Genesis of Gold-Bearing Quartz Veins of the Alleghany District, California (Abs.), 25
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE SYMPOSIUM ON MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, CORDILLERAN SECTION MEETING AT CORVALLIS, OREGON, MARCH 20-21, 1980 Edited by Miles L. Silbennan, Cyrus W. Field, and Anne L. Berry U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 81-355 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards. INTRODUCTION The following collection of 29 papers and abstracts was presented at a symposium on Mineral Deposits of the Pacific Northwest. This symposium consisted of four one-half day sessions held in conjunction with the 1980 Cordilleran Section meeting of the Geological Society of America at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. These papers and abstracts cover a broad spectrum of detail and breadth over a geologically complex terrain that extends from California northward through British Columbia to northwestern Alaska. Although the central theme was invariably concerned with metallization, the scientific emphasis varied appreciably according to the professional interests of the individual contributors. This emphasis not only included traditional geologic studies ranging from detailed investigations of single ore deposits, or of mining districts, to large-scale regional syntheses, but also of topical considerations such as geochronology, geophysics, geothermometry, mineralogy and phase equilibria, petro chemistry, plate tectonics, and radiogenic and stable isotope geo chemistry that are relevant to processes of ore genesis as well as to potentially useful methods of exploration. Among the specific types of mineral occurrences considered were epithermal and mesothermal deposits of mercury and precious metals; contact metasomatic deposits of molybdenum, tungsten, and base metals; placer gold; porphyry-type deposits of copper and molybdenum; strata-bound deposits of uranium and base and precious metals; and volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits ii Isotopic geochemistry of stratiform zinc-lead-barium deposits, Red Dog Creek and Drenchwater Creek areas, northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska I. M. Lange, University of Montana W. J. Nokleberg, U.S. Geological Survey J. T. Plahuta, University of Montana H. R. Krouse, University of Calgary B. R. Doe, U.S. Geological Survey Uldis Jansons, U.S. Bureau of Mines Zantop, Half, Paleozoic stratabound lead-zinc-copper deposits in the western United States, 29 Lange, I. M., Nockleberg, W. J., Plahuta, J. T., Krouse, H. R., Doe, B. R., and Jansons, Uldis, Isotopic geochemistry of stratiform zinc-lead-barium deposits, Red Dog Creek and Drenchwater Creek areas, northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska, 1 MacKevett, E. J., Jr., Armstrong, A. K., Potter, R. W., II, and Silberman, M. L., Kennecott-type copper deposits, Wrangell Mountains, Alaska an update and summary (abs.)» 6 Marshall, Brian, and Taylor, B. E., Origin of hydrothermal fluids responsible for gold deposition, Alleghany district, Sierra County, California, 26 McMillan, W. J., and Johan, Z., Rock geochemistry, geology and genesis of the Guichon Creek batholith in British Columbia, Canada, as it relates to highland Valley ore deposits, 9 Meinert, L. D., Newberry, Rainer, and Einaudi, M. T., An overview of tungsten, copper and zinc-bearing skarns in western North America, 28 Mitchell, P. A., Silberman, M. L., and O f Neil, J. R., Genesis of gold vein mineralization in an Upper Cretaceous turbidite sequence, Hope-Sunrise district, southern Alaska, 5 Radtke, A. S., Wittkopp, R. W., and Heropoulos, Chris, Genesis of gold-bearing quartz veins of the Alleghany district, California (abs.), 25 Robyn, T. L., Henage, L. F., and Hollister, V. F., Possible nonsubduc- tion associated porphyry ore deposits, Pacific Northwest, 13 Shreiner, Alexander, Jr. , and Shepard, R. J., Geology and mineralization of the Washougal mining district, Skamania County, Washington, 15 Shreiner, Alexander, Jr., and Suemnicht, G. A., Subsurface intrusive rocks at The Geysers geothermal area, California, 27 Silberman, M. L., MacKevett, E. M., Jr., Connor, C. L., and Matthews, Alan, Metallogenic and tectonic significance of oxygen isotope data and whole-rock potassium-argon ages of the Nikolai Greenstone, McCarthy quadrangle, Alaska, 7 Smith, P. R., Geology update of the Quartz Hill molybdenum property near Ketchikan, Alaska (abs.), A Vulimiri, M. R., and Cheney, E. S., Stratiform mineralization and origin of some of the vein deposits, Bunker Hill mine, Couer d'Alene district, Idaho, 23 Yeend, Warren, Placer gold deposits, Mt. Hayes quadrangle, Alaska, 8 ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Ashley, R. P., and Evarts, R. C., Geology and ore deposits of the St. Helens mining district, Washington (abs.)» 14 Balla, J. C., and Smith, R. G., Geology of the Little Boulder Creek deposit, Custer County, Idaho (abs.)