Crow Creek

Site Name

Primary: Crow Creek
Secondary: Erickson
Secondary: Holmgren-Erickson property
Secondary: Crow Creek Mining Co.
Secondary: Girdwood property
Secondary: Girdwood Mining Co.

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Copper

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Location

State: Alaska
District: Anchorage

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Land Status

Not available

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Not available

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

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

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Placer Au-PGE

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz

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Comments

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

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Most mining activity probably took place in Seward quadrangle. The entire Crow Creek drainage has been prospected, because it drains an area where lode gold deposits have long been known. Presence of numerous large boulders and cemented gravels may cause mining difficulties (Jansons and others, 1984). Attempts to mine upper basin unsuccessful due to legal difficulties; outcome of litigation to stop mining is unknown to reporter.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Total estimated production since 1898 is 40,000 to 45,000 oz. Production between 1979 and 1984 was estimated to be approximately 400 oz (Jansons and others, 1984). The largest nugget found at Crow Creek was 4.5 ounces (Toohey, oral commun., 1998).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Staked in 1896 or 1897. Placer mining and prospecting has occurred in high bench gravels, recent stream deposits, glacial gravels, and avalanche debris along Crow Creek. The history of the creek is complex due to repeated damming by ice in the valley of Glacier Creek, into which Crow Creek flows. Bench deposits and recent stream deposits have the highest grade and have historically produced most of the gold. Glacial deposits and avalanche debris are low grade but may locally contain significant concentrations of gold. The highest grades appear to be associated with old channels in high benches which likely consist of gravels deposited prior to the last glacial advance (Parks, 1933; Jansons and others, 1984). The stream grade is 2.5 percent in lower course. ? Crow Creek drains an area where gold lode deposits occur. Bedrock in the area is graywacke, conglomerate, and slate of the Late Cretaceous Valdez Group that have been intruded by many small granitic bodies. Eleven bench and alluvium samples from Crow Creek contained from 0.0013 to 1.17 oz Au/cubic yard. The placer gold is relatively coarse with 0.025 to 0.05 oz nuggets common and an occasional 1 oz nugget panned by recreational miners (Jansons and others, 1984). The largest nugget found at Crow Creek was 4.5 ounces (Toohey, oral commun., 1998).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Active

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Staked in 1896 or 1897, mined more or less continually until World War II. Prior to 1940, one large and two small hydraulic operations accounted for the majority of the production from Crow Creek. One mechanized operation mined the creek intermittantly in 1981 and 1982. Currently Crow Creek is mined by recreational miners and a small suction dredge by Crow Creek Mining Company; and by the Girdwood Mining Company. The largest nugget found at Crow Creek was 4.5 ounces (Toohey, oral commun., 1998).? Eleven bench and alluvium samples from Crow Creek contained from 0.0013 to 1.17 oz Au/cubic yard. The placer gold is relatively coarse with 0.025 to 0.05 oz nuggets common and an occasional 1 oz nugget panned by recreational miners (Jansons and others, 1984).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Park, 1933

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Orris and Bliss (1985) estimated 1,200,000 cubic meters of placer material grading 1.1 gram/cubic meter (0.015 to 0.04 oz/ton) Au for the Crow Creek placer deposits.

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary

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References

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

Reference (Deposit): Moffit, F.H., 1905, Gold placers of Turnagain Arm, Cook Inlet: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 259, p. 90-99.

Reference (Deposit): Moffit, F.H., 1906, Mineral resources of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska; Gold field of the Turnagain Arm region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 277, 80 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-81.

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): Martin, G.C., 1919, Alaska Mining Industry in 1917: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692, p. 11-42

Reference (Deposit): Clark, S.H.B., and Yount, M.E., 1972, Reconnaissance geologic map and geochemical analyses of stream-sediment and rock samples of the Anchorage A-6 Quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map 351, 2 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Toohey, oral commun., 1998.

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

Reference (Deposit): Capps, S.R., 1916, Gold mining in the Willow Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 642-G, p. 147-194, 195-200.

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): Brooks, A.H., 1911, The mining industry in 1910: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, p. 21-42.

Reference (Deposit): Hoekzema, R.B., and Fechner, S.A., 1986, Placer Gold sampling in and near the Chugach National Forest, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 9091, 42 p.

Reference (Deposit): Paige, Sidney and Knopf, Adolph, 1907, Reconnaissance in the Matanuska and Talkeetna basins, Alaska, with notes on the placers of the adjacent regions: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 314, p. 104-125.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1911, The Mount McKinley region, Alaska, with descriptions of the igneous rocks and of the Bonnifield and Kantishna districts, by L.M. Prindle: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 70, 234 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1923, The Alaska mining industry in 1921: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 739, p. 1-50.

Reference (Deposit): Johnson, B.L., 1912, Gold deposits of the Seward-Sunrise region, Kenai Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520-F, p. 131-173.

Reference (Deposit): Capps, S.R., 1924, Geology and mineral resources of the region traversed by the Alaska Railroad: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755-C, p. 73-150.

Reference (Deposit): Park, F.C., 1933, The Girdwood District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 849-G, p. 381-424.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-91.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113.

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

Reference (Deposit): Orris, G.J., and Bliss, J.D., 1985, Geologic and grade volume data on 330 gold placer deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 85-0213, 173 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H. and Capps, S.R., 1924, Mineral industry in Alaska, 1922: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755, p. 1-56.

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

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1918, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1916: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, 469 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): Jansons, Uldis, Hoekzema, R.B., Kurtak, J.M., and Fechner, S.A., 1984, Mineral occurrences in the Chugach National Forest, Southcentral Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 5-84, 218 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

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

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1914, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1913: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592, p. 340-341.

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

Reference (Deposit): Mendenhall, W.C., 1900, A reconnaissance from Resurrection Bay to the Tanana River, Alaska, in 1898: U.S. Geological Survey 20th Annual Report, part 7, p. 265-340.

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): Jasper, M.W., 1966, Geochemical investigations of selected areas in southcentral Alaska, 1965: Alaska Division of Mines and Minerals Geochemical Report 7, 60 p.

Reference (Deposit): Purington, C.W., 1905, Methods and costs of gravel and placer mining in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 263, 273 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., 1936, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91.

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

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1913, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1912: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, 308 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-94.

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