Geology and Mineral Deposits of Jumbo Basin Southeastern Alaska
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Geology and Mineral Deposits of Jumbo Basin Southeastern Alaska GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 251 Geology and Mineral Deposits of Jumbo Basin Southeastern Alaska By GEORGE C. KENNEDY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 251 A discussion of the contact metamorphism, geomagnetic surveys, magnetite deposits, and iron ore reserves of part of Prince of Whales Island. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1953 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Douglas McKay, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS Page Page Abstract. __________________________________________ 1 Contact metamorphism—Continued Introduction ______________________________________ 1 Metamorphism in the vicinity of the Magnetite Cliff Previous work. _ _ _______________________________ 1 bodies—Continued Present work- ________ 1 Metamorphism of the schists.________________ 20 Acknowledgments. ______________ _______________ 2 Metamorphism of the dike rocks._____________ 20 Geography__ _______________________________________ 2 Metamorphism in the vicinity of the upper magnetite Location and accessibility________________________ 2 bodies_ _______________________---_----_-_____ 21 Topography. ____________________________!______ 3 Exomorphism of the marble__________________ 21 Climate, water supply, and vegetation. ____________ 4 Endomorphism of the intrusive rocks__________ 22 History and production______________________________ 4 Metamorphism in the vicinity of the Jumbo mine. _ Geology ___________________________________________ 5 Exomorphism of the marble__________________ 23 Bedded rocks_ __________________________________ 5 Endomorphism of the intrusive rocks__________ 25 Limestone _________________________________ 5 Metamorphism of the dike rocks______________ 26 Calcareous schist_ __________________________ 6 Metamorphism of schists, northeast slope, Jumbo basin. 26 Quartz-mica schist- _________________________ 6 Contrasts between the skarn zones________________ 27 Greenstone schist_ __________________________ 7 Genesis of contact-metamorphic deposits, Jumbo Intrusive rocks _________________________________ basin_ _______________________________________ 28 Granodiorite and related rocks______ __________ Existing views of contact metamorphism_______ 28 Structure ______________________________ Time of contact metamorphism, Jumbo basin__ 29 Petrography and petrology, ______________ Source of contact-metamorphosing solutions___ 29 Composition _______________________ State of contact-metamorphosing solutions. _ _ _ _ 30 Igneous suite from the Jumbo basin and Reactions with carbonate rocks.______________ 30 vicinity. _________________________ Channelways of the contact-metamorphosing solu Monzonite, granodiorite, and quartz tions- ___________________-____--__-----____-- 31 diorite_ __________________________ 9 Origin of sharp contacts-____________________ 32 Contaminated rocks______________ ___ 10 Classification of the Jumbo basin contact-metamor Gabbroic rocks _____________________ 10 phic deposits _________________________________ 35 Distribution of rock types within the stock. _ 11 Mineral deposits of the Jumbo basin__________________ 36 Comparison of rocks of intrusive stock with Magnetic survey_____________-___-___-_________- 36 rocks of the Coast Range batholith_____ 11 Applicability, ______________________________ 36 Igneous rocks in relation to ore deposits, __ 11 Field methods__________-__________-_______- 36 Dike rocks_ ________________________________ 12 Magnetic data and interpretation.____________ 36 Distribution_____ _______________________ 12 General features,_______________________ 36 Varieties- ______________________________ 12 Anomalies in the vicinity of the Magnetite Age. _ _________________________________ 12 Cliff bodies____________,______________ 37 Structure ______________________________________ 12 Anomalies in the vicinity of the upper mag Regional features. __________________________ 12 netite bodies_ ________________________ 37 Local features. _____________________________ 12 The deposits___-_-__-__________-____-----_-_-_- 38 12 Magnetite Cliff bodies and vicinity,___________ 38 Faults _ ______________________________ 13 Geology-______________________________ 38 Contact metamorphism_ _____________________________ 13 Structure______________________________ 38 Distribution of the skarn rocks_ __________________ 13 Ore deposits______ _____________________ 38 Marmorization _________________________________ 14 Reserves--.-.-.