DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR JOHN BARTON PAYNE, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Bulletin 682 MARBLE RESOURCES OF SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA BY ERNEST F. BURCHARD WITH A SECTION ON THE GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY BY THEODORE CHAPIN WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1920 CONTENTS. Page. Preface, by A. H. Brooks_____________________________ 7 Investigations, by E. F. Burcharcl________________________ 9 Geography and geology, by Theodore Ghapin_________________ 10 Geography _______________________i__________ 10 Location and extent________ ________________ 10 Relief and drainage___________..______________ 10 Glaciation_________________;______________ 11 Climate__________________________________ 11 Timber and vegetation___..____________ __ 12 Population and settlements ______________________ 13 Accessibility_________________________________ 13 Geology _________________________________ ___ 14 General features___ ._________.______ ___ 14 Sedimentary rocks __________________ :__ 14 Igneous rocks_______________________________ 16 Elementary notes on limestone and marble_____T___ ___ 17 Classification _________________________________ 17 Origin of limestone_____________'.__________________________ 18 Character of limestone ___________________________ 21 Varieties of limestone____________________________ 21 Definition of marble____________ _______________ 24 Metamorphism________________________________ 24 Chemical composition __ .._ _ ___ 24 Physical properties _ _______ _______________ 26 Weathering ________________ __________________ 26 The marble deposits, by E. F. Burcharcl____ -_______________________ 26 Geographic distribution_ _____ ______________ 2*6 Topographic relations_ _ _ ___ ' 27 Geologic relations____ _ ____________ 28 Types of marble available ______ ___ ______ 29 The deposits________________ ____________ 40 Mainland at Limestone Inlet_____________-_______ 40 Mainland and islands, Glacier Bay__________________ 41 Chichagof Island__ __ - ______ ______ 45 Tenakee Inlet_________ _ ____ 45 Basket Bay and vicinity_____-_______________ 46 Admiralty Island _____________________________ 48 Point Hepburn__________ ______ _______ 49 Marble Cove and vicinity____________________ 50 Hood Bay ___ ___ _______________ 54 Chaik, Pybus, and Gambier bays________________ 55 Kupreanof Island _____ __ _ _____ 56 Northern part of Prince of Wales Island."_____________ 56 Point Colpoys__ _ _ ___ 56 Red Bay ______________________________ 57 Port Protection _________ _____ ______ 59 Shakan Bay _____________________________ 59 Dry Pass_____________________ ____ 62 El Capitan ___________ _____ ______ 63 3 4 . CONTENTS. The marble deposits Continued. The deposits Continued. Page. Kosciusko Island ____:_______________________ 64 Marble and Orr islands_____________________ 66 General features_____________________1_____ 66 Vermont Marble Co.'s properties_____________ 66 Blue-black limestone____________.. ..__ 67 White and veined marble______.=.______ 68 Quarries_____"____-__________________ 70 Products___________.,_____-___ . 72 Other prospects__________________ 72 Mission-Alaska Quarry Co_ 74 Heceta and neighboring islands___________________ 76 Dall Island_______________________________ 77 Waterfall Bay___________________________ 77 Breezy Bay_____1_______________._______ 80 View Cove_________:___________-_____ 80 Coco Harbor________________,___________ 82 Baldy Bay____________________________ 82 Grace Harbor___________________________ 82 American Bay_______________________________ 82 Cape Muzon__________ ______________ 83 Long Island_______ _ _ 83 Southeastern part of Prince of Wales Island____________ 85 Dolomi__________________ __________ 85 Dickman Bay___________________________ 86 Location _____________________________ 86 Relations and character of the marble__________ 86 Prospects_____ 88 Mainland east of Wrangell Island________. _________ 90 Lake Virginia_.___ ________.._______'_____ 91 Blake Channel___________________________ 92 Blake or Ham Island__ ___ ^___ _______ 93 Mainland near Ham Island___________.__________, 95 Revillagigedo Island______________.._________ 95 Commercial considerations __ 97 Factors controlling value__ _____________ 97 Prospecting__________ . '.______________________ 98 Value of geologic maps ..________ 98 Detailed prospecting__ _____.-_______ 99 Determination of overburden _________..__________ 99 Surface study______ _____________ 99 Diamond-driU prospecting __________ 99 The problem of waste _. ___________ 102 Waste elimination ____ 102 Waste utilization .______._________________ 105 Local sawing plants ; _________ 105 Water power and electricity _____________ 106 Transportation__________ _ _________..____. 