Expatriate plans program in Yukon

Expatriate Resources (EXR-V) intends to carry out an 8,000-metre drill program on its HP and Nod polymetallic properties in the Yukon next summer.

The properties comprise a total of 97 claims and adjoin claims held by Placer Dome (PDG-T) and USX (X-N) in the Howards Pass district. Three large stratiform zinc-lead-silver deposits were discovered by Placer Dome and USX in the 1970s. Together, these have an indicated geological resource of 113 million tonnes grading 5.4% zinc and 2.1% lead, plus 16 grams silver per tonne. They form part of a 35-km-long basin.

Expatriate’s properties cover about 20% of the favourable stratigraphy in this same basin. Work performed by Dynasty Exploration in the mid-1970s identified the mineralized host unit, known as the Active Member, on what are now Expatriate’s HP claims.

Dynasty traced the Active Member over a strike length of 2 km through soil sampling and bulldozer trenching. Of the four shallow drill holes put down by the company, the best returned 2.7% zinc and 1% lead over a 6-metre interval. Recent soil and geochemical sampling returned anomalous values of up to 1% lead, and Expatriate believes that it has extended the surface trace of the Active Member to the northwest by an additional 1,500 metres.

Mineralization in the XY deposit, the largest in the district to date, occurs on the western limb of a synclinal fold. Placer and USX followed the mineralization downdip towards the east and discovered that the thickness and grade improved.

The HP claims cover the eastern side of the synclinal structure. Expatriat proposes to drill down-dip and along strike of the shallow mineralization intersected in the previous near-surface drill campaign.

The Nod claims cover 7,500 metres of a synclinal core of the Howards Pass basin, between the XY and Anniv deposits. The area is covered by extensive glacial till and has few bedrock exposures. Recent fieldwork suggests that favourable strata are preserved in the broad valley underlying the Nod claims.

Next summer’s drill program will test the Active member on the HP and Nod claims.

Howards Pass is the company’s second major exploration project, next to the Wolverine joint venture with Atna Resources (ATN-T) in the Finlayson district of the Yukon.

Financing for exploration programs is being arranged.