IN REPLY REFER TO: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 4 ~ GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WASHINGTON 25. D. C. APR 3 0 1951 AEC-.781,/2 Dr. Phillip L. Merritt, Assistant Director Division of Raw Materials U. S. Atomic Energy Commission P. 0. Box 30, Ansonia Station New York 23, New York Dear Phil: Transmitted herewith for your information and distribution are six copies of Trace Elements Investigations Report Ii9, "Reconnaissance for radio- active deposits in the Buckland-Kiwalik district, Candle quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska", by Walter S. West- and John J. Matzko, March 1952. It is believed that of all the uranothorianite occurrences in the Buckl and -Kiwalik district only that in the headwaters of the Peace River has any merit as a lead to a possible high-grade uranium deposit. At this locality uranothorianite and guimnite are associated with pyrite, chalcopyrite, hematite, -ilmenite, bismuth, bornite, gold, silver, chromite, and thorite in placers near a syenite-andesite contact; the equivalent uranium content of concentrates from these placers is about 10 times that of concentrates from other uranothorianite -bearing placers in the eastern part of the Seward Peninsula. During 1951 a smalli field appraisal party attempted to locate the bedrock source of the uranothorianite and gunmite at the Peace River locality, but was unsuccessful because of permafrost conditions and lack of the heavy trenching equimnt necessary to remove the thick frozen tundra cover. A separate short report is being prepared on the results of the 1951 field appraisal. The Survey plans no further work on the radioactive deposits in the Bucand-Kiiwalik district beyond the publication of available information in an attempt to stimulate private prospecting. We plan to publish this report as a Geological Survey circular, and are asking Mr. Hosted, by a copy of this letter, whether the Commaission has any objection to such publication. Sincerely yours, WH. Bradley hifGeologist UNCLASSIFIED Geology - Mineralogy This document consists of 2'7 pages, plus 1 figure. Series A UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY RECONNAISSANCE FOR RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS IN THE BUCKLAqD -KIWALIK DISTRICT, CANDLE QUADRANGLE, SEWARD PENINSULA, A.LASKA* By Walter S. West and John J. Matzko March 1952 Trace Elements Investigations Report I49 This preliminary report is dis- tributed without editorial and technical review for conformity with official standards and no- menclature . I sntfrp li inspector otation. 1This report concerns work done on behalf of the Division of Raw Materials of the U.~ S. Atomic Energy Caimnission 2 USGS - TEI Report 149 GEOLOGY - MINERALOGY Distribution (Series A) American Cyanamid Company, Watertown . .. .. 1 Argonne National Laboratory..... .. .. .. Atomic Ener~gy Ccmmission, Washington . ... Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Company, Y-l2 Area . Colorado Raw Materials Office (T. *W. Oster) .. Division of Raw Materials, Denver ...... .. Division of Raw Materials, New York. ... .. Division of Raw Materials, Spokane.. ...... .. 1 Division of Raw Materials, Washington . ..... Dow Chemical Company, Pittsburg... .... .. ' Technical InIfornation Service, Oak Ridge . ... .5.. 1 Terr. Dept. Mines, Juneau (L. II. Saarela) ... Terr. Dept. Mines, Ketchikan (A. B. Glover) .. I.. .. 3 Terr. Dept. Mines, Anchorage (P. 0. Sandvik) .. Terr. Dept. Mines, Coliege (D. J. Cook) . ... Terr. Dept. Mines, Nome (D. Jones) .'..... .. .. U. S. Geological Survey: Mineral Deposits Branch, Washington.... .. 1 Geochemistry and Petrology Branch, Washington . 2: Geophysics Branch, Washington . .. .. .. 1 Alaskan Section, Washington . .. .. .. 6 G. 0. Gates, San Francisco . .*. .. .. ., . 1 W. S. Twenhofel, Juneau...... .. ... .. .. 1 R. M. Chaiuan, Fairbanks ............ 1 V. EB. MeKelvey, Washington . 1 L . R . Page, Denver . .. .. ... .. 1 R . P. Fischer, Grand Junction . .. .. .. 1 A. B. Weissenborn, Spokane... ........ .. 1 TEPCO, Washington ................ 5 (Including master) 55 3 CO~FK1TS Pane Abstract . ..... *.. .. .. ... ..-- 5 Introduction.. .. ............ .. .. .. .. .. 6 Location of' area . .... .. .... .. ... ... 6 Purpose and scope of' investigation . -.... -- 7 Undivided malfic igneous rocks . 8 Phyllit. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. 9 Undivided granitic rocks . .. 9 Unconsolidated sediments . ...- 10 Mineral deposits *.. .... .. .. .. .. 10 Radioactivity investigations * . .. ,. .. .. ... u Field methods.... .... .... ... ... .. .U Laboratorymethdods. ... .... .. .. .12 Radioactive uiwmtrls.. .. ..... .. ... .. .. 13 (rnuhor ianite.. .. ......... ... .... 13 Thorite . .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. 13 Orangite . .. .. .. ... .14 Ilydrothorite , . , . ,.. .. ... .. .14 Allanite '.99.9... .. .. .. .. .. ... 