North of 60 Mining News - The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North

ATAC Resources Ltd. Jan. 6 reported high-grade gold, silver, zinc and copper from sampling of the Rau project at the western end of the company's expansive Rackla Gold property in the Yukon.

The Rau property covers a 12.5-mile trend of metals deposits and prospects that include: Tiger, carbonate replacement style deposit with 5.68 million metric tons of measured and indicated resources averaging 2.66 grams per metric ton (485,700 ounces) gold; Airstrip, a large gold anomaly about 4,000 meters south of Tiger; Ocelot, a silver-lead-zinc discovery about nine miles northwest of Tiger; and multiple other precious and base metals geochemical anomalies

The 2017 Rau exploration program set out to improve the understanding of existing targets along this trend, evaluate untested soil anomalies and gain a better understanding of the broad controls on mineralization within the district.

Highlights from this work include grab samples collected from the Condor target about 1,500 meters northwest of Tiger that returned 17 g/t gold and 23.3 percent zinc; and grab samples from the Spotlight target that returned 4.63 percent copper and 7,080 g/t silver.

"The regional exploration potential at the Rau Project has always been compelling but systematic evaluation of the area was curtailed after the company's discovery of Carlin-type mineralization in 2010," said Rob Carne, technical committee chair, ATAC. "The 2017 regional exploration program was very successful in confirming that the Rau project is a fertile district with the potential to host multiple gold and base metal deposits in a number of sediment-hosted and intrusive related settings."

ATAC said the high-grade grab samples collected from Condor, as well as high-grade gold at Panther 1,500 meters further northwest, confirm the potential for carbonate-replacement style gold mineralization.

The high-grade silver identified at Spotlight is the result of following up on anomalous gold and arsenic identified in soil samples. The 7,080 g/t silver sample found there is the highest silver-in-rock sample collected at Rau. Additional grab samples collected from the 350 by 250 m Spotlight target returned elevated gold, copper and tin, a typical metal suite associated with skarn mineralization.

High-grade zinc, lead and silver mineralization, similar to that identified at the Ocelot Zone in 2011 has been identified elsewhere at Rau. Follow-up prospecting of the known mineralized targets between the Tiger and Ocelot in 2017 included a reassessment of the base metal potential of these target areas.

ATAC said the high-grade zinc, lead and silver results returned from Condor, 23.3 percent zinc; Panther, 6.09 percent zinc; Cheetah, 116 g/t silver and 1.34 percent zinc; and Now, 456 g/t silver, highlight the multi-commodity potential of the district.

Prospecting at the Northwest target area was completed over a poorly exposed and forested area located 3 km north of the Now target and within a belt of mineralized showings between the Tiger Deposit and Ocelot Zone. Assay values of 1.43 g/t gold and 4.14 % zinc from grab samples collected within this broad 7.5 km2 target area suggest the potential for the discovery of additional mineralized zones.

A re-evaluation of geochemical and geophysical data ATAC has identified three potential intrusive centers at Rau that could be the sources for the mineralization found there.

One is believed to be related to the development of gold mineralization at Tiger; a second intrusive center is in the area of the Spotlight target; and the third roughly nine miles west of Tiger, just south of the Northwest target area.

ATAC said all three intrusive centers will be further evaluated this year.

–SHANE LASLEY