The Unnamed (Tupik Creek area) is a copper, lead, and tin 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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Unnamed (Tupik Creek area) MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Unnamed (Tupik Creek area)
Commodity
Primary: Copper
Primary: Lead
Primary: Tin
Secondary: Tungsten
Secondary: Antimony
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Beryllium
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Molybdenum
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Bismuth
Secondary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Location
State: Alaska
District: Noatak
Land Status
Not available
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Not available
Ownership
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:
Physiography
Not available
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: Sn skarn
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Not available
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Metasomatic alteration related to contact metamorphism: calc-silicate minerals, sulfides and quartz.
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Fluorite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Stibnite
Gangue: Quartz
Comments
Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Located within Gates of the Arctic National Park.
Comment (Commodity): Gangue = Calc-silicate minerals
Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive
Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Grybeck and Nelson, 1981
Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Samples were mostly collected during spot stops and short traverses during geologic mapping by the USGS in the late 1970s.
Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = This composite site represents a number of occurrences that share a common geologic enviroment marked by flat-lying Paleozoic gneiss and schist and Devonian and Silurian limestone and shale that overlie a large Devonian gneissic granite pluton. Small erratic skarn bodies are common where carbonates are present. Five mineral occurrences within the area are specifically noted by Grybeck and Nelson (1981), and others probably could be found with some search. Most are small and erratic; they rarely are more than a few feet or tens of feet in area and they are usually hundreds of feet or more apart. Impressive hand samples containing ore minerals were collected within the area, but no widespread concentration of ore minerals was noted. The mineralogy of the occurrences is highly variable. It includes various combinations of galena, sphalerite, stibnite, chalcopyrite, magetite, and molybdenite, often associated with quartz and fluorite, and, in the skarns, various calc-silicate minerals. Highly select grab samples of the more sulfide-rich rocks contain up to 55 ppm Ag, 55 ppm Au, 70 ppm Be, 700 ppm Bi, 1000 ppm Sn, and, in the skarns, 300 ppm W. The overall environment is that of contact metamorphism marked by very spotty metamsomatic mineralization. The source of the metals is the large Devonian granite pluton that underlies most of the area. Similar mineralization is recognized elsewhere in the Brooks Range and is described by Newberry and others (1986).
Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Skarn (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 14b)
Comment (Geology): Age = Deposits formed by metasomatic introduction of metals related to intusion of Devonian granite.
References
Reference (Deposit): Garland, R.E., Eakins, G.R., Trible, T.C., 1975, Geochemical analysis of rock and stream-sediment samples from Survey Pass C-4 quadrangle: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Open-File Report 63, 4 p, 2 sheets, scale 1:63,360.
Reference (Deposit): Grybeck, D.J., and Nelson, S.W., 1981, Mineral deposit map of the Survey Pass quadrangle, Brooks Range, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1176-F, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Reference (Deposit): Newberry, R.J., Dillon, J.T., and Adams, D.D., 1986, Regionally metamorphosed calc-silicate-hosted deposits of the Brooks Range, northern Alaska: Economic Geology, v. 81, p. 1728-1752
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