Metal Creek

The Metal Creek is a gold, silver, platinum, copper, and tungsten 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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MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Metal Creek
Secondary: Sumner and Andrulli

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Primary: Platinum
Primary: Copper
Primary: Tungsten

Location

State: Alaska
District: Anchorage

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

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

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Scheelite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Platinum
Ore: Silver

Comments

Comment (Deposit): SMALL SCALE PLACER MINING FOR GOLD SHOULD BE ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE ALONG METAL CREEK SOUTH FROM PARADISE CREEK TO JUNCTION WITH GLACIER FORK. THIS AREA WAS PREVIOUSLY EXPLORED AND MINED BY DOUGLAS SUMNER AND JAMES ANDRULLI OF EAGLE RIVER, ALASKA. ABUNDANCE OF SCHEELITE IN CONCENTRATES IS ENOUGH TO WARRANT PROSPECTING OF THE AREA BETWEEN METAL CREEK AND GLACIER FORK (RICHTER, 1967).

Comment (Workings): PLACER GOLD WAS DISCOVERED IN 1906 AND HAS BEEN MINED ON A SMALL SCALE INTERMITTENTLY SINCE THAT TIME. THE TOTAL PRODUCTION PROBABLY NOT WORTH MORE THAN A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS. PLATINUM, PYRITE, ZIRCON, COPPER, NATIVE SILVER, AND FAIRLY ABUNDANT SCHEELITE ARE PRESENT IN MANY CONCENTRATE SAMPLES. PLACER GOLD IN AMOUNTS AMENDABLE TO MINING ARE PRESENT IN THE LOWER SECTION OF METAL RIVER.

Comment (Deposit): E, AND DIP NEARLY VERTICAL. AT THE HEADWATERS OF METAL CREEK AND GLACIAL FORK, GREENSTONE CONTAINING DISCONTINOUS DIKES AND ONE STOCK OF QUARTZ DIORITE ARE PRESENT (LANDE, 1927). QUARTZ VEINS WITH PYRITE AND CHLORITE ARE COMMON IN THE AREA.

Comment (Location): LOCATIONS REPORTED INCLUDE THE LOWER AND UPPER SECTIONS OF METAL CREEK FROM HEADWATERS AT METAL CREEK GLACIER TO THE GLACIER FORK OF KNIK RIVER CONFLUENCE. MINERAL OCCURRENCES SPAN A DISTANCE GREATER THAN 15 MILES, INCLUDING ANCHORAGE 1:63,360 SCALE C-4, B-4, AND B-5 TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS. INCLUDES LOCALITIES 95-109 OF COBB (1972) AND LOCALITY 64 AND 65 OF MACKEVETT AND HOLLOWAY (1977).

Comment (Production): THE TOTAL PRODUCTION OF GOLD PROBABLY NOT WORTH MORE THAN A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS (RICHTER, 1967).

Comment (Deposit): A RAISED TERRACE OF CLAY AND GLACIAL DEPOSITS EXTENDS UP METAL CREEK AND GLACIAL DEBRIS COVER MOST OF THE HIGH VALLEYS. PLACER GOLD IS LARGELY RESTRICTED TO LOWER HALF OF METAL CREEK AND IS PROBABLY DERIVED FROM SOURCE IN BASIN SUCH AS SMALL QUARTZ VEINS. THE GOLD APPARENTLY WAS DEPOSITED IN A GLACIAL LAKE AND IS CURRENTLY BEING REWORKED BY PRESENT STREAM ACTION. GENERALLY, GOLD IS WELL ROUNDED AND LESS THAN 1 MM IN DIAMETER. THE MAXIMUM GOLD CONTENT OCCURS BELOW 600 FT ELEVATION, THUS CORRESPONDING ROUGHLY TO THE HEIGHT OF THE OLD GLACIAL LAKE TERRACE SURROUNDING THE LOWER COURSE OF THE CREEK (RICHTER, 1967). PLATINUM, PYRITE, ZIRCON, COPPER, NATIVE SILVER, AND FAIRLY ABUNDANT SCHEELITE ARE PRESENT IN MANY CONCENTRATE SAMPLES. COUNTRY ROCK ALONG METAL CREEK IS VALDEZ GROUP INTERBEDDED SLATE, SILTSTONE, AND GRAYWACKE OF LATE CRETACEOUS AGE THAT HAVE BEEN METAMORPHOSED TO PHYLLITE AND QUARTZ MICA SCHIST. THESE ROCKS ARE TIGHTLY FOLDED, EXHIBIT STRONG FOLIATION, STRIKE N 10-30

Comment (Exploration): Status = Active?

References

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., 1975, Tungsten occurrences in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Investigations Resource Map MR-66, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Moffit, F.H., 1927, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1925: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 792-A, p. 1-39.

Reference (Deposit): MACKEVETT, E.M., 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): LANDES, K.K., 1927, GEOLOGY OF THE KNIK-MATANUSKA DISTRICT, ALASKA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 792-B, P. 51-72.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1911, The mining industry in 1910, in Brooks, A.K., and others, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1910: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480-B p. 21-43.

Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, A.H., AND CAPPS, S.R., 1924, THE ALASKAN MINING INDUSTRY IN 1922: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 755, P. 3-49.

Reference (Deposit): SMITH, P.S., 1926, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1924 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 783-A, P. 1-39.

Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, A.H., 1911, THE MINING INDUSTRY IN 1910: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 480, P. 21-42.

Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, A.H., 1923, THE ALASKAN MINING INDUSTRY IN 1921: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 739-A, P. 1-50.

Reference (Deposit): MOFFIT, F.H., 1927, MINERAL INDUSTRY IN ALASKA IN 1925 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 792-A, P. 41-49.

Reference (Deposit): COBB, E.H., 1973, PLACER DEPOSITS OF ALASKA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1374, 213 P., 1 PLATE.

Reference (Deposit): RICHTER, D.H., 1967, GEOLOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN THE METAL CREEK AREA, CHUGACH MOUNTAINS: ALASKA DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS GEOLOGIC REPORT 25, 17 P., 1 SHEET, SCALE 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, A.H., 1910, MINERAL RESOURCES OF ALASKA, REPORT ON PROGRESS OF INVESTIGATIONS IN 1909: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 442, 426 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): 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., 1930, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1927 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 813-A, P. 1-96.

Reference (Deposit): SMITH, P.S., 1930, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1927 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 810-A, P. 1-64.

Reference (Deposit): COBB, E.H., 1979, SUMMARY OF REFERENCES TO MINERAL OCCURRENCES (OTHER THAN MINERAL FUELS AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IN ANCHORAGE QUADRANGLE, ALASKA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 79-1095, 184 P.

Reference (Other Database): BAG-MF-409-95

Reference (Deposit): SMITH, P.S., 1929, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1926 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 797-A, P. 1-66.

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