Sumo Property
Sumo is an underexplored copper-gold porphyry target similar in age to the Casino porphyry deposit located 100km to the north. Rock samples from the Sumo Property have returned values up to 37.5 g/t Au, 1.54% Cu, 63 g/t Ag, 0.60% Mo, 0.86% Zn, and 0.47% Pb. In addition to these compelling rock samples, the property is host to four undrilled strong copper-gold-molybdenum soil geochemical anomalies up to 1300-by-700m in size.
South-West Yukon, 190-km from Whitehorse, 20-km from road, 7-km from trail
1200 Hectares, 58 Quartz Claims
Helicopter Accessible
Porphyry with Associated Skarn & Epithermal Mineralization
Key Facts
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Porphyry deposit target with associated skarn and epithermal mineralization
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Encouraging exploration to date with multiple large multi-element geochemical anomalies
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Excellent geology extensively de-risked through historical exploration
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Coherent multi-km coincident multielement geochemical anomalies
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Well mineralized grades and widths of porphyry/skarn intercepts from historical diamond drilling
Project Summary
The 12 sq. km, 100% owned Sumo Property is located 190 km northwest of the capital city of Whitehorse, 20 km from the Aishihik Lake Road, and 7 km west of the Stevens Creek trail. The claims were acquired in 2024 based on extensive research suggestive of strong porphyry potential in the area. The project area is currently accessed via helicopter.
Regional Geology
The Aishihik Lake-Kluane Lake area in southwestern Yukon comprises five main geological units:
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the Yukon-Tanana Terrane, the oldest unit, consisting of psammitic schist, quartzite, and garnet amphibolite;
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the Kluane Schist, a quartz-mica schist of uncertain age (~95-82 Ma) with quartz veining and local porphyroblasts;
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a gneissic unit of unknown affinity, structurally between the Kluane Schist and Yukon-Tanana Terrane;
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the Ruby Range Batholith, a large, east-west trending plutonic complex of quartz-diorite, tonalite, and granodiorite, tilted with a foliated base (~64-57 Ma, locally up to 71 Ma);
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and the Rhyolite Creek Complex, the youngest (~57 Ma), consisting of porphyritic volcanic and intrusive rocks.
Structural relationships indicate southwestward thrusting of the Yukon-Tanana Terrane over the Kluane Schist, followed by syn- to post-deformation intrusion of the Ruby Range Batholith. Mineralization in the region includes Cu-Mo-Au porphyry and Au-Ag epithermal systems associated with the upper Ruby Range Batholith and orogenic gold within the Kluane Schist.
Property Geology
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Mineralization at the nearby Casino deposit is hosted within the Patton Porphyry and has returned an age of mineralization of 74.8 ± 0.3 Ma. Samples of diorite on the Sumo property have returned an age date of 75.1 ± 0.2 Ma. This suggests Late Cretaceous intrusive activity was occurring at Sumo during mineralization and formation of the Casino deposit. This age date is important, and potentially significant for mineral exploration upside on the property.
Historical Exploration
The southwest Yukon was initially explored in the 1970’s for porphyry mineralization following the discovery of the Casino porphyry deposit (current global resource of ~3,903.2 Mt @ 0.13% Cu, 0.17 g/t Au, 1.35 g/t Ag - approx. 1.1 Blbs Cu, 21.1 Moz Au, 169 Moz Ag combined). The Casino deposit is located ~100 km north of the Sumo Property.
Sumitomo Metals and Mining are credited with the original discovery of the Pogo gold deposit near Fairbanks, Alaska in 1991. In 1997, they partnered with Teck Resources Ltd. and brought Pogo deposit into production in 2006. Pogo is located in the Yukon-Tanana Terrane within a Proterozoic gneiss and Cretaceous granitoid sequence. The mineralization consists of numerous massive auriferous quartz-sulphide veins hosted in paragneiss and orthogneiss. Mineralization is controlled by low angle regional shear zones and high angle fault structures. In 2018, Northern Star Resources purchased the Pogo operation from Sumitomo. As of 2025, remaining reserves/resources at Pogo total 20.5 Mt @ 10.1 g/t Au for 6.68 Moz Au.
Regional exploration for another Pogo-style discovery resulted in an expanded effort across the border of Alaska and into the Yukon. Large scale stream sediment surveying in the early 2000’s identified broad gold-copper-arsenic-silver stream sediment anomalies in the basin draining the now Sumo property.
Follow-up prospecting and sampling led to the initial discovery of mineralization at Sumo. Historical exploration included soil and rock sampling, geological mapping, and geophysical surveys, resulting in the identification of strong copper-gold anomalies on surface.
Diamond drilling programs conducted in 2013/2014 targeted areas of mineralization and intersected good widths and localized high grades of copper and gold mineralization. These results remain confidential.
In 2015, geological mapping and regional sampling was conducted, successfully identifying additional mineralized zones outside of the drilling areas which did not receive follow-up exploration.
In 2016, Sumitomo began to divest in Pogo and sold the operation in 2018 to Northern Star Resources. The claims were allowed to lapse in 2018.
A historical data compilation and review was conducted by Burke in winter 2023 and the claims were staked by Burke in spring 2024. The property represents an exceptional grassroots exploration target for both “Casino-style” copper-gold porphyry mineralization and “Pogo-style” gold mineralization with high discovery potential.
Modern Exploration
Exploration conducted in 2024 on the Sumo Property included claim staking, geochemical surveys, and geological mapping. This program resulted in:
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Discovering a new large scale multi element geochemical anomaly suggesting a nearby porphyry system
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Recognition of rocks at Sumo being very similar in age to the mineralization age at the Casino deposit
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Identification of large-scale structures on the property and localized structural controls to currently identified mineralization
Mineralized Zones
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Rock samples on the property have returned values up to 37.5 g/t Au, 1.54% Cu, 63 g/t Ag, 0.60% Mo, 0.86% Zn, and 0.47% Pb.
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East of historical drilling lies a zone of elevated copper, silver, and molybdenum values. Rock samples collected over a 70-by-80m area returned values up to 1.29% Cu, 43.8 g/t Ag, and 0.60% Mo. A rock sample 800m north of this area returned 14.95 g/t Au. Soil sampling to the east identified an open-ended copper-gold anomaly, with soil values up to 674 ppm Cu and 77 ppb Au.
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West of historical drilling, exploration by Burke resulted in the discovery of a primary 1,000-by-1,000m copper-gold-molybdenum anomaly, with a secondary 1,100-by-400m copper-gold anomaly with soil values up to 1,105 ppm Cu and 454 ppb Au.
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These anomalies have coincident bismuth, tellurium, potassium, and selenium enrichment, and a distal zinc anomaly, typical of porphyry systems.
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The property is host to additional copper-gold-molybdenum soil geochemical anomalies up to 1300-by-700m in size, with four main anomalies currently defined.
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South of historical drilling, limited prospecting over just two days yielded rock samples with values up to 4.09 g/t Au, 1.25 g/t Au, and 1.02 g/t Au. This further illustrates the underexplored and highly prospective nature of the property.
Future Work
Future work planned for the property include further historical data compilation, additional soil sampling and additional geological mapping.
Additional induced polarization surveying and re-processing of historical geophysical data on the property is recommended.
Results of this work would lead to diamond drilling the most compelling, highest quality targets on the property with the goal of discovering a large-scale porphyry system.
