The Mertie Lode Prospect is a nickel and copper 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.
Mertie Lode Prospect MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Mertie Lode Prospect
Secondary: Funter Bay Nickel-Copper Deposit
Commodity
Primary: Nickel
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Cobalt
Tertiary: Silver
Tertiary: Gold
Location
State: Alaska
District: Admiralty/Funter Bay
Land Status
Land ownership: National Forest
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Type: Surface/Underground
Ownership
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1919
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
Not available
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Form: PIPE
Structure
Type: R
Description: Gabbro Pipe Crops Out On The Ne Limb Of Funter Bay Anticline
Type: L
Description: 3 Faults Offset The Gabbro Body, On The Order Of 10-20 Ft Displacements
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Quartz-Mica Schist Altered To Ortho Clase-Cordierite Hornfels 50-150 Ft From Contact With Gabbro
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: USBM RI 3950, P. 8-9 AND FIG. 2
Analytical Data: RATIO OF NI: CO RANGED FROM 3.1 TO 6.1
Analytical Data: 16 CHANNEL SAMPLES OVER 90 FT SECTION OF MERTIE ADIT AVERAGED 0.46 % NI, 0.41% CU, 0.13% CO AND CONTAINED MINOR VALUES IN AU AND AG
Materials
Ore: Pentlandite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Labradorite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Olivine
Gangue: Hornblende
Comments
Comment (Location): BEST LOCATION: USBM RI 3950; SLIGHTLY N AND 2400 FT E OF ADMIRALTY-ALASKA GOLD LODE ADIT ON W SLOPE OF ROBERT BARREN PEAK LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).
Comment (Commodity): SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF CU AND NI ARE PROBABLY IN OLIVINE AND PYRRHOTITE; USGS BULL 936-0, P. 354
Comment (Development): WAR EAGLE EXTENSION NO. 2 CLAIM ACQUIRED BY ADMIRALTY-ALASKA AS LODE GOLD PROSPECT IN 1918; GABBRO PIPE DISCOVERED ON PROPERTY IN 1919; PROSPECT HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY EXPLORED; 126 FT CROSSCUT (MERTIE ADIT)AND 5400 FT OF DRILLING IN 9 DD-HOLES IN 1928; USBM BENEFICIATION TESTS AND SAMPLING IN EARLY 1940'S; COMPREHENSIVE DMEA EXPLORATION 1951-1956
Comment (Deposit): GABBRO-NORITE PIPE WITH ELLIPTICAL CROSS SECTION EXPLORED FOR ABOUT 900 FT DOWN DIP; MAJOR AXIS RANGES BETWEEN 60-200 FT; NI-BEARING PYRRHOTITE, PENTLANDITE AND CHALCOPYRITE CONCENTRATED IN OLIVINE-HORNBLENDE- LABRADORITE GABBRO ALONG KEEL OF THE PIPE; VOLUMES OF SULFIDES IN SULFIDE-RICH GABBRO: 27% PYRRHOTITE, 2.6% PENTLANDITE, 2.5% CHALCOPYRITE AND 0.4% PYRITE; HIGHEST GRADE ORE IS IN ELLIPSOIDAL BODY OF GABBRO [360 FT X 60 FT X 40 FT] BELIEVED TO CONTAIN FROM 1 TO 2% COMBINED NI AND CU; OTHER PARTS OF PIPE COMPOSED OF SULFIDE POOR AUGITE GABBRO AND NORITE
Comment (Workings): 126 FT ADIT AND 5400 FT OF DD-HOLES, (1928); DMEA WORK (1951-1956): 1093 FT OF DRIFTS AND CROSSCUTS, 308 FT LONG-HOLE DRILLING, 5742 FT OF DIAMOND DRILLING AND 5325 CF OF EXCAVATION FOR UNDERGROUND DRILL SITES
Comment (Geology): DEPOSIT IS IN GABBRO-NORITE PIPE INTRUDED INTO HIGHLY FOLDED QUARTZ-MICA SCHIST INTERBEDDED WITH PHYLLITE; MOST OF PIPE IS COMPOSED OF SULFIDE-POOR AUGITE GABBRO AND NORITE; SULFIDE-RICH OLIVINE-HORNBLENDE GABBRO CONFINED TO POORLY DEFINED ZONE ALONG KEEL OF THE PIPE
Comment (Deposit): MARGINAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL; GRADE TOO LOW AND TONNAGE TOO SMALL T O BE OF MUCH SIGNIFICANCE; SEE ALSO: ADMIRALTY-ALASKA ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT
References
Reference (Deposit): USGS OFR 85-717, P. 70
Reference (Other Database): BAG-OFR-85-717-057
Reference (Deposit): ADGGS SR 33, P. 43
Reference (Deposit): USBM RI 3950
Reference (Deposit): USBM IC 7379, P. 70-71
Reference (Deposit): ADGGS GC 8, P. 4, 15, 19-20
Reference (Deposit): USGS BULL 936-0, P. 349-361
Reference (Deposit): USGS BULL 1155, P. 1-10
Reference (Deposit): USGS BULL 1223, P. 13, 37-38
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