Lucky Gulch

The Lucky Gulch is a gold 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: Lucky Gulch

Commodity

Primary: Gold

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: 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): Geologic Description = Lucky Gulch drains an area of variably metamorphosed, pre-Upper Triassic, clastic and carbonate strata that are intruded by Upper Jurassic gabbro and by diorite plutons of Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary age (Smith, 1981).? the pay gravels of Lucky Gulch consist mainly of poorly sorted, angular, slate fragments. Lucky Gulch contains the largest gold nuggets found in the district; nuggets up to 52 ounces have been recovered. The auriferous creek gravels are up to 25 feet deep in a very steep, narrow drainage. Most of the gold was concentrated on bedrock and most of present channel has been worked out. A large alluvial fan has been formed where Lucky Gulch exits its narrow valley enters Valdez Creek. This alluvial fan may contain significant quantities of finer gold, but probably at a lower overall grade than in the gulch (D.L. Stevens, personal observation). The source of the gold may be auriferous qurtz veins at the Lucky Top prospect (HE210).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Moffit, 1912

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Lucky Gulch has been mined from the upper extremity of paying gravels in the headwaters down to the upper portion of the alluvial fan by both underground and surface placer mining methods. The alluvial fan has been sporadically mined in several locations.

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Lucky Gulch has produced the coarsest placer gold in the district.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Total recorded production through 1925 was about 3,000 ounces. Since that date, cumulative production is probably about equal to that amount. (D. L. Stevens, personal observation, 1999).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Active

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

Comment (Geology): Age = Probably formed in Holocene time.

References

Reference (Deposit): Moffit, F.H., 1912, Headwater regions of Gulkana and Susitna Rivers, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 498, 82 p.

Reference (Deposit): Tuck, Ralph, 1938, The Valdez Creek mining district, Alaska, in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-B, p. 109-131.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, T.E., 1981, Geology of the Clearwater Mountains, south-central Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological "&" Geophysical Surveys Geologic Report 60, 72 p., 3 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

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

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