109 Competition__________ _ _________________ 109 Production___________ ________________ 110 Uses of Alaska marble- __ ______._____ 110 Important undeveloped deposits___..________________ 112 Patent to marble lands____ _ __________._____ 114 Index _ _ ______ ___. 115 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. PLATE I. Geologic reconnaissance map of southeastern Alaska witn index to marble deposits______ _ 10 II. Map showing marble deposits examined on Chichagof and Admiralty islands_ _____ . 26 III. Map showing marble deposits examined on northern Prince of Wales Island, and on Kosciusko, Marble, Orr, and Heceta islands___________________- 28 IV. Map showing marble deposits examined on Dall and Long islands __________________ _._______ 30 V. Map showing marble deposits examined on southeastern Prince of Wales Island and on Revillagigedo Island__ 32 VI. 4, Photomicrograph of thin section of white marble from Chichagof Island, Tenakee Inlet; B, Photomicrograph of thin section of white marble with light-gray veins from Tokeen_____________________________ 46 VII. A, Schistose marble on wave-scoured beach of Chatham Strait, Admiralty Island, north of Marble Cove; B, Near view of wave-scoured marble on beach of Chatham Strait, Chichagof Island; south of Basket Bay___._ 47 VIII. A, Schistose varicolored marble from beach of Chatham Strait, Admiralty Island, 1 mile north of Marble Cove; B, Fine-grained black marble (blue-black limestone) from Vermont Marble Co.'s property, Tokeen, Marble Island-.______________________________ 50 IX. A, Marble quarry of Alaska Marble Co. at Calder, Prince of Wales Island; B, Indian graveyard on the small marble island at entrance to Dry Pass near Shakan__ 58 X. A, Fossiliferous blue-black limestone beds in tramway cut 250 feet from wharf, Tokeen; B, Stripping operations of Vermont Marble Co., showing surface of weathered marble, Tokeen_________________________ 66 XI. A, Andesite porphyry dike about 1 foot thick cutting marble beds on west side of Vermont Marble Co.'s quarry, Tokeen; B, Face of marble at depth of about . 50 feet in Vermont Marble Co.'s quarry, Tokeen_____ 67 XII. A, First quarry opening, Vermont Marble Co., Tokeen; B, Wharf and water front of Vermont Marble Co.'s prop­ erty, Tokeen________________________ 70 XIII. Vermont Marble Co.'s quarry, Tokeen: A, Southwest cor­ ner; B, Lowest floor____________________ 71 XIV. Marble quarry of Mission-Alaska Quarry .Co. on Orr Island______________________________ 74 XV. A, Veined marble ("Dark Mission") from Mission-Alask*a Quarry Co.'s property, Orr Island; B, Photomicrograph of thin section of veined " Dark Mission " marble from Orr Island_________ .__________________ 76 XVI. Panel of brecciated marble from Tokeen, formed by match- ing slabs sawed from same blockl_____________ 78 5 ILLUSTRATIONS. PLATE XVII. Limestone .from northern part of Heceta Island: "A, Finely mottled limestone; B, Coarsely mottled limestone__ 80 XVIII. A, Fine-grained pink and white mottled marble from Waterfall Bay, Dall Island; B, Photomicrograph of thin section of fine-grained white marble from Waterfall Bay, Dall Island__________________________ 82 XIX. A, Fine-grained gray and variegated marble from Water­ fall Bay, Dall Island; B, Yellow marble from View Cove, Dall Island______________'_______'______ 84 XX. Samples of colored marble from Dickman Bay in office of Alaska-Shamrock Marble Co., Portland, Oreg______ 86 XXI. Marble from Alaska-Shamrock Marble Co.'s property, Dick­ man Bay: A, Fine-grained white marble with faint gray­ ish-green veins; B, Fine-grained gray marble with yel­ lowish streaks and white clouded areas__________ 88 XXII. Marble from Alaska-Shamrock Marble Co.'s property, Dick- man Bay: A, Fine-grained dark grayish-green and white brecciated marble (" black and white ") ; B, Fine-grained green and white brecciated marble________'_____ 90 XXIII. Entrance to Yeon Building, Portland, Oreg., decorated with Tokeen marble______________________ 92 XXIV. Corridor, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, deco­ rated with Tokeen marble__________________ 93 XXV. Lobby of Isaacs Building, Los Angeles, Calif.; floors, stairs, and walls of Tokeen marble________________ 94 XXVI. Entrance to Majestic Theater, Portland, Oreg., decorated with colored marble from Dickman Bay_____ __ 95 FIGURE 1. Map showing marble deposits examined on mainland and islands in Glacier Bay__________________'._______ 42 2. Sketch map showing marble quarry and claims of Alaska Marble Co. on Prince of Wales Island, Shakan Bay_____ 60 3. Sketch map showing claims of Vermont Marble Co. on Marble Island______________________________ 67 4. Map showing marble deposits examined on mainland east of Wrangell Island and on Ham Island______________ 93 5. Sketch map showing claims of Vermont Marble Co. on Ham Island__________________I______________ 94 6. Sketch map of Dickinson