This volumes contains overviews on Yukon Mining, Development and Exploration, Placer Mining, Mining Incentives Program, and activities of the Yukon Geological Survey. Exploration expenditures in Yukon have continued their dramatic rise for the third consecutive year, with an estimated $53 million spent exploring for a wide range of commodities. The majority of expenditures were on advanced stage projects.

This volume contains overviews on Yukon Mining, Development and Exploration, Placer Mining, the Mining Incentives Program, and activities of the Yukon Geological Survey. Mineral exploration in Yukon has reached record levels with over $80 million spent on the search for base and precious metals, coal, gemstones and uranium in 2006. Exploration for gold attracted the largest share of the exploration dollars, capturing 35%, followed by zinc at 22%, uranium 15%, copper 12%, silver 7%, tungsten and molybdenum 6%, and the remainder being spent on coal and gemstones. Mine development expenditures have also increased dramatically with an estimated $50 million being spent on the Minto mine, which is scheduled to be in production in the second quarter of 2007. The total development costs at Minto are estimated to be $107 million. Exploration activity at all levels in Yukon, from grassroots stages to advanced exploration, has experienced a dramatic increase. A total of 70 of the approximately 150 exploration projects in Yukon had expenditures of greater than $100 000, with 21 of these projects spending more than $1 million.

Despite tough market conditions, the Yukon saw another year of significant exploration results and new discoveries. At the time of writing, Yukon Geological Survey (YGS) estimated exploration expenditures in the territory to be $147M for the year, based on company press releases, SEDAR (System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval Overview) postings and conversations with industry clients. This estimate is up 18% from $124M in 2022 (Fig. 1). Development expenditures for 2023 are estimated to be $95M (Fig. 1) and mineral production is estimated to be $495M (approximately 87% attributed to gold production, 10% to silver production and 3% to copper production), down from a total of $543M in 2022; Fig. 2).1 It was a challenging year for production due to the closure of the Minto mine and the two-week closure of Victoria Gold’s Eagle Gold mine due to wildfires in the Mayo region; however, strong precious and base-metal prices throughout the year, increased production at Eagle Gold mine, and the re-opening of the Keno Hill mine suggests that 2023 production revenue will remain strong. There were 82 active exploration projects in the territory in 2023 (Fig. 3, Appendix 1), which was similar to 2022; however, the number of active companies and individual prospectors continues to decline. The notable increase in exploration expenditures compared with 2022 can be attributed to the progression of several exploration projects into more advanced stages. In total, 31 companies spent more than $500K on exploration and development; 19 of those spent more than $1M. Additionally, several companies were able to raise extra funding mid-season, which extended their initial proposed exploration programs. The primary commodity in terms of total exploration expenditures in the territory continues to be gold, representing 55% of spending ($80.5M), followed by zinc-lead (25%, $37.7M), silver (9%, $13.4M), copper (9%, $13.2M), tungsten (1%, $1.0M) and nickel-PGE (1%, $900K; Fig. 4). Gold exploration has dominated expenditures since the late 1980s, often representing upward of 80% of total expenditures; however, in recent years there has been a progressive shift to a more equal split between precious metal and critical mineral exploration expenditures. As of November 1, 2023, 5119 quartz claims had been staked in 2023 (Fig. 5). Most of the new claims were in the Mayo Mining District (60%), followed by the Whitehorse (25%) and Dawson (15%) mining districts; no new claims were staked in the Watson Lake Mining District (Fig. 6). A total of 162 564 claims remain in good standing, down from 164 924 in 2022.

Yukon mining and exploration overview, 2002 is published as a stand-alone report as well as within the larger publication Yukon Exploration and Geology 2002. It gives a comprehensive overview of mining and exploration activity in the Yukon, including placer mining and the Yukon Mining Incentives Program.

Yukon mineral exploration activity dipped slightly in 2019. Exploration expenditures were approximately $105 million, compared to $120 million in 2018. Development expenditures are estimated at $240 million, primarily for the development of Victoria Gold Corp.’s Eagle mine ($183M), and, to a lesser extent the advancement of Newmont Goldcorp.’s Coffee gold project and the reopening of the Minto gold-copper-silver mine by Pembridge Resources. Production dollars are attributable to operations at Victoria Gold’s new Eagle mine and the newly reopened Minto mine of Pembridge Resources plc. The number of active exploration projects dropped significantly from 155 projects in 2018 to 80 projects in 2019. To some degree, this reflects the continuing tight equity markets. Thirty-six of the 80 projects spent more than $1M, while 44 projects spent less than $500,000. The majority of smaller projects received Yukon Mineral Exploration Program (YMEP) grant funding. In terms of all Yukon projects, gold continues to be the most sought-after commodity, with 68% of the projects targeting it. The remainder of projects focused on exploring for lead-zinc, copper, silver, or nickel-PGEs, and to a lesser extent, tin, cobalt or vanadium. Claim staking in 2019 was down significantly over the previous year to 2212 claims. The number of claims in good standing is 173,161, down from an all-time high of 252,902 in 2012. Drilling numbers were down slightly. Total drilling in 2019 was 221,596 m, compared to 246,282 m in 2018.

Yukon Exploration 1985-1986 provides details of exploration and mining activity in the Yukon, including placer mining. It discusses the geology of Yukon mineral deposits and mineral districts under active investigation and provides a summary of exploration work done by mineral exploration companies. Summaries are based on reports submitted to the department for assessment credit.

Yukon mining, Development and Exploration Overview, 2003 is published as a stand-alone report as well as within the larger publication Yukon Exploration and Geology 2003. It gives a comprehensive overview of mining and exploration activity in the Yukon, including placer mining and the Yukon Mining Incentives Program.