Myrtle Creek

Site Name

Primary: Myrtle Creek

---

Commodity

Primary: Gold

---

Location

State: Alaska
District: Koyukuk

---

Land Status

Not available

---

Holdings

Not available

---

Workings

Not available

---

Ownership

Not available

---

Production

Not available

---

Deposit

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

---

Physiography

Not available

---

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Placer Au-PGE

---

Orebody

Not available

---

Structure

Not available

---

Alterations

Not available

---

Rocks

Not available

---

Analytical Data

Not available

---

Materials

Ore: Gold

---

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Myrtle Creek has reportedly been one of the largest placer gold producers in the Koyukuk district. The total production is not known, but production through 1910 was estimated by Maddren (1913) to be $182,000. Reed (1938) reported that at least $20,000 was mined in the early days (1900-1910?) from a short section above Kelly's Pup in one summer. Values reported by Reed (1938) ranged from $1.20 to $0.35 per square foot of bedrock. The most productive part of the stream was reported by Maddren (1913) to be 2 to 3 miles above Slate Creek at the mountain front. The uppermost claims along the creek (above No. 15) were not profitable at that time. Mining has continued sporadically from 1899 until the present (1998). The most recent production from this property was noted in 1995 (Bundtzen and others, 1996).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Not determined

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Reed, 1938

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Gold was first discovered on Myrtle Creek in 1899 about 2 1/2 miles above the mouth (Maddren, 1913). The most productive ground was reported to be 2 to 3 miles above the mouth. Gold occurs in the Myrtle Creek drainage in the gravels of the present channel and in bench gravels along the lower 2 to 3 miles of the creek. The present channel was, according to Maddren (1913), 100 to 300 feet wide, although Reed (1938) puts the width at 30 to 150 feet. In general the gold was distributed across the present stream bed. The gravels were generally 2 to 4 feet thick and as much as 7 feet thick. Maddren (1913) described the gold as shot or wheat gold, although he speculated that much of the fine gold was not being recovered at the time. The gold was coarse, clean, and somewhat flattened (like melon seeds); occasional nuggets as much as about 1 oz were found. Smith (1942) reported recovery of a 23-oz nugget. The gold was said to be generally concentrated on bedrock and in crevices of the schist bedrock down to about 3 feet below the gravel/bedrock contact. ? Reed (1938) reported active mining in 1937 from both the present channel and from benches. In at least two locations along the creek, Reed described the gold as having both as a fine and flaky component and coarse and well-worn pieces. At one of these locations, a bench about 2 3/4 miles from the mouth, Reed also noted fine and flaky gold was present all through the gravel and coarser, worn gold (with occasional small nuggets) was on or in the top 3 feet of bedrock. The gravels are generally reported to be slabby schist with varying numbers of greenstone boulders. The bedrock was reported to be graphitic to siliceous schist and slate with at least one observable greenstone dike; this is consistent with later mapping (Brosgi and Reiser, 1964).

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Mining began on Myrtle Creek in 1899. Mining in the early days was by open cut and later by drifting, principally on the benches. Hydraulicking was begun in 1909. Nearly all evidence of the early mining had disappeared by 1937. A dragline and bulldozers were in use in the early 1950s. Gravels are thawed near the present channel but frozen near the benches. Gold fineness from three locations along the creek was reported to be about 886 from one location and 914 from the other two (Reed, 1938). Exploration activity was noted in 1984 (Eakins and others, 1985) and development activity as late as 1992 (Swainbank and others, 1993).

---

References

Reference (Deposit): Eakins, G.R., Bundtzen, T.K., Lueck, L.L. Green, C.B., Gallagher, J.L., and Robinson, M.S., 1985, Alaska mineral industry, 1984: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 38, 57p.

Reference (Deposit): Holdsworth, P.R., 1955, Report of the Commissioner of Mines for the biennium ended December 31, 1954: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Annual Report 1954, 110 p.

Reference (Deposit): Maddren, A.G., 1910, The Koyukuk-Chandalar gold region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442-G, p. 284-315.

Reference (Deposit): Reiser, H.N., Brosgi, W.P., De Young, J.H., Jr., Marsh, S.P., Hamilton, T.D., Cady, J.W., and Albert, N.R.D., 1979, The Alaskan Mineral Resource Assessment Program: Guide to information contained in the folio of geologic and mineral resource maps of the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 758, 23 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1922, The Alaska mining industry in 1920: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 722-A, p. 1-74.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., and Cruz, E.L., 1983, Summaries of data and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-278, 91 p.

Reference (Deposit): DeYoung, J.H., Jr., 1978, Mineral resources map of the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-878-B, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1978, Mineral appraisal of the proposed Gates of the Arctic Wilderness National Park, Alaska, A preliminary comment: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 109-78, 29 p., 4 sheets.

Reference (Deposit): Grybeck, D.J., 1977, Known mineral deposits of the Brooks Range, Alaska: US Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-166C, 41 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1908, The mining industry in 1907: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 345, 294 p.

Reference (Deposit): Swainbank, R.C., Bundtzen, T.K., Clough, A.H., Hansen, E.W., and Nelson, M.G., 1993, Alaska's mineral industry 1992: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 47, 80 p.

Reference (Deposit): Roehm, J.C., 1949, Report of investigations and itinerary of J.C. Roehm in the Koyukuk precinct, Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Itinerary Report 31-1, 9 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1937, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-95.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S. 1939, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Schrader, F.C., 1904, A reconnaissance in northern Alaska across the Rocky Mountains, along Koyukuk, John, Anaktuvuk, and Colville rivers and the Arctic coast to Cape Lisburne, in 1901, with notes by W.J. Peters: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 20, 139 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929, in Smith, P.S., and others Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824-A, p. 1-81.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1936, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91.

Reference (Deposit): Schrader, F.C., 1900, Preliminary report on a reconnaissance along the Chandalar and Koyukuk Rivers, Alaska, in 1899: U.S. Geological Survey Twenty-first Annual Report, Part 2, p. 441-486.

Reference (Deposit): Reed, I.M., 1938, Upper Koyukuk region, Alaska (Wiseman, Chandalar, and Bettles): Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 194-7, 201 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, S.S., 1917, The mining industry in the Territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1916: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 153, 89 p.

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

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Chandalar and Wiseman quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-340, 205 p.

Reference (Deposit): Mulligan, J.J., 1974, Mineral resources of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline corridor: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8626, 24 p.

Reference (Deposit): Heiner, L.E., and Wolff, E.N., eds., 1968, Mineral resources of northern Alaska, Final report, submitted to the NORTH Commission: Mineral Industry Research Laboratory, University of Alaska, Report 16, 306 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-457, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Brosgi, W.P., and Reiser, H.N., 1964, Geologic map and section of the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Geologic Investigations Map 1-375, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Holdsworth, P.R., 1952, Report of the Commissioner of Mines for the Biennium ended December 31, 1952: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Annual Report 1952, 66 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1916, Antimony deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 649, 67 p.

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., Swainbank, R.C., Clough, A.H., Henning, M.W., and Charlie, K.M., 1996, Alaska's mineral industry, 1995: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 50, 72 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1915, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1914: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622, 238 p.

Reference (Deposit): Maddren, A.G., 1913, The Koyukuk-Chandalar region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 532, 119 p.

---

The Top Ten Gold Producing States

These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.