Cordova Copper Co.

Site Name

Primary: Cordova Copper Co.
Secondary: Fleming Spit

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Commodity

Primary: Copper
Secondary: Gold

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Location

State: Alaska
District: Copper River

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Land Status

Not available

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Not available

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Prospect
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Massive sulfide, Cyprus

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Surface alteration & extensive oxidation at depth (Grant, 1910).

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Rocks

Name: Metavolcanic Rock
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Eocene

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Copper
Ore: Gold
Ore: Cuprite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Malachite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Calcite

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Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Inferred reserves of 17,600 tons @ 0.64% Cu are reported by Jansons and others (1984).

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = 12 adits examined in 1980 (Jansons and other, 1984). The main activity took place in 1905-1909 and 1917 (Cobb, 1979: OF 79-973).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Jansons and others, 1984

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Cyprus massive sulfide (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 24a). See also Crowe and others (1992).

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = No production, although a sample of native copper from this site was displayed in 1909 at the Alaska-Yukon Exposition (Grant, 1910).? Prospect site could not be located in 1986 during industry exploration (B. Ellis, personal commun., 2000). Site is on State of Alaska land.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = This prospect consists of base-and precious-metal deposits in Tertary Orca Group volcanic and sedimentary rocks (Nelson and others, 1985). The volcanic rocks in the prospect area are reported to be amygdaloidal basalts (Grant, 1910). The deposits comprise impregnations and replacements of sulfides, oxides, and native metals in country rock, scattered veins of quartz or sulfides, and irregular masses of sulfide.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Copper (native)

Comment (Geology): Age = Tertiary based on the age of the host rocks (Nelson and others, 1985).

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References

Reference (Deposit): Crowe, D.E., Nelson, S.W., Brown, P.E., Shanks III, W.C., and Valley, J.W., 1992, Geology and geochemistry of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits and related igneous rocks, Prince William Sound, south-central Alaska: Economic Geology, v. 87, p. 1722-1746.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1979, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Cordova quadragle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report OF 79-973, 73 p.

Reference (Deposit): Nelson, S.W., Dumoulin, J. A., and Miller, M.L., 1985, Geologic map of the Chugach National Forest, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1645-B, 16 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Cordova quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-392, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Grant, U.S., 1910, Mining and prospecting on Prince William Sound in 1909: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442, p. 164-165.

Reference (Deposit): Jansons, Uldis, Hoekzema, R.B., Kurtak, J.M., and Fechner, S.A., 1984, Mineral occurrences in the Chugach National Forest, Southcentral Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 5-84, 218 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

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