Mertie Lode Prospect

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

Satelite View

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: 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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