State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources
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STATE OF ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL & GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS Tony Knowles, Governor John T. Shively, Commissioner Milton A. Wiltse, Director and State Geologist This DGGS Report of Investigations is a final report of scientific research. It has received technical review and may be cited as an agency publication. This publication supersedes Public-Data File (PDF) 93-47. Sample numbers that correlate to trace element and isotopic analyses in RI 98- 12 differ from those utilized in PDF 93-47. Sample numbers were changed during editorial review of the map and manuscript for consistency and ease of use of the publication. Report of Investigations 98- 12 GEOLOGY OF THE SLEETMUTE C-7, C-8, D-7, AND D-8 QUADRANGLES, HORN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA by T.K. Bundtzen, E.E. Harris, M.L. Miller, P.W. Layer, and G.M. Laird STATE OF ALASKA Tony Knowles, Governor DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES John T. Shively, Commissioner DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL & GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS Milton A. Wiltse, Director and State Geologist Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys publications can be inspected at the following locations. Address mail orders to the Fairbanks office. Alaska Division of Geological University of Alaska Anchorage Library & Geophysical Surveys 321 1 Providence Drive 794 University Avenue, Suite 200 Anchorage, Alaska 99508 Fairbanks, Alaska 99709-3645 Elmer E. Rasmuson Library Alaska Resource Library University of Alaska Fairbanks 3150 C Street, Suite 100 Fairbanks, Alaska 99775- 1005 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 Alaska State Library State Office Building, 8th Floor 333 Willoughby Avenue Juneau, Alaska 998 11-057 1 This publication released by the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys was produced and printed in Fairbanks, Alaska by Dateline Copies at a cost of $30 per copy. Publication is required by Alaska Statute 41, "to determine the potential of Alaskan land for production of metals, minerals, fuels, and geothermal resources; the location and supplies of groundwater and construction materials; the potential geologic hazards to buildings, roads, bridges, and other installations and structures; and shall conduct such other surveys and investigations as will advance knowledge of the geology of Alaska." CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction and geography ........................................................................................................................... 1 Geologic units ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Kuskokwim Group .....................................................................................................................................4 Iditarod Volcanics .......................................................................................................................................5 Horn Mountains Volcanic Field ..................................................................................................................6 Getmuna caldera complex ...................................................................................................................6 Jungjuk mafic flow complex ...............................................................................................................6 Sue Creek intermediate tuff and flow sequence ........................................................................... 6 Kolmakof air-fall tuff ..........................................................................................................................6 Intrusive rocks and hornfels .................................................................................................................. 8 Geochronology of Late Cretaceousearly Tertiary igneous rocks ...................................................... 9 Petrogenesis of Late Cretaceousearly Tertiary igneous rocks ......................................................... 10 Unconsolidated deposits ......................................................................................................................16 Glaciogenic deposits ...........................................................................................................................16 Eolian deposits ....................................................................................................................................20 Colluvial and alluvial deposits ............................................................................................................20 Holokuk gravel ....................................................................................................................................21 Structural geology ...........................................................................................................................................21 Economic geology ............................................................................................................................................21 Gold and polymetallic prospects in Horn Mountains ............................................................................ 22 Epithermal mercury (antimony-gold) deposits ...................................................................................... 23 Kolmakof mercury mine ................................................................................................................ 23 Rhyolite mercury (antimony) prospect ................................................................................................ 23 Bear Creek epithermal gold mineralization ..................................................................................... 25 Placer deposits ........................................................................................................................................ 25 New York Creek (Murray Gulch) ....................................................................................................... 25 Little Creek .......................................................................................................................................... 27 West-flowing stream drainages. Horn Mountains ............................................................................ 27 Geochemistry and prospecting guides ........................................................................................................27 Industrial Minerals .................................................................................................................................. 28 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................................28 References cited ...............................................................................................................................................28 Description of map units .................................................................................................................................31 FIGURES Figure 1. Index map showing generalized geology. prospect localities. and location of the Sleetmute C.7. C.8. D.7. and D-8 quadrangles. southwestern Alaska ...................................................... 2 Composite stratigraphic section of the Horn Mountains Volcanic Field ...................................... 7 Normative QAPF diagram ....................................................................................................... 8 Plot of selected volcanic rocks from the Horn Mountains Volcanic Field and the Iditarod Volcanics on K,O-SiO, compositional diagram ........................................................................ 11 Plot of chondrite-normalized rare-earth element concentrations of volcanic and plutonic rocks ........................................................................................................................... 12 Molecular A170,/CaO+Na.0+K. 0 (NCNK ratio) versus Si02variation diagram for plutonic and volcanic rocks ......................................................................................14 Plots of selected andesite and basaltic andesite samples on Zrff-Zr logarithmic variation diagrams .....................................................................................................14 Plot of selected granitic rocks on logarithmic Y-Nb diagram ...................................................15 9. Plot of granitic rocks on logarithmic Rb-(Y+Nb) diagram .........................................................15 10. Plot of gold favorability utilizing alkalinity versus femctferrous oxide ratio .............................. 15 11. Map showing Quaternary glacial advances and locations of measured sections ......................... 17 12. Stratigraphic sections of Quaternary deposits .............................................................................. 18 13. Geologic sketch of Sue Creek prospect .......................................................................................22 14. Geologic sketch and mineral zones of the Kolmakof mercury mine ............................................24 15. Geologic sketch of Murray Gulch, New York Creek drainage ....................................................26 TABLES Table I. Paleocurrent data from Cretaceous Kuskokwim Group sedimentary rocks, Sleetmute C-7, C-8, D-7, and D-8 quadrangles,