Canada

CD Au-Cu, Yukon

CD Project: Au-Cu Porphyry

Status

  • Earning into a 60% interest, following which GT has an option to buy an additional 15% by paying C$1,000,000.

Target

  • A well-developed gold-copper porphyry target (“Maloney”), with many similarities to the nearby Casino Deposit, in the Dawson Range Gold Belt
  • An additional undrilled, vein-hosted gold-silver system is present (“Schist Target”)

Location & Setting

The CD Project is located approximately 70 km west of Carmacks, which is 175 km by paved highway north of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.  The CD Project lies within the Whitehorse Mining District near the Mount Nansen mining camp, within the Dawson Range Gold Belt.

Regionally the CD Project is located within an under-explored portion of the 350 km long Dawson Range Gold Belt, which extends northwesterly from the Aishihik Lake area of southwestern Yukon into east-central Alaska. The belt hosts numerous deposits and mineralized showings of several deposit models including calc-alkalic copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry, intrusion related gold, associated adjacent epithermal vein and breccia systems, orogenic gold veins, and peripheral polymetallic veins. Significant deposits include Western Copper and Gold’s Casino porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum deposit, the Klaza porphyry-epithermal gold-silver-lead-zinc deposit , and the Coffee orogenic gold deposit. Mineralization is commonly associated with Late Cretaceous intrusions (primarily small plugs and breccia bodies of the early Late Cretaceous Casino and Prospector Mountain Suites), primarily hosted by the intrusions and/or the older metamorphosed basement complex of the Yukon-Tanana terrane, and the Mid Cretaceous Dawson Range batholith.

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Figure 1. Location map of the CD Project and nearby key projects within the Dawson Range Gold Belt, overlain on the tectonic assemblage map of Yukon.

Land Status

The CD Project consists of 1,060 contiguous quartz claims covering approximately 22,000 hectares.

Geology and Mineralization

The CD Project lies within the Yukon–Tanana terrane (Figure 1), a pericratonic terrane that experienced Paleozoic continental-margin, arc, and back-arc magmatism along the ancient Pacific margin of North America. It is situated between the Tintina Fault to the northeast and the Denali Fault to the southwest; in the CD Project area, specifically the Maloney target area, the terrane is dominated by the Devonian and older rocks of the Snowcap Assemblage, comprising fine-grained clastic rocks, quartzite and conglomerate, including marble horizons metamorphosed to amphibolite grade.  The Snowcap Assemblage has been intruded by numerous intermediate to felsic granitoid batholiths since the early Jurassic, notably within the Casino and CD area, by the voluminous mid-Cretaceous Whitehorse Suite. The Whitehorse Suite intrusive event was followed by a more restricted late Cretaceous Casino / Prospector Mountain Suite (~79-72 million years) felsic intrusive event which is closely associated mineralization at the Casino and Klaza deposits (see Figure 1, 2, & 3).

Geological mapping at CD is complicated by limited outcrop exposure, loess and colluvial cover, and deep weathering associated with the project’s position near the margin of the unglaciated Yukon Plateau. From limited outcrop exposure, the geology, structure and intrusive relationships at the CD Project show many features analogous to the Casino deposit. At Casino, a late Cretaceous porphyry (the Patton Porphyry) has intruded and brecciated surrounding Snowcap Assemblage and Whitehorse Suite rocks. This strongly phyllic- and potassic-altered breccia which hosts the gold-rich copper mineralization contains abundant disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite, and forms a discrete (~1,800 x 1,000 m) pipe-shaped mineralized halo surrounding the relatively massive Patton Porphyry (Figure 3). At CD, similar relationships with both the Snowcap Assemblage and Whitehorse Suite rocks exist, being intruded by late Casino / Prospector Mountain Suite-aged (75 million years) porphyritic rocks with widespread potassic and phyllic alteration, and local brecciation (Figure 6).

The geophysics at CD is interpreted to have similar geometry and response to Casino, with a magnetic core (interpreted to represent a porphyry plug plunging to the southeast) flanked by an chargeable halo (Figure 4 & 5).

Another style of mineralization present at CD is the vein-hosted gold-silver mineralization present at the Schist target (Figure 7 & 8). Less is known about this style of mineralization, and no drilling has been conducted. The mineralization may be related to the nearby younger Klaza-style vein hosted gold-silver-lead-zinc deposit, or the older Coffee-style disseminated gold-arsenic deposit (Figure 2). The Schist target comprises gold, silver, and arsenic bearing veins in hydrothermally altered metamorphic rocks. Mineralization within the veins consists of fine-grained disseminated pyrite and arsenopyrite with manganese oxide, limonite and sericite alteration. The Schist target contains a widespread (2,000 x 500 m) gold-arsenic soil anomaly, and numerous placer mining claims have recently been staked in the area.

Structurally, CD, Casino and Klaza are all located near the intersection of large-scale northwest and smaller scale northeast structures, which may have provided dilation for late Cretaceous porphyry intrusions and/or hydrothermal vein formation (Figure 2).
 
