Unnamed (Tupik Creek area)

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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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: 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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