The Butte Creek 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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Butte Creek MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Butte Creek
Commodity
Primary: Gold
Location
State: Alaska
District: Circle
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: Gold
Comments
Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The drainage basin of Butte Creek lies within the Upper Schist unit of Wiltse and others (1995), which they describe as a mixed unit of variably garnetiferous, pelitic quartz-muscovite schist, muscovite-quartz schist, chlorite-quartz muscovite schist, and distinct intervals several tens of meters thick of garnetiferous, calcareous albite-porphyroblastic muscovite-chlorite schist containing interlayered, 3 to 5 cm thick impure marble.? A pebble count of gravel in the lower part of Butte Creek reveals a composition of 43 percent quartzite, 26 percent quartz, 18 percent garnet schist, and 13 percent mica schist. The gravel in Butte Creek is coarse and typically contains boulders of quartz and quartzite as much as 0.5 meters in diameter (Yeend, 1991).? A hydraulic plant was installed in 1916 but operated only a short time because of scarcity of water (Brooks, 1918). Placer mining was reported in 1916, 1937 and perhaps 1932 (Eberlein and others, 1977, p. 19). A dragline excavating plant was operated on the creek in 1937. Weighted mean of all gold mined through 1937 was 900 parts gold and 88 parts silver per thousand (Mertie, 1938). Extensive mining was done in the lower 3.2 km of the creek in the 1980's (Yeend, 1991). The upper parts of the creek are unmined, have steep gradients, and small volumes of gravel (Yeend, 1991).
Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive
Comment (Production): Production Notes = Mining has been reported (see workings/exploration); however, amount of production is unknown.
Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Yeend, 1991.
Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = A hydraulic plant was installed in 1916 but operated only a short time because of scarcity of water (Brooks, 1918). Placer mining was reported in 1916, 1937 and perhaps 1932 (Eberlein and others, 1977, p. 19). A dragline excavating plant was operated on the creek in 1937. Weighted mean of all gold mined through 1937 was 900 parts gold and 88 parts silver per thousand (Mertie, 1938). Extensive mining was done in the lower 3.2 km of the creek in the 1980's (Yeend, 1991). The upper parts of the creek are unmined, have steep gradients, and small volumes of gravel (Yeend, 1991).
Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Placer gold deposit (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)
References
Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., and Henning, M.W., 1978, Barite in Alaska: Mines and Geology Bulletin, v. 27, no. 4, p. 1-4.
Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1918, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1916: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, 469 p.
Reference (Deposit): Menzie, W.D., Foster, H.L., Tripp, R.B., and Yeend, W.E., 1983, Mineral resource assessment of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-170-B, 61 p., 1 sheet, 1:250,000.
Reference (Deposit): Eakins, G.R., Jones, B.K. and Forbes, R.B., 1977, Investigation of Alaska's uranium potential: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Open-File Report 109, 213 p., 10 sheets, scale 1:40,000.
Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-633, 72 p.
Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.
Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Misc. Field Studies Map MF-391, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S. 1939, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.
Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-91.
Reference (Deposit): Yeend, W.E., 1991, Gold placers of the Circle district, Alaska - past, present, and future: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1943, 42 p.
Reference (Deposit): Wiltse, M.A., Reger, R.D., Newberry, R.J, Pessel, G.H., Pinney, D.S., Robinson, M.S., and Solie, D.N., 1995, Bedrock geologic map of the Circle mining district, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Report of Investigations 95-02b, 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.
Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1938, Gold placers of the Fortymile, Eagle, and Circle districts, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-C, p. 133-261.
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