------_-_-____--------_- 38 Metamorphism in the vicinity of the Magnetite Cliff Tonnage________ ___________________ 38 bodies_ ______________________________________ 14 Grade___________ _________________ 39 General relations. __________________________ 14 Upper magnetite bodies. __________________ 39 Exomorphism of the marble _ _ _______________ 14 Geology-______________________________ 39 Localization of the metamorphic products. _ 14 Ore deposits____________________________ 39 Mineralogy, paragenesis, and textural rela Reserves-____________ _________________ 40 tions ________________________________ 15 Jumbo mine_--_____----------,_-_---------- 40 Chemical changes. ______________________ 17 Mine workings- ________________________ 40 Endomorphism of the intrusive stock _ ________ 17 Geology. _______________________________ 40 Localization of the metamorphic products __ 17 Structure- _____________________________ 40 Mineralogy, paragenesis, and textural rela Ore deposits_______---_-_____-__________ 40 tions ________________________________ 17 Reserves. ___________-_______------_--_- 42 Chemical changes, ______________________ 19 Suggestions for prospecting-____________--__---__ 42 Criteria for the distinction of metamorphic prod- Bibliography__ _____________________________________ 42 ucts_____ __ _____________________________ 19 Index _____ ________________ _________________________ 45 in IV CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Plate 1. Geologic map and sections, Jumbo basin and vicinity, Prince of Wales Island, southeastern Alaska,________ In pocket 2. Isomagnetic map, Magnetite Cliff area, Jumbo basin, Prince of Wales Island-________--___________---_-- In pocket 3. Isomagnetic map, upper magnetite area, Jumbo basin, Prince of Wales Island____-_______-___-__-----__ In pocket 4. Geologic map, Magnetite Cliff bodies and vicinity, Jumbo basin, Prince of Wales Island__ ________________ In pocket 5. Cross sections, Magnetite Cliff bodies, Jumbo basin, Prince of Wales Island.____________________________ In pocket 6. Geologic map, upper magnetite bodies and vicinity, Jumbo basin, Prince of Wales Island-__._ _.______^___ In pocket 7. Geologic map, Jumbo mine, Prince of Wales Island-______________,.________.-________-. _ _ _ _ _ ___- ._ .__... In pocket Figure 1. Index map of Alaska showing location of the Jumbo basin, Prince of Wales Island ___________-_____....__-__--, 2 2. Index map showing southern portion of Prince of Wales Island and vicinity. _ _______________________________ 3 3. Fold in fine-grained quartzite_________________________-_-________-__--------------__----------------- 7 4. Feldspar grains in sedimentary beds associated with greenstone schist_____-___________________-_-__--_---_- 7 5. Residual crystals of plagioclase surrounded by orthoclase-_____________----____--_--__----------___------- 9 6. Late orthoclase retaining Carlsbad twin boundaries of replaced plagioclase__________________________________ 9 7. Apatite and late pyroxene in quartz diorite___________________________-______--_--______-_--__-----_--- 9 8. Magnetite preferentially replacing diopside in gabbro________.__________________-_________-____-_--_---_- 10 9. Knife-edge contact between marble and magnetite._____-___-________-__-_-___-_--_-__-__--_-_----------- 14 10. Diopside replaced by garnet_______________--_______-__-_____-____-.----_-_--_--_-__-------_---------- 15 11. Magnetite ore with fine-grained magnetite replacing diopside_-___--____-_-_-_-___----__----_-------------- 16 12. Coarse-grained magnetite replacing diopside.__-________-__-----_-_---__---__--------_--_---------------- 16 13. Zoned isotropic garnet with included diopside grains-_____________________-_____-.-_____--_----_------_-- 16 14. Plagioclase lath broken down to aggregate of small plagioclase crystals of higher anorthite content--...-------- 18 15. Fine-grained garnet replacing orthoclase feldspar_______________-_______________---_-_------------------ 18 16. Altered granodiorite, garnet replacing diopside and clinozoisite, Magnetite Cliff-_____--______________--_----- 18 17. Sericitized feldspar of intrusive rock followed by clinozoisite, diopside, and garnet, Magnetite Cliff—____________ 18 18. Sequence of replacement in the endomorphosed zone.________________-_--________---____----------_------ 19 19. Residual apatite grains in skarn, Magnetite Cliff__-________________--_______-_________--_--_-_--------- 19 20. Diopside rock showing dual grain size characteristic of replacement diopside, Magnetite Cliff __________________ 20 21. Altered dike rock with scapolite poikilitically including pyroxene and amphibole, Magnetite Cliff-_____________ 21 22. Bedding planes in marble, preserved by garnet-_______________________________-_--__-__--------__------- 21 23. Magnetite-diopside intergrowths replacing marble, upper magnetite bodies__________________________________ 21 24. Coarsely twinned garnet characteristic of upper magnetite bodies________-__________-____-_----------------