U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PREPARED IN COLLABORATION WITH: RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES GEOLOGICAL COMMITTEE OF RUSSIA ALASKA DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA SIGNIFICANT METALLIFEROUS AND SELECTED NON-METALLIFEROUS LODE DEPOSITS AND PLACER DISTRICTS FOR THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST, ALASKA, AND THE CANADIAN CORDILLERA By Warren J. Nokleberg1, Thomas K. Bundtzen2, Kenneth M. Dawson3, Roman A. Eremin4, Nikolai A. Goryachev4, Richard D. Koch1, Vladimir V. Ratkin5, Ilya S. Rozenblum6, Vladimir I. Shpikerman4, and Yuri F. Frolov7, Mary E. Gorodinsky6, Vladimir D. Melnikov8, Michael F. Diggles1, Nikolai V. Ognyanov5, Eugene D. Petrachenko5, Rimma I.Petrachenko5, Anany I. Pozdeev7, Katherina V. Ross3, Douglas H. Wood3, Donald Grybeck9, Alexander I. Khanchuck5, Lidiya I. Kovbas5, Ivan Ya. Nekrasov5, and Anatoly A. Sidorov4 1-U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park 2-Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks 3-Geological Survey of Canada, Vancouver 4-Russian Academy of Sciences, Magadan 5-Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 6-Geological Committee of Northeastern Russia, Magadan 7-Geological Committee of Kamchatka, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 8-Geological Committee of Amur Region, Blagoveshchensk 9-U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage OPEN-FILE REPORT 96-513-B 1997 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards or with the North American Stratigraphic Code. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 1 INTRODUCTION Significant mineral deposit. A mine, mineral deposit, prospect, or occurrence that is judged as important for the This report is a written tabular compilation of the metallogenesis of a geographic region. significant metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous lode deposits and placer districts of the Russian Far East, Terrane. A fault-bounded geologic entity or fragment that Alaska, and the Canadian Cordillera. The report provides is characterized by a distinctive geologic history that differs detailed summaries of the important features of the markedly from that of adjacent terranes (Jones and others, significant lode deposits and placer districts along with a 1983; Howell and others, 1985; Nokleberg and others, summary of mineral deposit models, and a bibliography of 1994c). Constitutes a physical entity, i.e., a stratigraphic cited references. Data are provided herein for 1,079 succession bounded by faults, inferred faults, or an significant lode deposits and 158 significant placer districts intensely-deformed structural complex bounded by faults. of the region. The tabular data are provided in Table 1 for Some terranes may be displaced (faulted) facies of other significant lode deposits, and in Table 2 for significant terranes. placer districts at the end of report. Alphabetical indices of the tabular data are provided after Tables 1 and 2. LODE AND PLACER MINERAL DEPOSIT MODELS The Alaskan and Canadian mineral deposit data are Classification of Mineral Deposits derived from revisions of Dawson (1984), Nokleberg and others (1987, 1993, 1994a, b), from new unpublished data Metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous lode and of the authors, and from recent publications. The Russian placer deposits in this report are classified into various Far East mineral deposit data represent new compilations models or types described below. This classification of by the Russian authors using cited references and mineral deposits was derived mainly from the mineral unpublished data of the authors. deposit types of Eckstrand (1984), Cox and Singer (1986), Nokleberg and others (1987, 1993, 1994a, b), cited This report is published in digital format on a CD- references for specific models, and unpublished data of the ROM. This report is one of a series of studies on the Russian authors. The lode deposit types are grouped mineral deposits, metallogenic belts, bedrock geology, and according to host rock lithologies and (or) origin. Lode tectonics of the Russian Far East, Alaska, and the Canadian deposit types that share a common origin, such as contact Cordillera. Published major companion studies are: (1) a metasomatic deposits, or porphyry deposits, are grouped report on the metallogenesis of mainland Alaska and the together under a single heading. Russian Northeast (Nokleberg and others, 1993); and (2) a tectonostratigraphic terrane map of the Circum-North The mineral deposit types used in this report consist of Pacific (Nokleberg and others, 1994c). A companion both descriptive and genetic information that is version of this report was published in paper format (Open- systematically