Mineral Investigations in the Koyukuk Mining District, Northern Alaska
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U.S. Department of Interior BLM-Alaska Technical Report 50 Bureau of Land Management BLM/AK/ST-02/023+3090+932 July, 2002 Alaska State Office 222 W Seventh Avenue, #13 Anchorage, AK 99513 Mineral Investigations in the Koyukuk Mining District, Northern Alaska Volume II - Summaries of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Melozitna, Survey Pass, Tanana, and Wiseman quadrangles Joseph M. Kurtak, Robert F. Klieforth, John M. Clark, and Elizabeth A. Maclean Mission Statement The Bureau of Land Management sustains the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Authors Joseph M. Kurtak and Robert F. Klieforth are geologists with the Bureau of Land Management’s Alaska State Office, Division of Lands, Minerals and Resources. John M. Clark and Elizabeth A. Maclean are currently graduate students in geology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and part-time employees with the BLM. Cover BLM geologist Elizabeth Maclean examines Devonian schistose rocks near Michigan Creek, in the Endicott Mountains. Technical Reports Technical Reports issued by the Bureau of Land Management-Alaska present the results of research, studies, investigations, literature searches, testing or similar endeavors on a variety of scientific and technical subjects. The results presented are final, or are a summation and analysis of data at an intermediate point in a long-term research project, and have received objective review by peers in the author’s field. The reports are available while supplies last from BLM External Affairs, 222 West 7th Avenue #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513 and from the Juneau Minerals Information Center, 100 Savikko Road, Mayflower Island, Douglas, AK 99824, (907) 364-1553. Copies are also available for inspection at the Alaska Resource Library and Information Service (Anchorage), the USDI Resources Library in Washington, D.C., various libraries of the University of Alaska, the BLM National Business Center Library (Denver), and other selected locations. A complete bibliography of all BLM-Alaska scientific reports can be found on the Internet at: http://www.ak.blm.gov/affairs/sci_rpts.html. Related publications are also listed at http://juneau.ak.blm.gov Mineral Investigations in the Koyukuk Mining District, Northern Alaska by Joseph M. Kurtak Robert F. Klieforth John M. Clark Elizabeth A. Maclean BLM-Alaska Technical Report 50 July, 2002 U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I Abbreviations.......................................................................iv Abstract ........................................................................... 1 Introduction ........................................................................ 2 Acknowledgments............................................................. 2 Geography and climate......................................................... 3 Land status .................................................................. 4 Previous studies and exploration ................................................. 8 Mining history and production .................................................. 10 Bureau investigations................................................................ 14 Sampling methods ............................................................ 14 Regional geology................................................................... 17 Mineral deposit types................................................................ 21 Placer gold ................................................................. 21 Placer tin ................................................................... 23 Vein deposits ............................................................... 23 Pluton-related gold........................................................... 26 Epithermal deposits........................................................... 26 Skarns..................................................................... 26 Massive sulfides............................................................. 29 Porphyry deposits............................................................ 29 Tin granites................................................................. 30 Podiform chromite ........................................................... 31 Coal....................................................................... 32 Production and resources ............................................................. 33 Mineral development potential ........................................................ 35 Summary ......................................................................... 39 Bibliography ...................................................................... 41 Appendix A - Analytical procedures................................................... A-1 Appendix B - Summaries of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Bettles quadrangle, listed by map number............................................................. B-1 Appendix C - Summaries of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Chandalar quadrangle, listed by map number ........................................................ C-1 i TABLE OF CONTENTS - continued Appendix D - Summaries of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Chandler Lake quadrangle, listed by map number ........................................................ D-1 Appendix E - Summaries of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Hughes quadrangle, listed by map number............................................................. E-1 VOLUME II Appendix F - Summaries of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Melozitna quadrangle, listed by map number .........................................................F-1 Appendix G - Summaries of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Survey Pass quadrangle, listed by map number ........................................................ G-1 Appendix H - Summaries of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Tanana quadrangle, listed by map number............................................................. H-1 Appendix I - Summaries of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Wiseman quadrangle, listed by map number.............................................................. I-1 Appendix J - Index of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Koyukuk Mining District (listed by map number) ............................................................. J-1 Appendix K - Alphabetical listing of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Koyukuk Mining District ................................................................... K-1 PLATES 1. Koyukuk Mining District, Alaska mineral occurrence location map.................... in pocket FIGURES 1. Location and land status map of the Koyukuk Mining District, Alaska........................ 5 2. Looking north across the Koyukuk River lowlands towards the Endicott Mountains ............. 7 3. Looking southeast at Sukakpak Mountain, near the Dalton Highway ......................... 7 4. Placer mining on Myrtle Creek in 1899; the site of the first major gold discovery in the district . 11 5. Placer operation on Nolan Creek by Silverado Gold Mines Ltd. ............................ 11 6. Production history of the Koyukuk Mining District 1900-2001 ............................. 12 7. Ground magnetic and VLF survey, near the Ginger prospect, Big Spruce Creek ............... 15 8. Sampling sulfide-bearing muscovite schist on Willow Creek .............................. 15 9. Middle Devonian granitic meta-intrusive rocks in the Arrigetch Peaks area ................... 18 10. Geologic map of the Koyukuk Mining District and vicinity .............................. 19 11. Gold-bearing bench gravels on the upper Hammond River, above Vermont Creek ............ 22 12. Quartz veins exposed along a faulted contact on the south side of Sukakpak Mountain ......... 25 13. Fractures in phyllite containing gold-bearing quartz veins veinlets near Friday 13th Pup ....... 25 14. Quartz carbonate vein exposed along Michigan Creek near the Silver King prospect .......... 25 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS - continued 15. Magnetite-rich skarn (dark outcrop) near the Arrigetch Peaks. ............................ 27 16. Malachite-stained skarn outcrop near Robert Creek ..................................... 28 17. Looking northeast along a sulfide bearing schist horizon at the Luna prospect ................ 28 18. Sulfide-bearing granodiorite porphyry at the Venus prospect on Big Spruce Creek ............ 30 19. Podiform chromite bands hosted in dunite of the lower Kanuti ultramafic complex ............ 31 20. A 4-foot–thick bituminous coal seam interbedded with Late Cretaceous sandstone ............ 32 21. Areas in the Koyukuk Ming District containing significant mineral occurrences and favorable host rocks for lode mineral deposits.................................................. 37 C-1. Geology and mineral occurrence location map of the Chandalar copper belt .............. C-23 C-2. Geology and sample location map of the Venus prospect ............................. C-33 C-3. Geology and sample location map of the Evelyn Lee prospect ......................... C-39 C-4. Geology and sample location map of the Luna prospect .............................. C-59 C-5. Sample locations at the upper Willow Creek lode occurrence .......................... C-74 C-6. Geology and sample location map of the Sukakpak Mountain prospect ................. C-115