Geology of Hyder and Vicinity Southeastern Alaska
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Roy O. West, Secretary U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY George Otis Smith, Director Bulletin 807 GEOLOGY OF HYDER AND VICINITY SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA WITH A RECONNAISSANCE OF CHICKAMIN RIVER BY A. F. RUDDINGTON UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1&29 ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS TJ.S.OOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 35 CENTS PER COPY CONTENTS Page Foreword, by Philip S. Smith._________________________ vn Introduction...____________________________________________________ 1 Field work_.._.___._.______..____...____. -_-__-. .. 1 Acknowledgments. _-_-________-_-___-___-__--_____-__-- -____-_ 2 History._________________________________________________________ 2 Bibliography ________-______ _____________._-__.-___-__--__--_--_-_ 3 Alaska.__-___-__---______-_-____-_-___--____-___-_-___-__-___ & British Columbia____-_____-___-___________-_-___--___.._____- 4 Geography_______________________________________-____--___-__--_ 4 Location and transportation facilities.___________________________ 4 Climate. __--______-______.____--__---____-_______--._--.--__- 5 Vegetation ___________________________________________________ 6 Water power._--___._____.________.______-_.._____-___.-_____ 7 Topography-___________--____-_-___--____.___-___-----__--_-- 7 General features of the relief----______-_---___-__------_-_-_ 7 Streams.._ _______________________________________________ 9 Glaciation.. _ __-_____-__--__--_____-__---_____-__--_----__ 10 Geology.... __----_-._ -._---_--__-.- _-_____-_____-___-_ 13 General features___-_-____-__-__-___-..____--___-_-____--__-._ 13 Hazelton group._....._.._>___-_-.__-______----_-----'_-__-..-- 17 General character.-----.-------.-------------------------- 17 Greenstone and associated rocks.._______.__.-.--__--_--_--_ 18 Graywacke-slate division.._________-_-__--_-_-----_--_----_ 19 Coast.Range intrusives__________-__-__--___-----------_-----_- 22 Texas Creek batholith and associated dikes..__--__.__-__-__-. 22 Character and extent._________.__-__-__-____--.----_-. 22 Granodiorite core.._____-___-_-_-__---_-___--_-_--__-. 25 Quartz diorite border facies.__.__-___-__--_----___-__-_ 27 Diorite contact facies..._______._-.____.-__-----_---_-- ^27 Granodiorite and quartz porphyry dikes_________________ 28 Aplite and pegmatite.__-----__-----_--_---------_----- 28 Hyder and Boundary batholithic intrusions and associated dikes. 29 Character and extent--_______-__-__------------.__-_-_ 291 Hyder quartz monzonite..--_-___--------_------_----_- 29" Boundary granodiorite--_-----___-_-------------------- 32 Granodiorite porphyry dikes.________-___-_-.__--____-_ 33> Aplite and pegmatite--.----------.----..-------------- 35- Malchite dikes-___--__-____-_--__-_--____---_------------- 35> Lamprophyre dikes ______________________ l"^j.L - - -__-_--____ 36- Basaltic dikes--_--__--__---_--_----_---------l^-^-^---.-- 37 Contact metamorphism----------.----------------------..-- 37 Texas Creek intrusives.___.__._____-__--_-------_--__- 37 Hyder and Boundary intrusives._-____-__-___-_--_-_____ 38 Superficial deposits_._.___._____.-_-___-___-------_-----_._.-__ 39 Pleistocene and Recent deposits.___________________________ 3.9 HI [V CONTENTS Geology Continued. Page Structure.. ______________________________________________ 40 Bedded rocks _--_----________________________________ 40 Texas Creek batholith_____________________________________ 41 Faults._______ __________________________ 42 Joints ___________________________________________________ 42 Mineral deposits _--------__----____--____________________________ 42 Classification---_--__--_----__________________________________ 42 Relation to country rock.______________________________________ 44 Type of vein___i___-____________________________________. 44 Strike and dip________-__________________________________ i 44 Character of the veins.________________________________________o 46 Fissure veins at an angle to the structure ____________________ 46 Veins parallel to the structure._____________________________ 47 Mineralogy of the deposits.____________________________________ 48 Classification of the minerals.______________________________ 48 Metal content.___________________________________________ 48 Native elements._________________________________________ 48 Sulphides-__----________________________________________. 49 Sulphosalts.-- ___ _______-__----_-___--__---_-__._- 50 Sulphates __-_-_______-____________-__________----_______.. 51 Oxides.__________________________________________________ . 51 Carbonates. __--___-_-_________.-___-_-_____-______-___-_- 52 Tungstate__________________________________ 52 Undetermined minerals.