Mineral Assessment of Ahtna, Inc. Selection in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mational Park and Preserve, Alaska
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U.S. Department of the Interior BLM-Alaska Technical Report 34 Bureau of Land Management BLM/AK/ST-00/019+3091+932 May 2000 Alaska State Office 222 W. Seventh Avenue, #13 Anchorage, Alaska 99513 _______________________________________________________________________ Mineral Assessment of Ahtna, Inc. Selections in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska Final Report Mark P. Meyer, Darrel A. VandeWeg, and Andrew D. Shepherd 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 Mark P. Meyer is a geologist with the Bureau of Land Management’s Alaska State Office, Division of Lands, Minerals, and Resources, Anchorage Mineral Resources Team. Darrel A. VandeWeg was a geological field assistant for the Anchorage Mineral Resources Team during 1998 through 1999. Andrew D. Shepherd was a geological field assistant during 1997. Cover photos Left - Darrel VandeWeg collecting GPS location data at the Cave Prospect Adit No. 2 on Copper Creek, a southern tributary of the Kotsina River. Photo by Mark P. Meyer. Upper right - Mark P. Meyer taking field notes at the Warner prospect adit on Rock Creek, a southern tributary of the Kotsina River. Photo by Darrel A. VandeWeg. Lower Right - Andrew Shepherd collecting GPS location data at the Clear Creek Mine lower opencut on Clear Creek, a northern tributary of the Kuskulana River. Photo by Mark P. Meyer. 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 of 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 Resources Library and Information Services (Anchorage), the USDI Natural 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 Assessment of Ahtna, Inc. Selections in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska Final Report by Mark P. Meyer Darrel A. VandeWeg Andrew D. Shepherd BLM-Alaska Technical Report 34 May 2000 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract......................................................................... 1 Introduction...................................................................... 2 Land status ...................................................................... 3 Location and access................................................................ 4 Acknowledgments ................................................................. 5 Geology......................................................................... 5 Northern Wrangell Mountains...................................................... 5 Southern Wrangell Mountains...................................................... 7 Mineral resources ................................................................ 10 Copper deposits.................................................................. 10 Stringer lodes.................................................................. 10 Argentiferous tetrahedrite deposits................................................ 10 Chalcocite deposits ........................................................... 11 Bornite and bornite-chalcocite deposits............................................. 11 Bornite-chalcopyrite deposits.................................................... 12 Pyrite-chalcopyrite deposits..................................................... 12 Contact deposits ............................................................... 12 Kennecott type deposits.......................................................... 13 Gold deposits.................................................................... 14 Nabesna type deposits........................................................... 14 Molybdenum and corundum deposits.................................................. 15 Mineral deposit models ............................................................ 15 Basaltic copper ................................................................ 16 Copper skarn.................................................................. 16 Iron skarn .................................................................... 16 Polymetallic vein ............................................................... 16 History ....................................................................... 23 Previous studies.................................................................. 24 Present study.................................................................... 24 1997 Field work ................................................................ 25 1998 Field work ................................................................ 26 Sampling....................................................................... 26 Site investigations ................................................................ 26 Northern Wrangell Mountains..................................................... 29 Southern Wrangell Mountains..................................................... 32 Kluvesna River prospects....................................................... 32 Kotsina River prospects........................................................ 35 Kuskulana River prospects...................................................... 39 Elliott Creek prospects ......................................................... 41 Canyon Creek prospects ........................................................ 41 Other prospects................................................................ 42 Summary....................................................................... 42 Northern Wrangell Mountains..................................................... 43 Southern Wrangell Mountains..................................................... 43 L TABLE OF CONTENTS--Continued Page Recommendations ................................................................ 45 Northern Wrangell Mountains..................................................... 46 Southern Wrangell Mountains..................................................... 46 Bibliography.................................................................... 47 Appendix A - Analytical results Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.................. 58 Appendix B - Property summary sheets ................................................ 71 TABLES 1. Properties located within Ahtna, Inc. selections, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve ..... 3 2. Properties located outside Ahtna, Inc. selections, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve..... 4 3. Selected properties within the McCarthy quadrangle, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve . 17 4. Selected properties within the Nabesna quadrangle, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve . 20 5. Selected properties within the Valdez quadrangle, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve . 21 6. Adit and opencut locations visited in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.......... 27 7. Highest analytical results of selected properties within Ahtna, Inc. selections in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve......................................... 44 8. Highest analytical results of selected properties outside Ahtna, Inc. selections in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve......................................... 45 PLATES 1. Location map of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve showing mineral terranes. 2. Geologic map of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. 3. Property location map of the northern study area Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. 4. Property location map of the southern study area Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. 5. Sample location map of the northern study area Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. 6. Sample location map of the southern study area Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. 7. Mineral terranes map showing selected properties in the northern study area. 8. Mineral terranes map showing selected properties in the southern study area. LL APPENDIX B - TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Alaska Copper Mines.............................................................. 72 Ammann Prospect................................................................ 74 Amy Creek ..................................................................... 76 Antler Creek North ............................................................... 79 Antler Creek South ............................................................... 81 Barrett Young and Nafsted.......................................................... 83 Bee Jay.......................................................................