Claim Point

The Claim Point is a chromium mine located in Alaska.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

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Site Name

Primary: Claim Point
Secondary: Reef

Commodity

Primary: Chromium
Secondary: Iron

Location

State: Alaska
District: Homer

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Year: 1918
Time Period: 1914-1918

Deposit

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

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Podiform chromite (minor)

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Serpentation and spillitic alteration is common.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Chromite
Ore: Magnetite
Gangue: Olivine
Gangue: Pyroxene

Comments

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Two thousand metric tons of chromite ore was produced in 1917 and 1918 (Foley, 1992, p. 38).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Foley, 1985; Guild, 1942

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = There are conflicting estimates of the remaining reserves for this property. Foley (1992, p. 38) estimates a total resource of 82,000 metric tons of ore that grades 17.8% chromic oxide, while MacKevett and others (1978, p. 17) estimate a resource of 260,000 tons at 17.8% chromic oxide.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Production totaled 2,000 metric tons from the Reef and Bluff mines from 1916 to 1918; development included a wharf and camp. Some drilling was done during WW II by the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Anaconda Minerals flew regional airborne geophysics in the early 1980s which showed a major magnetic high underlying the outer part of Port Chatham bay (Foley, 1992).

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Podiform chromite (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 8a)

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The chromite at Claim Point occurs in dunite that is part of the informally named Border Ranges ultramafic and mafic complex of Burns (1985). The Border Ranges complex is at least Jurassic in age. The complex is faulted at the base and there are many small northeast-trending, high-angle faults which offset the chromite layers. In general, the chromite layers strike northeast and dip nearly vertical. ? Most of the production in the area has occurred from the Reef mine where the ore body strikes N76E with a near vertical dip. Its length is about 135 feet and the width ranges from three to 35 feet. The chromic oxide content of the ore as shipped, ranged from 42 to 49 percent (Guild, 1942). ? Foley and Barker (1985) estimates there is 82,000 metric tons of ore that grades from 5 to 30% chromic oxide.

Comment (Geology): Age = Early Jurassic.

References

Reference (Deposit): Grant, U.S., and Higgins, D.F., Jr., 1910, Preliminary report on the mineral resources of the southern part of Kenai Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442-D, p. 166-178.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1979, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than minerals fuels and construction materials) in the Seldovia quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 80-87, 47 p.

Reference (Deposit): MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous mineral deposits in the eastern part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-A, 99 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1919, Chromite deposits in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-D, p. 265-267.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1921, The future of Alaska mining, in Martin G.C. and others, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1917: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714, p. 5-57.

Reference (Deposit): Foley, J.Y., 1992, Ophiolite and other ultramafic metallogenic provinces in Alaska (west of the 141th meridian): U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 92-20-B 65 p.

Reference (Deposit): Martin, G.C., 1920, The Alaska mining industry in 1918: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-A, p. 1-52.

Reference (Deposit): Bird, M.L., 1977, Electron-microprobe analyses of chromite and olivine from alpine ultramafic complexes: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-236, 69 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic minerals resources map of the Seldovia quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-397, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Gill, A.C., 1920, Preliminary report on the chromite of Kenai Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712, p. 99-129.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1918, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1916: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, 469 p.

Reference (Deposit): Burns, L.E., 1985, The Border Range ultramafic and mafic complex, southcentral Alaska: Cumlative fractionates of island-arc volcanics: Canadian Journal of Earth Science, v. 22, p.1020-1038.

Reference (Deposit): Foley, J.Y., and Barker, J.C., 1985, Chromite deposits along the Border Ranges fault, part 1, Field investigations and descriptions of chromite deposits: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8990, 58 p.

Reference (Deposit): Nokleberg, W.J., Bundtzen, T.K., Berg, H.C., Brew, D.A., Grybeck, D.J., Robinson, M.S., Smith, T.E., and Yeend, W., 1987, Significant metalliferous lode deposits and placer districts of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1786, 104 p.

Reference (Deposit): Gill, A.C., 1922, Chromite of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 742, 52 p.

Reference (Deposit): Guild, P.W., 1942, Chromite deposits of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 931-G, p. 139-175.

Reference (Deposit): Sanford, R.S., and Cole, J.W., 1949, Investigation of Claim Point chromite deposits, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations 4419, 11 p.

Reference (Deposit): Martin G.C., Johnson, B.L., and Grant, U.S., 1915, Geology and mineral resources of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 587, 243 p.

Reference (Deposit): Twenhofel, W.S., 1953, Potential Alaskan mineral resources for proposed electrochemical and electrometallurgical industries in the upper Lynn Canal area, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 252, 14 p.

Reference (Deposit): Berg, H.C., and Cobb, E.H., 1967, Metalliferous Lode Deposits of Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1246, 254 p.

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