Snowbird

The Snowbird 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: Snowbird
Secondary: Snow King
Secondary: Sherry

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: Alaska
District: Willow Creek

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: Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Wall-rock alteration within a few inches of the veins is intense, but seldom extends more than 10 to 12 inches beyond the quartz filling. Sericitization and carbonate alteration predominate, but there is some pyritization and in the outer parts of the alteration zone chloritization is present (Ray, 1954).

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Low-sulfide Au-quartz veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a)

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Explored by about 2,000 ft of crosscuts and drifts. Work to open up a quartz vein was reported in 1919. The vein was reported to be stripped for 4,000 ft (Chapin, 1921). By 1925, owner Mike Sherry reported an adit driven 120 ft. The adit reportedly had a quartz vein at the working face (Brooks, 1925). An aerial tram and mill were installed and a little ore was mined and milled in 1950. The 'encouraging' shear zone (of the four shear zones encountered) hit bad ground as a raise was being put up (Ray, 1954).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Ray, 1954

Comment (Production): Production Notes = In the fall of 1950 a small amount of ore mined and milled - the first and the last to be milled on Glacier Creek (Stoll, 1997).

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Brooks (1925) reports that Mike Sherry developed a prospect on the west side of Reed Creek valley in 1923. It is generally assumed that this is the same as Snowbird and Snow King. Ray (1954) refers to this location as Snowbird, while Chapin (1921) refers to it as Snow King; appears that they are the same mine.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Mineralized shear zones and quartz veins in tonalite or quartz diorite of the Late Cretaceous Willow Creek Pluton. Exploration encountered four shear zones, two of which contained gold in quartz lenses in gouge and sheared rock. The shear zones generally strike northeast and dip 52 to 70 NW. Two shear zones were barren, one yielded a few good assays, and one had encouraging assays (Ray, 1954). Wall-rock alteration within a few inches of the veins is intense, but seldom extends more than 10 to 12 inches beyond the quartz filling. Sericitization and carbonate alteration predominate, but there is some pyritization and in the outer parts of the alteration zone chloritization is present (Ray, 1954).? the Willow Creek Pluton is a zoned pluton: the outer part consists of hornblende quartz diorite and lesser hornblende tonalite; the core consists of hornblende-biotite granodiorite, and lesser hornblende-biotite quartz monzodiorite and biotite quartz monzonite.

Comment (Geology): Age = Late Cretaceous or younger; vein cuts the Late Cretaceous Willow Creek Pluton.

References

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): Chapin, Theodore, 1921, Lode developments in the Willow Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714-E, p. 201-206.

Reference (Deposit): MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous mineral deposits in the western part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-F, 38 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Anchorage quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-409, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1979, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials in the Anchorage quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 79-1095, 184 p.

Reference (Deposit): Kurtak, J.M., 1986, Results of the 1984 Bureau of Mines site specific field studies within the Willow Creek mining district: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 17-86, 17 p.

Reference (Deposit): Stoll, W.M., 1997, Hunting for gold in Alaska's Talkeetna Mountains 1897-1951: Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Henry Printing, 301 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1925, Alaska's mineral resources and production, 1923: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 773, p. 3-52.

Reference (Deposit): Ray, R.G., 1954, Geology and ore deposits of the Willow Creek Mining district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1004, 86 p.

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