Little Vein

The Little Vein is a copper, gold, and silver 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: Little Vein
Secondary: Little Lead

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver

Location

State: Alaska
District: Valdez Creek

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

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

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Sericitization.

Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Paleocene

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Sericite

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Synchronous with the Golden Zone mineralization, dated as Late Cretaceous.

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = the Little Vein was reached from underground workings at the Golden Zone mine.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The Little Vein prospect is about 200 feet south of the Golden Zone breccia pipe (HE043). It is a quartz-sulfide vein and stringer lode that carries good, but erratic, gold values. The deposit is at the sheared contact of a quartz-biotite porphyry dike that intrudes hornfelsed Triassic sedimentary rocks. The sulfide minerals are arsenopyrite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite. Assay values range from 0.16 to 2.58 ounces of gold per ton, 2.4 to 11.6 ounces of silver per ton , and up to 33.22% arsenic (Ross, 1933). The Little Vein deposit probably is a continuation of the deposit at the Golden Zone mine.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Active

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Hawley and Clark, 1974

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = There has been limited exploration by prospect pits and a short, now caved adit. Assay values range from 0.16 to 2.58 ounces of gold per ton, 2.4 to 11.6 ounces of silver per ton , and up to 33.22% arsenic (Ross, 1933).

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Polymetallic vein (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 22c)

References

Reference (Deposit): Ross, C.P., 1933, The Valdez Creek mining district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 849, p. 289-467.

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

Reference (Deposit): Hawley, C.C., and Clark, A.L., 1974, Geology and mineral deposits of the upper Chulitna district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 758-B, p. 1-47, 2 sheets, scale 1:12,000 and 1:48,000.

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