114 Sphene . .. ... .. .. .. .. ... 114 Zircon..... .. .... .. .. .. .. .. ..... 15 Distribution of radioactive minierals.... .. .. .. .. ... 15 Granite Mountain area ..... ... .. .. i. .. 21 Headwaters of' the Peace River. .... ........ Quartz Creek............ ... .. .. .. ... 23 Other localities . .. .. ... .. ... Connolly. Creek-Hunter Creek area . , . 24 Clem Mountain area........ .... .. .... .... 25 Other areas' . .. ... .. .. .. .. .... 25 Conclusions,.. .9 9 . .. .. .. ........ .. .. ... ... 26 References . ....... ... .. ... .. .26 2. Page ILLUSTRATION Figure 1. Geologic sketch map of the Buckland-Kiwalik district, Seward Peninsula, Alaska . In envelope TABLES Table 1. Data on heavy mineral fractions of creek placer concentrates containing 0.025 percent or more equivalent uranium from the Buckland-Kiwalik district, Seward Peninsula, Alaska . 16 2. Mineralogy and equivalent uranium content of three concentrate samples from pravels in the headwaters of the Peace River, Seward Peninsula, Alaska .... ..... .. .. .. .. .22 5 RECOD1NAISSANICE FOR RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS IN THE BUC1CLANiD-XIWALIK DISTRICT, CAIU)LE QUADRANGLE, SEWARD PENINSULA, AIASKA By Walter S. West and John J. Matzko ABSTRACT Radioactive minerals are widely distributed in the Buckland.-Kiwalik district of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Localized concentrations of uranothoriaxiite, the most important uraniuL mineral found, occur in the headwaters of Peace River, Quartz Creek, and Sweepstakes Creek on the slopes of Granite Mountain; in the Hunter Creek-Connolly Creek area, and on the south slope of Clem Mountain. Although the source of the uranothorianite and the other radioactive minerals has not yet been discovered because of tundra cover and heavy talus deposits, these minerals probably occur as accessories in granitic rocks . The concentration of uranothocrianite in placers at the head of the Peace River is believed to be the only lead to a possible high-grade uranium deposit. At This locality uranothorianite and its alteration product gunm-i te, associated with hematite, limonite, powellite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite, molybdenite, gold, silver and bismuth, occur in the gravels of a restricted drainage basin near a syenite-andesite contact. A low-grade copper sulfide lode was previously reported in granite near the location of these placers. Concentrates from these placers contain from about 0.2 to about 0.8 percent equivalent uranium or about ten times the equivalent uranium content of the average uranothorianite-bearing com- centrates from other localities in the eastern Seward Peninsula. 6 INTRODUCTION Location of area The Buckland.-Kiwalik district is bounded on the east and west by the Buckland and Kiwalik Rivers respectively, which flow north into the Arctic Ocean and drain the northeastern part of the Seward Peninsula (inset map of Alaska, fig. 1). The area investigated in 191i7 includes the divide between these rivers, from Granite Mountain on the south to Clem Mountain on the north, approximately 15 miles from the north shore of the Seward Peninsula (fig. i). The area is accessible from Name, approximately 160 air-line miles to the southwest, by small airplane to two short airstrips, one located in the headwaters of Quartz Creek, and the other on Bear Creek (fig. 1). Haycock, the nearest settlement to the area, is located about 25 miles south of the Bear Creek airstrip. As no roads have yet been built in the area, transportation of supplies to and within the area must be done by tractor and sled or trailer. The Buckland-Kiwalik divide area is a high elongated partially dis- sected ridge of marked relief, approximately 50 miles long (north-soutke), and fromi 6 to 20 miles wide.0Striking topographic features of this divide area are the terraced character of many of th@ hills and mountain, the steep-sided flat-topped mountains, the conical-shaped hills, and the deeply entrenched valleys . The highest elevation of this watershed is only 2,600 feet, but the abrupt rise from the swampy lowlandsa of the Buck- land and Kiwalik Rivers gives an appearance of great relief . 7 Purpose and scope of investigation Radiometric examination in 19114 and 19115 (Harder and Reed, 19145) of a collection of Alaskan placer samples discovered several highly radioactive samples from Sweepstakes and Rube Creeks, south and southeast of Granite Mountain and the headwaters of the Kiwalik and Bucklaxi Rivers (fig. 1). According to Larsen (Harder and Reed, 19115, appendix 1), the radioactivity of two of the Sweepstakes Creek samples is due mainly to a heavy black, opaque, mineral with a cubic habit or form which was thought at the time to be either uraninite or thorianite, or a solid mixture of both. In 19115 a Geological Survey field party made a reconnaissance investi- gation (Gault, et al., 1916)