DID YOU KNOW ?

Placer Mining is an important part of the Yukon Economy generating between $ 38 and $50 million in economic activity annually (BDO Dunwoody, 2001)

Since 1898 over 13 million troy ounces have been mined from Yukon placer deposits worth $5.3 billion on today's market.

In 2004, 163 placer mines produced 101,108 crude ounces of gold, worth $43 million.

Placer mining and its' history continues to be a major tourist attraction in the Yukon.

There are 90 - 100 family owned and operated placer mines in the Yukon. Placer mining persists as a vital Yukon lifestyle.

Some families have been mining continuously since the gold rush in 1898, with 2 to 3 generations working together in the mine.

Placer Mining employs 400-  600 people in the Yukon annually.

Yukon Placer Mines use only water and gravity to recover gold. Harmful chemicals, such as mercury or cyanide, are not used in gold recovery. 

Regulation of the placer industry requires two primary permits: a Water License and a Mining Land Use Permit. Reclamation is mandatory and a plan must be approved before licenses are issued.

Yukon Placer Miners lead the world in safe and efficient gold recovery.

Stringent standards oblige placer miners to settle the silt out of their discharge water. Silt collected in settling ponds revegetates rapidly, usually with willow growth that provides browse for moose. Where ponds remain as wetlands, migrating waterfowl find useful habitat.

Placer claims and leases cover less than 0.2% of the Yukon land base and affect less than 2.5% of the water courses. Of that, actual mining impacts an even smaller fraction - and this impact is mitigated by stringent environmental controls. (In contrast cities, towns and rural development in the Yukon cover 2% of the land base.)

More information on the contribution of placer mining to the Yukon economy.

YUKON PLACER MINING MYTHS

Myth: Placer mining causes the silty water in the Yukon River at Dawson City.

FACT: Over 99.9% of the silt in the Yukon River near Dawson is generated naturally, much of it from the glacial runoff of the White River, where there is no placer mining.

Download and print the following Placer Mining Fact Sheets.

Placer Mining in the Yukon - Economic Contribution

Placer Mining in the Yukon - A Family Affair

Placer Mining - Then and Now

Placer Mining - Who is making the water silty ?

Placer Mining - Leading the world in safe and efficient gold recovery

Placer Mining - A very small area of land generates great wealth for the Yukon

For General Information on Placer Mining in the Yukon, download the Yukon Government publications "Rocking in the Yukon"  and Modern Day Placer Mining in the Yukon.

Yukon Placer Industry 1998-2002
This page presents an overview of placer activity and production, map of Yukon placer gold production, placer gold produced from Yukon creeks by mining district, fineness of Yukon placer gold, awards and recognition, articles.

Do you have a question you would like to see answered here ?  E-mail us at kpma@kpma.ca