Strategic has interests in 12 properties located in the eastern and northern parts of the Yukon Territory, which are known or suspected to host stratiform nickel mineralization, six of those are wholly owned by Strategic and the other seven are held by a joint venture (25% Strategic and 75% Quetzal Energy Ltd.)
All of the stratiform nickel prospects are hosted in Devono-Mississippian Earn Group shale. The mineralization characteristically occurs in thin, laterally extensive horizons composed of fine sulphide minerals that are enriched in nickel and various combinations of zinc, molybdenum, silver, gold, and/or platinum group elements.
These occurrences may to be related to nearby lead-zinc sedimentary exhalative (sedex) deposits, but this correlation is uncertain.
Some suspected feeder structures have been discovered, which contain nearly massive pyrobitumen, a common gangue mineral in the nickel rich horizon.
The best drill intercepts to date are from the Deer property (1.37% nickel, and 0.7% zinc over 5.3 m), and the Rich property (1.31% nickel, 0.12% molybdenum, and 0.1% zinc over 1.96 m).
Relative little exploration has been done to date on these unusual sediment-hosted nickel prospects. Although no economically viable deposits are known, this type of mineralization could be a very important source of metals in the future.
No work is planned for 2010 on any of these properties, but most of them are drill ready.
For more information see:
Hulbert, L.J., Grégoire, D.C., Paktunc, D. and Carne, R.C.
1992
Sedimentary Nickel, Zinc, and Platinum-group-element Mineralization in Devonian black Shales at the Nick Property, Yukon, Canada: A New Deposit Type; Exploration Mining Geology, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp 39-62.