> 22 Briskey, J. A., Field, C. W., and Bellamy, J. R., Geology, petrology, and geochemistry of the Jersey, East Jersey, Heustis, and lona porphyry copper-molybdenum deposits, Highland Valley, British Columbia, 10 Case, J. E., Magnetic expression and mineralization of some Tertiary plutons of Prince William Sound and the Alaska Peninsula, southern Alaska (abs.)> 3 Casey, W. H., and Taylor, B. E., Stable isotopic investigation of hydrothermal ore fluids in massive sulfide deposits of the West Shasta Cu-Zn district, California, 24 Cheney, E. S., New concepts of regional geology and uranium exploration in northeastern Washington, 16 Derkey, R. E., Hydrothermal alteration and mineralization at the Blackbutte mercury mine, Lane County, Oregon, 17 Derkey, R. E., The Silver Peak volcanogenic massive sulfide, northern Klamath Mountains, Oregon, 19 Fahey, P. L., The Island copper porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit, Vancouver Island, British Columbia (abs.)» H Godwin, C. I., Sinclair, A. J., and Ryan, B. D., Lead isotope models for the genesis of carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb, shale-hosted Ba-Zn-Pb, and silver-rich deposits in the northern Canadian Cordillera, 12 Hitzman, M. W., Geology of the BT Claim Group, southwestern Brooks Range, Alaska, 2 Juhas, A. P., Freeman, P. S., and Fredericksen, R. S., Kuroko type copper-gold mineralization at the Iron Dyke mine, Oregon, 21 Juhas, A. P., and Gallagher, T. P., Kuroko type mineralization at the Red Ledge deposit, Idaho, 20 Koski, R. A., Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in ocean-crust and island-arc terranes, northwestern Klamath Mountains, Oregon and California, 18 viii 29. Paleozoic stratabound lead-zinc-copper deposits in the western United States Half Zantop 328 vii Several contributors attempt to relate the occurrences of specific types of mineral deposits to tectonic domains or to type and evolution of associated magma systems, and two others attempt to summarize genetic implication of the distributions of skarn and strata-bound types of mineral deposits throughout the western United States. Mineral deposits of hydrothermal origin clearly served as an unintentional theme to this symposium, as underscored by the paper concerning The Geysers geothermal area of west-central California. This apparent metallogenetic "excess" is attributable to the cordilleran locale of the Pacific Northwest, and not to editorial bias exercised by the co-conveners of this symposium. The participants of this symposium, both the contributors and the audience, represented a cross-section of the geologic profession that is concerned with mineral deposits, and with interests ranging from esoteric considerations of ore genesis to the more pragmatic considerations of exploration. They were comprised of members from the academic, governmental, and industrial sectors, and in many cases their contributions were co-authored by individuals from two or more of these communities. As co-convenors of this symposium, we are particularly gratified at the response given to these technical sessions, both from the contributors and from the audience, which numbered more than 300. In order to make these papers and abstracts available without an intolerably long delay, we decided at an early date to publish them collectively as a U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report. We selected this semiformal method of publication to expedite the printing and distribution of these papers because of the timely iii nature of many of these contributions that are in rapidly advancing fields of study. We wish to express our sincere thanks to the organizers of the Cordilleran Section meeting in Corvallis, Oregon; especially to co-chairmen George H. Keller and Robert S. Yeats of the local committee and E. Julius Dasch and Erwin Suess of the technical program, for providing the opportunity and assistance that enabled us to convene this synposium. We gratefully acknowledge the able assistance of John Derr, of the staff of technical reports unit of the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, for the assembly of this volume with a minimum of delay or difficulty. Lastly, we wish to extend our sincerest appreciation to the contributors of this volume, both for the high quality of their presentations at the symposium and for their cooperation in meeting the deadlines of manuscript submittal. The success of this volume is directly the result of our contributors and of those who have assisted us in this publication effort. Miles L. Silberman U.S. Geological Survey 345 Middlefield Road Menlo Park, California 94025 Cyrus W. Field Department of Geology Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon 97331 Anne L. Berry U.S. Geological Survey 345 Middlefield Road Menlo Park, California 94025 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Isotopic