Fine Sediment Geochemistry for Gold Exploration in Five Yukon Study Areas

Five study areas in Yukon, including four with known gold mineralization, were sampled to compare fine sediment geochemistry with traditional methods. Gold concentrations were determined by duplicate 30 g fire assay and one 10 g aqua-regia analysis, and values for 32 other elements were determined by ICP analysis. This dataset from the Government of Yukon, last updated in 2026, demonstrates the potential to improve reconnaissance exploration success rates.

Use Cases

• Compare geochemical anomaly detection between fine and traditional sediment fractions based on the described sampling methodology.
• Model gold mineralization potential in stream sediments based on concentrations of gold and 32 other elements.
• Evaluate the reproducibility and local variation of sediment geochemistry as mentioned in the theoretical advantages.
• Analyze geochemical signatures across different deposit styles (e.g., low sulfide quartz carbonate vein, sulfide-rich manto-style).

Strengths

• Includes data from five distinct study areas with known mineralization contexts.
• Gold analysis performed via duplicate 30 g fire assay and 10 g aqua-regia for each sample.
• Provides elemental data for gold and 32 other elements determined by ICP analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the selected Yukon study areas.

Provenance

Source

Government of Yukon | Gouvernement du Yukon

Collection Method

Samples of -2000 micron sediment were collected from streams draining areas of known mineralization and background areas.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-17 16:11:14.719705; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Five study areas in Yukon, Canada.