Indian

The Indian is a lead, 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: Indian
Secondary: Blue Ridge

Commodity

Primary: Lead
Primary: Copper
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver

Location

State: Alaska
District: Chistochina

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: Porphyry Cu

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Permian

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Permian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Azurite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Additional information can be obtained from Ahtna Minerals in Anchorage, Alaska.

Comment (Geology): Age = Emplaced subseqent to or is related to the border phase of the Pennsylvanian to Permian, Ahtell pluton.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Thorne, 1946; Richter, 1966

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The area was active when visited by Moffit in 1929 (Moffit, 1932). The prospect was again active late in World War II when it was examined by Thorne (1946) with the then-current owner, Carl Witham. The only workings are hand-dug open cuts.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The Indian prospect is mainly in relatively coarse and dark-colored, quartz monzonite of the Pennsylvanian to Permian, Ahtell pluton. It lies within a few hundred feet of its contact with Pennsylvanian to Permian, Tetelna volcanic rocks which are exposed to the south. The contact between the two units is a fault which strikes northwest. The fault zone is filled with a barren quartz vein that can be followed for more than 1,000 feet (Richter, 1966, p. 30; Thorne, 1946, fig. 2).? the area was first described by Moffit (1932) who visited the area in 1929. The prospect was restaked by Carl Witham and was examined by Thorne of the U. S. Bureau of Mines (Thorne, 1946) in company with Witham. Thorne made a sketch map of the property. Their map (figure 2) is the best available for the property.? In addition to the barren quartz vein, Thorne found five other veins. Thorne (1946, table 1) collected three samples from an east-west striking vein on the Blue Ridge No. 2 claim. This vein is exposed in pits on the west side of the ridge and about 150 feet north of the fault contact of the Ahtell pluton and Tetelna volcanics. Sample 1 from a 2-foot-thick vein that contains galena, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, and secondary azurite and malachite in quartz-calcite gangue, assayed 0.01 ounce of gold per ton, 11.44 ounces of silver per ton, 4.18 percent lead, and 1.44 percent copper. Thorne's sample 2 was low grade, partly because of dilution with barren soil. Sample 3 of a 1-foot vein contained 5.16 ounces of silver per ton, 6.81 percent lead, and some copper. The veins are crustified and the sulfides fill open spaces in the crystalline quartz.? A narrow vein exposed about 4000 feet to the east of the barren quartz vein on the Blue Ridge No. 5 claim contained 0.04 ounce of gold per ton, 15.56 ounces of silver per ton, and 19.92 percent lead. Another vein exposed on the ridge on the end line between the Blue Ridge Nos. 5 and 1 claims contains 5.24 percent lead and small amounts of gold and silver.? the area was visited later by Richter (1966) but the trenches excavated by Witham and Thorne were caved. One vein that remained exposed was 5 feet thick, has a strike of N84W and dips 86 degrees south. It is mainly massive quartz with some galena and copper-staining. Wedow and others (1953) and Nelson, West, and Matzko (1954) found no appreciable uranium in the veins.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Polymetallic vein(?) (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 17)

References

Reference (Deposit): Richter, D.H., and Matson, N.A., Jr., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Gulkana quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-419, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., 1953, Preliminary summary of reconnaissance for uranium and thorium in Alaska, 1952: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 248, 15 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): Richter, D.H., 1966, Geology of the Slana district on south-central Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geological Report 2l, 36b p., 3 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Nelson, A.E., West, W.S., and Matsko, J.J., 1954, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in eastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 348, 21 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1979, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Gulkana quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 79-1247, 36 p.

Reference (Deposit): Moffit, F.H., 1932, The Slana District, upper Copper River region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824, p. 111-124.

Reference (Deposit): Thorne, R.L., 1946, Exploration of argentiferous lead-copper deposits of the Slana district, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations 3940, 9 p.

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