arranged to describe the essential properties File Report 96-513-A). of a class of mineral deposits. Some types are descriptive (empirical), in which instance the various attributes are METALLOGENIC AND TECTONIC DEFINITIONS recognized as essential, even though their relationships are unknown. An example of a descriptive mineral deposit type The following key definitions are provided. is the basaltic Cu type in which the empirical datum of a geologic association of Cu sulfides with relatively Cu-rich Deposit. A general term for any lode or placer mineral metabasalt or greenstone is the essential attribute. Other occurrence, mineral deposit, prospect, and (or) mine. types are genetic (theoretical), in which case the attributes are related through some fundamental concept. An example Metallogenic belt. A geologic unit (area) that either is the W skarn deposit type in which case the genetic contains or is favorable for a group of coeval and process of contact metasomatism is the essential attribute. genetically-related, significant lode and placer deposit For additional information on the methodology of mineral models. deposit types, the reader is referred to the discussions by Eckstrand (1984) and Cox and Singer (1986). For each Mine. A site where valuable minerals have been extracted. deposit type, the principal references are listed in parentheses. Mineral deposit. A site where concentrations of potentially valuable minerals for which grade and tonnage estimates Deposits Related to Marine Felsic to Mafic Extrusive have been made. Rocks Mineral occurrence. A site of potentially valuable minerals Kuroko Zn-Pb-Cu massive sulfide (Ag, Au, Cd, Sn, Sb, on which no visible exploration has occurred, or for which Bi, barite) (D.A. Singer in Cox and Singer, 1986; no grade and tonnage estimates have been made. Franklin, 1993) Overlap assemblage. A postaccretion unit of sedimentary This deposit type consists of volcanogenic massive to or igneous rocks deposited on, or intruded into, two or disseminated sulfides that occur in felsic to intermediate more adjacent terranes (Jones and others, 1983; Howell and marine volcanic, pyroclastic, and bedded sedimentary others, 1985; Nokleberg and others, 1994c). The rocks. The deposit minerals are mainly pyrite, chalcopyrite, sedimentary and volcanic parts either depositionally sphalerite, and lesser galena, tetrahedrite, tennantite, and overlie, or are interpreted to have originally depositionally magnetite. Local alteration to zeolites, montmorillonite, overlain, two or more adjacent terranes, or terranes and the silica, chlorite, and sericite may occur. The volcanic rocks craton margin. Overlapping plutonic rocks, which may be are mainly rhyolite and dacite flows and tuff with coeval and genetically related to overlap volcanic rocks, subordinate basalt and andesite. Deposits commonly link or stitch together adjacent terranes, or a terrane and a associated with subvolcanic intrusions that focus heat and craton margin. provide energy for circulating hydrothermal fluids and leaching reactions. Strata above intrusions display Prospect. A site of potentially valuable minerals in which extensive high-temperature alteration, including metal excavation has occurred. depletion, extreme alkali modification, and silicification. Deposits may be associated with major units of epiclastic breccia and with local growth faults, either rift or caldera- collapse faults. Alteration pipes may develop in portions of 2 faults that immediately underlie the deposits. The Volcanogenic Fe (Shekhorkina, 1976) depositional environment is mainly hot springs related to marine volcanism in island arcs or in extensional regimes This deposit type consists of sheeted magnetite, and behind island arcs. rarely magnetite-hematite or magnetite-hydroxide that occur in interlayered dark-gray jasper, shale, sandstone, and Besshi Cu-Zn massive sulfide (Cu, Zn, Ag) (D.P. Cox in sedimentary breccia that contain subordinate subalkaline Cox and Singer, 1986; Slack, 1993) mafic extrusive rocks,. Associated minerals are pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, and other sulfide This deposit type consists of thin sheet-like bodies of minerals. Quartz is the dominant gangue mineral, along massive to well-laminated pyrite, pyrrhotite, and with Fe-rich chlorite, calcite, and gypsum. The depositional chalcopyrite and sphalerite, and lesser sulfide minerals, environment is presumably related to hot springs associated within thinly laminated clastic sedimentary rocks, basalt, with marine mafic volcanism. and mafic tuff. Lesser minerals are magnetite, galena, bornite, and tetrahedrite, with gangue quartz, carbonates, Deposits Related to Subaerial Extrusive Rocks albite, white mica, and chlorite. The rock types are mainly marine clastic sedimentary