of any inaccuracies or new information with respect to Yukon Placer Mining Industry Reports. Please write to: Placer Mining Section Northern Affairs Program 200 Range Road Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 3V1 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE SERVICES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION AND EXPLANATORY NOTES . ii FRENCH RESUME . iii AN OVERVIEW OF THE YUKON PLACER MINING INDUSTRY 1991TO1992 ................. PLACER GOLD PRODUCED FROM YUKON CREEKS, 1985 - 1992 .......................... 5 FINENESS OF YUKON PLACER GOLD . 7 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REVIEW PROCESS (EARP) ............................. 9 CONVERSION FACTORS . 12 BASELINE SURVEYS OF YUKON PLACER CREEKS .....................•.............. 14 TWO YEAR PLACER PRODUCTION . 19 INDEX MAP - PLACER MINING ACTIVITY . 22 INDEX TO PLACER MINING ACTIVITIES . 23 YUKON PLACER MINING ACTIVITIES . 27 Summaries of Mining Inspection Reports 105 A - WATSON LAKE, 105 E - LEBARGE ........................................ 28 105 M - MAYO . 31 106 D - NASH CREEK . 35 115 A & B - DEZADEASH, MOUNT ST. ELIAS . 38 115 F & G - KLUANE LAKE . 40 11 5 I - CARMACKS . 43 11 5 J & K - SNAG . 48 115 N & 0 - STEWART RIVER .................................................. 51 115 P - MCQUESTEN . 107 116 B & C-DAWSON ...................................................... 115 THE RIGHT MACHINE FOR THE JOB - JOHN H. INGLE ................................ 131 ALPHABETICAL INDEX . 137 REFERENCES . 140 PREFACE This report documents the state of the Placer Mining Industry in the Yukon Territory for the 1991 and 1992 mining seasons. This report differs from the "Yukon Placer Mining and Exploration 1985 to 1988" in that it does not contain summaries of Placer Exploration Programs filed with the Northern Affairs Program for assessment credit. The individual map sheets of the national topographic system that were printed in the previous volumes of this series, are not included in this volume. Each property detailed in this report is referenced to the 1 :50,000 scale map of the national topographic system in which it is located. The majority of this volume consists of detailed descriptions of placer operations visited by the staff of the Placer Mining Section of the Mineral Development Division, Northern Affairs Program, Yukon Region. Also included is information that may be useful to readers who are interested in searching for and developing placer properties in the Yukon Territory. We invite comments from the readers of this report on the material presented herein and also suggestions for inclusion of any other material in future publications in this series that may be of use to the Placer Mining fraternity to whom this publication is directed. We thank the many miners who donated time from their busy schedules to describe their mines and their mining methods to our staff. We recognize this input and sincerely appreciate it, as without it this publication would not be possible. David A. Latoski Head, Placer Mining Section Chief, Claims Inspector Northern Affairs Program MINERAL RESOURCES DIRECTORATE, NORTHERN AFFAIRS PROGRAM Mineral Development Division Present staff includes A. R. Waroway (Regional Manager -Mineral Development), D. A. Latoski (Head, Placer Mining Section/Chief Claims Inspector), A. L. Millar (Placer Mining Inspector - Dawson) L. P. van Kalsbeek (Placer Mining Inspector - Whitehorse), S. J. Howes (Placer Mining Inspector - Whitehorse), R. F. Thomson (Placer Mining Inspector -Whitehorse), A. E. Rothwell (Placer Mining Inspector-Dawson), J.B. Leary (Placer Mining Inspector - Dawson), R. E. Leckie (Placer Mining Inspector - Mayo). V. R. Bailie (Office Manager), E. A. Sembsmoen (Office Clerk), B. D. Deklerk (Clerk) and V. Roberts (Dawson Clerk). Placer mining inspectors conduct claim inspections under the authority of the Yukon Quartz Mining Act, the Yukon Placer Mining Act, the Territorial Dredging Regulations and the Territorial Coal Regulations. They also complete field inspection reports for each mine visited, and assistance is provided to miners regarding road access or mining problems. The Placer Mining Inspection Unit is the agency responsible for inspection and enforcement of effluent discharge standards set forth in the Yukon Fisheries Protection Authorization as well as fish habitat and conservation and restoration measures. Mineral Rights Division Present structure consists of a regional office and four district mining records' offices (Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Mayo and Dawson), which administer over 60,000 individual dispositions made under federal legislation, namely the Yukon Quartz Mining Act 11924), the Yukon Placer Mining Act 11906), and the Territorial Coal Regulations and Territorial Dredging Regulations made under the (Federal) Territorial Lands Act. Present staff consists of Roland Ronaghan (Regional Manager), R.H. Whittingham (Whitehorse Mining Recorder), M. Dejean (Dawson City Mining Recorder), P. Mcleod (Watson Lake Mining Recorder), D. Wiebe (Mayo Mining Recorder), and ten full time support staff. Exploration and Geological Services Division Exploration and Geological Services Division staff presently includes S.R. Morison (Regional Manager/Chief Geologist), J.G. Abbott (Senior Geologist), T.J. Bremner (Geologist), D. Emond (Environmental Geologist), R. Deklerk and D. Ouellette (Staff Geologists). M. Burke (Geotechnician and Core Librarian), A. Wagner (Office Manager), and E. Phillips !Manager, Map Sales). R. Deklerk replaces W.P. LeBarge for an 18 month period while the latter completes an MSc degree at the University of Calgary. Services available to industry personnel include a geological library of texts and journals, Minfile, a lab equipped with petrographic microscopes, and a lab with rock cutting, staining, and core splitting facilities. Geology Division staff are available for consultation by arrangement at their office at 200 Range Road, Whitehorse, Yukon,(403) 667- 3204. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This publication benefited from the efforts of a number of people and agencies. S. J. Howes, J.B. Leary, R. E. Leckie, A. L. Millar, A. E. Rothwell, R. F. Thomson, L. P. van Kalsbeek from the Placer Mining Section conducted the mine visits and gathered data for the placer mining inspection reports, under the direction of D.A. Latoski, Head, Placer Mining Section. V.R. Bailie and E.A. Sembsmoen assisted in compilation. The final manuscript was edited by A. R. Waroway and D. A. Latoski. Drafting Services (B. Lewis and N. Hulstein) prepared camera-ready maps and figures while final production and publishing arrangements were coordinated by Rod Raycroft, Communications Services. Photographs were taken by A. E. Rothwell, J.B. Leary, A. L. Millar, R. F. Thomson, R. E. Leckie, and L. P. van Kalsbeek. Historic photos are courtesy of Yukon Archives, Public Archives of Canada, C. Haines Collection. Finally, the contributions of the placer mining industry and the individual miners are gratefully acknowledged, as this publication would not be possible without their cooperation and assistance. YUKON PLACER MINING 1991 -1992 INTRODUCTION This volume is a compilation of two sources of data, placer mining inspection reports and placer publications by government and industry sources. The Placer Mining Inspection Unit of the Northern Affairs Program, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada was the principal agency involved in the gathering and compilation of data for this publication. Mining inspection reports were compiled from site visits conducted by the staff of the Placer Mining Inspection Unit from 1991 to 1992. Information provided