Similarities to the Gold-Rich Casino Copper Porphyry Deposit:

  • Geology: Similar rock types, ages, alteration and structures (Figure 3)
    • Lithology & Timing: gold-copper mineralization is associated with late Cretaceous porphyritic felsic intrusives(Casino / Prospector Mountain suite).  These units intrude older Whitehorse Suite granites and Snowcap assemblage gneisses/schists.
    • Structural Control: The intersection of regional northwest and northeast trending structures, providing dilation for porphyry emplacement.
    • Alteration: Brecciation and veining with widespread potassic and local phyllic+propylitic alteration.
  • Geophysics: Geophysical anomalies coincident with geochemical anomalies (Figure 4).
    • Magnetic Core: A central anomaly comprised of a magnetic high, associated with porphyritic Intrusive rocks and coincident with Cu-in-soil anomaly.
    • Chargeability Halo: An IP chargeability anomaly flanking the core magnetic anomaly coincident with Au-in-soil anomaly.
  • Geochemical Footprint & Historical Validation:
    • CD hosts a 1,200m x 400 m gold-copper-molybdenum anomaly (Figure 4).
    • Historical drilling (only 6 holes) demonstrated the presence of a mineralized system but notably failed to test the recently defined primary IP and gold in-soil target.
    • Drilling (1970s)
      • 0.15% Cu over 15.2 m (hole 76-2)
      • 0.09 g/t Au, 0.10% Cu over 21.3 m (hole 76-4)
    • Trenching (1970s)
      • 0.43 g/t Au, 0.15% Cu, 196 ppm Mo over 5 m
    • Grab Samples (2011-2018)
      • 0.81 g/t Au, below a 632 ppb Au-in-soil sample
    • Soils (2011-2018)
      • Peak soil values of 1,270 ppb Au, 1,485 ppm Cu, and 42 ppm Mo

Schist Target: An Untested Vein-Hosted Gold-Silver System

  • Undrilled
  • Large Gold – Arsenic in-soil anomaly (2,000m x 500 m)
  • 1.67 g/t Au over 6.5 meters in historic (2011) trench chip samples
  • 6.29 g/t Au and 7.6 g/t Ag; 2.78 g/t Au and 25.7 g/t Ag in historical (2013-2015) grab samples
  • Potential similarities to nearby Au-Ag Klaza and Au-As Coffee deposits
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Figure 2. Regional geology surrounding the CD project with locations of the porphyry (the Maloney target) and Schist targets, including location of nearby deposits, notably those of similar late Cretaceous age “Casino & Prospector Mountain Suite” (red circles).
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Figure 3. Simplified geology of CD’s porphyry target compared to the Casino deposit.
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Figure 4. 3D Isometric view looking northwest on CD’s porphyry target, showing a core defined by a magnetic high (purple) flanked by an IP chargeability high rim (orange). This pattern is interpreted to be a magnetic porphyritic intrusive plunging to the southwest, surrounded by an alteration halo, brecciation, and veining similar to the mineralized breccia zone which surrounds an unmineralized porphyry intrusive core at the Casino deposit.
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Figure 5. How CD relates to the classic porphyry model.
Cd Table
Figure 6. Comparison of CD to other nearby late Cretaceous age mineral deposits.
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Figure 7. Schist gold-silver Target, showing widespread gold-in-soil anomalies, major structures, and location of Casino-Prospector Mountain age felsic dykes.
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Figure 8. Schist gold-silver target, showing widespread arsenic-in soil anomalies and location of the 2011 trenches.

Proposed Exploration Program

2026

The 2026 field season is dedicated to high-resolution data acquisition to fully refine targets before a modern drilling program. Given the heightened exploration activity in the Yukon, GT has optimized the earn-in schedule to prioritize advanced geophysical and geological modelling throughout the current year.

A key component of the 2026 work program is a property-wide airborne survey utilizing Expert Geophysics’ MobileMT (Mobile Magneto-Tellurics) system. This cutting-edge, natural-field EM (ElectroMagnetic) technology is specifically chosen for its ability to map subsurface resistivity contrasts that may be associated with sulphide-bearing alteration, structures, intrusive centers and hydrothermal pathways that other airborne electromagnetic surveys miss. MobileMT may help resolve deeper or broader resistivity features that may be poorly resolved by conventional time-domain EM systems. By integrating MobileMT data with existing ground-based IP and magnetics, GT will develop a comprehensive 3D model to pinpoint the highest-conviction drill targets.

2027

Building on the 2026 data, GT plans to conduct a 2,500-3,000 meter diamond drill program. This campaign will systematically test the gold-rich copper porphyry potential and the high-grade gold-silver veins at the Schist target.

Agreement and Terms

GT is earning a 60% interest in the CD Project with the option to purchase an additional 15% for $1,000,000. Portions of the property are subject to an NSR. 

References

Paulter, J., 2018. Technical Report on the CD Project in the Dawson Range Copper – Gold belt, Yukon territory for Strategic Metals Ltd.

Roth, D., Hester, M., Marek, J.M., Tahija, L.M., Schulze, C., Friedman, D., Weston, S., 2022. Casino Project Form 43-101F1 Technical Report, Feasibility Study, Yukon, Canada.