DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR BULLETIN 534 THE YENTNA DISTRICT ALASKA BY STEPHEN R. CAPPS WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1913 CONTENTS. Page. Preface, by Alfred H. Brooks. ^.........1.................................. 7 Location and area......................................................... 9 Previous work............................................................. 9 Present investigation...................................................... 11 Geography . i............................................................. 11 Drainage.............................................................. 11 Susitna River..................................................... 11 Yentna River..................................................... 12 Relief..-.............................................................. 14 Lowlands......................................................... 14 Foothills......................................................... 14 Mountains....^................................................... 15 Influence of rock types on topography............................... 16 Climate.............................................................. 16 Vegetation........................................................... 18 Population............................................................... 20 Supplies and transportation............................................... 20 Geology.................................................................. 22 Principal features...................................................... 22 Sedimentary rocks..................................................... 24 Slate and graywacke series (Paleozoic or Mesozoic).............'..... 24 Distribution and character...................................... 24 Structure and thickness....................................... 26 Age and correlation........................................... 27 Intrusive rocks .............................................. 28 Tertiary system................................................... 28 Eocene series (coal-bearing) ................................... 28 Distribution.............................................. £8 Character....................:............................ 30 Structure and thickness................................... 30 Age and correlation....................................... 32 Gravels........................................................ 33 Character and distribution................................. 33 Structure and thickness................................... 34 Age....................................................... 35 Quaternary system................................................. 36 Preglacial conditions.......................................... 36 Glacial epoch................................................. 37 Advance of the ice......................................... 37 Extent of glaciation........................................ 38 Retreat of the ice. ..................... t ................... 40 3 4 CONTENTS. Geology Continued. Sedimentary rocka Continued. Quaternary system Continued. Glacial epoch Continued. Page. Present glaciers............................................ 41 Yentna glaciers....................................... 41 Kahiltna Glacier...................................... 41 Tokichitna glaciers..................................... 42 Glacial deposits........................... ............... 42 Moraines............................... ............. 42 Bench gravels......................................... 43 Present stream gravels......................................... 43 Postglacial erosion............................................. 44 Igneous rocks......................................................... 45 Character and occurrence.......................................... 45 Age............................................................... 46 Mineral resources.......................................................... 47 Gold placers........................................................... 47 General features................................................... 47 Origin and distribution of placer gold............................... 48 Genesis of gold placers........................................:... 49 Developments..................................................... 51 Present conditions............................................ 51 Cache Creek basin............................................. 52 Features of the streams..................................... 52 Cache Creek............................................... 53 Gold Creek................................................. 58 Nugget Creek............................................. 58 Lucky Gulch............................................. 60 Rambler Gulch....:...................................... 60 Thunder Creek............................................ 61 Falls Creek................................................ 62 Dollar Creek............................................... 62 Peters Creek basin............................................. 63 Peters Creek............................................... 63 Bird Creek............................................... 65 Cottonwood Creek.......................................... 66 Willow Creek.......................................... 66 Poorman Creek....................................... 66 Tokichitna basin............................................... 67 Long Creek............................................... 67 Lake Creek basin............................................. 67 Lake Creek............................................... 67 Mills Creek basin.......................................... 68 General features........................................ 68 Wagner Gulch......................................... 68 Chicago Gulch......................................... 68 Mills Creek.......................................... 69 Twin Creek........................................... 70 Origin of the gold..................................... 70 Prospects.......................................................... 70 Summary of placer mining......................................... 71 Coal................................................................... 72 Index.................................................................... 73 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. PLATE I. Sketch map of the Susitna basin, showing the position of the Yentna district.................................................. 9 II? Reconnaissance topographic map of the Yentna district........ In pocket. III. Geologic map of the Yentna district............................ In pocket. IV. A, Peters Hills, with Cache Creek trough in foreground; B, Che- lantna Lake and the Alaska Range ............................... 14 V. Mount McKinley from the southeast................................ 15 VI. Af Rugged mountains at the head of Granite Creek; B, Glaciers at the head of Hidden Creek, west of Granite Creek ................ 16 VII. A, Pass between Bear and Peters creeks, and a gorge in the slate and graywacke series of Dutch Hills; B, Moss hummocks on upper part of Dutch Creek......................:....................... 20 VIII. A, The Eocene coal-bearing series and overlying Tertiary gravels on the northwest side of Fairview Mountain; B, Tertiary gravels on the southeast side of Cottonwood Creek near Fairview Moun­ tain............................................................ 34 IX. A, Tertiary gravels on the upper part of Treasure Creek; B, Ter­ tiary gravels at the head of Slate Creek.......................... 35 X. A, Slate Creek; B, Kahiltna Glacier from mountain north of the mouth of Granite Creek.......................................... 40 XI. A, Cache Creek and its gorge cut through Eocene deposits; B, Slumping ground on the northwest wall of the Cache Creek gorge. 52 XII. A, Placer mining on Discovery claim, Cache Greek; J5, Sluicing with hydraulic giant on Cache Creek ................................. 53 XIII. A, Mouth of Nugget Creek canyon; B, Eocene sediments on Peters Creek, on the east side of Peters Hills ........................... 58 FIGURE 1. Sketch map showing the distribution of timber in the Yentna district....................................................... 19 2. Generalized columnar section of the rocks of the Yentna district... 23 3. Structure section at head of Cottonwood Creek north of Fairview Mountain..................................................... 31 4. Cross section through Fairview Mountain and Mount Kliskon...... 32 5. Drainage map of Cache Creek and neighboring streams, showing location of gold-placer mines................................... 52 6. Cross section of Dutch and Peters hills and of the basins of Cache and Martin creeks................................................ 53 7. Sketch map of upper part of Mills Creek basin, showing location of gold-placer mines.............................................. 69 5 PREFACE. By ALFRED H. BROOKS. The several exploring expeditions which have traversed the Susitna basin since 1898 have determined its larger geographic and geologic features. Some areal mapping has also been done in the eastern part of the basin. Up to 1911, however, but little was known of the geology and mineral resources of the western part of the basin, including the Yentna placer district, which has made an annual gold output since 1905. The investigation the results of which are here set forth was undertaken as a part of the general plan to survey