Shungnak Rivers

The Shungnak Rivers 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: Shungnak Rivers
Secondary: Shingnek Creek

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Asbestos
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Jade

Location

State: Alaska
District: Shungnak

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: Placer Au-PGE

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Copper
Ore: Silver
Ore: Asbestos
Ore: Nephrite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Concentrates mainly magnetite along with rare nuggets of copper and silver (Anderson, 1945, p. 24-46).

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Intermittent production during the period 1894 to 1940. May have produced as much as 10,000 oz (311 kg) of gold (Fritts, 1970, p. 54-55).

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Silver (native)

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Copper (native)

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Most of gravel is not frozen, in benches up to 25 ft. (9 m) above the river; prospect pits in gravel downstream from canyon did not reach bedrock; 40 ft. (13 m) drill hole in gravels below canyon did not reach bedrock (Reed, 1931, p. 15)

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Placer

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Creek and bench placers. Creek gravels 1-3 ft. (0.3-1 m) deep in canyon; Au occurs in pockets in bedrock and lower 1 ft. (0.3 m) of gravel. Nephrite jade float along banks of river; nephrite and low-grade asbestos in greenstone and serpentine along river. Gold also occurs on false bedrock above Pleistocene till near confluence with Bismark Creek. Stream gravels are coarse, subangular with abundant boulders up to 3 ft. (1 m) in diameter.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Fritts, 1970

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

References

Reference (Deposit): Smith. P.S., 1913, The Noatak-Kobuk region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 536, 60 p.

Reference (Deposit): Mayfield, C.F. and Grybeck, D., 1978, Mineral occurrences and resource map of the Ambler river quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-120I, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Fritts, C.E., 1970, Geology and geochemistry of the Cosmos Hills, Ambler River and Shungnak River Quadrangles, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geological Report 39, 63 p., 4 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Reed, I.M., 1931, Report on the placer deposits of the upper Kobuk goldfields: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 37-1, 33 p.

Reference (Deposit): Anderson, Eskil, 1945, Asbestos and jade occurrences in the Kobuk River region, Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 3-R, 48 p.

Reference (Deposit): Anderson, Eskil, 1947, Mineral occurrences other than gold deposits in northwestern Alaska: Alaska Territorial Division of Mines Pamphlet 5-R, 48 p.

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