___________________________________ 52 Interrelation of ore minerals.________________-_--___-__--__- 52 Genesis ______________________________________________________ 53 Relation of the mineral deposits to the intrusive masses.--.---. 53 Texas Creek batholith and associated porphyry dikes. _____ 53 Relation of the porphyry dikes of the Texas Creek batholith to the Premier ore bodies of British Columbia.______._. 54 Younger Coast Range intrusive rocks.___________________ 55 Temperature and pressure________________________________ 55 Comparison of deposits of the Texas Creek batholith with silver-lead deposits of the Boulder batholith, Montana____________________ 57 Notes on prospecting__________________________________________ 58 Mines and prospects___-!__--_____---_-___-________------------_ 63 Mountain View.__________________________________________ 63 Lucky Boy Extension.--_____-_-___________.._----__---__--_ 67 Bishop.._ ___________----___-_-_-__--_--_^_----_----_---_- 67 Victoria... ____----__--_____-_-____---__;--_-----__-------- 67 Fish Creek.____._----____.__________._____-___-_.- 68 Hyder Jumbo_--___----_------_______-__----__----__-- 72 Hyder Skookum..________________ f _____..___. 72 Titan.--.--.-------------.-----_______________________ 72 Monarch.-..---.-__-______--_.__ _-_____________-.-__ 74 Last Shot_____--____--_____-__----------------_---------- 75 Howard..._________________________ ._- 76 Sixmile. ______ _-_-___.__ _________ _________ 76 Riverside ____-___-__----_----__-_---_----_--------'------- 77 Butte-___________________________ -_- 81 Crest.________-_____--_____--__--_-_---_-_-----------_--- 81 Cripple Creek.________________-__---_-_-__------_--------. 82 Portland.-...-____- ___ __-___- _ - 84 CONTENTS Mineral deposits Continued. Mines and prospects Continued. Hobo_______._._..._.__.._..__._.____..._._...-.... 84 Alaska-Premier.__________________________________________ 85 Daly-Alaska____________________._._______ 86 Stoner-Clegg-O'Rourke.-_-------------- -----------_----- 88 Virginia.._ _______________________________________________ 88 Stoner. __________________________________________ 89 Border... ____________________-_---_-_____--_.___-__-- 90 Gold Cliff Premier________________________________________ 90 Cantu_______._________________________________ 91 Bartholf._____________________.-___-___-.__________-___ 92 Ninety-six______________________________________________ 93 Silver Bar.___________._______________ ____ 93 Liberty._______________________________________ 93 Nothiger ________________________________________________ 94 Evening and Morning Star_________________________________ 94 Homestake__________________-___________________________ 94 Silver Coin_________________.____._______________________ 95 Ibex_.________________________________ 96 Silver Star.__________________.____._._.__________ 97 Silver Bell.______________________________ 97 Texas Discovery_____________________-___________.________ 98 Iron Cap._________-_________________________ 98 Hummel__-._____________________________________ 98 Double Anchor.__________________________________________ 98 Dugas___________________-_---________-__-__- 99 Silver King__________________________________ 99 Chickamin. ____________________________________ 100 Blasher______________-_.____________________ 100 Lake. _____________._..__________________________ 101 Morning ________________________________________________ 101 Edelweiss and Jumbo-____-__-----______________________.__ 101 Heckla._._______.__________.___...______ 101 Texas Creek Comstock (Hyder Lead)_____________________ 102 Keno___________._____________._______ 108 Juneau___________________________-__-_«>_________.____-- 108 Sunset. ____________________._____________ 109 Engineer_______________________________________________« 109 North Star______________.________________________________ 110 Jumbo Mining.___________________________________________ 111 Commonwealth. __________________________________________ 111 Geologic reconnaissance along Chickamin River._--__--_---_-_____-___ 112 Geography ______--__.___________ _________________ 112 Geology.____ _____ ___ ___ ________________ 114 General features ______--___-_-___-__-_________-__-____---- 114 Metamorphic complex.____________________^_v __ ___________ 115 Coast Range intrusives____________________________^_______ 116 Structure ________________________________________ 1__. __"_ _ 118 Metamorphism ___________________________________________ 119 Mineralization. ______________________________________________ 120 Prospects. ________________________________________ 120 Gnat_ ________ . ____________________________________ 120 Glacier. ______________..._______________ 120 Index ________________________________________ 123 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Topographic map