Boulder Creek

The Boulder Creek is a tin and 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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Site Name

Primary: Boulder Creek

Commodity

Primary: Tin
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: Cassiterite
Ore: Gold

Comments

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 = It is uncertain when mining began on Boulder Creek. Hydraulic mining of the bench gravel occurred in the early 1930's with gold being found in the lower 3.5 feet of the 8 feet of bench gravel (Mertie, 1932). Mining on the creek was restricted to the 2-km stretch downstream from Greenhorn Gulch (Yeend, 1991). Operations in 1975 closed down due to excessive amounts of cassiterite in sluice boxes (Menzie, 1983, p. 40).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Boulder Creek, a tributary of Crooked Creek, is about 21 km long, and cuts quartzite schist and Tertiary granite before crossing the Hot Springs fault and entering the Tintina fault trench. The Tertiary granite is a light gray biotite monzogranite to syenogranite. Heavy-mineral concentrates from the granite contain 45% allanite, 15% chalcopyrite and smaller amounts of other minerals (Nelson and others, 1954). Fluorimetric tests on several other granite minerals indicated the presence of uranium (Nelson and others, 1954).? A pebble count of the creek gravel north of the Hot Springs fault indicates a composition of 50 percent quartzite, 27 percent quartz-mica schist, 17 percent quartz, and 6 percent granite (Yeend, 1991). Quartz and schist boulders in the creek are generally about 0.5 meters in diameter, and occasional boulders are up to 1 meter (Yeend, 1991). Gold is generally found in the lower 3.5 feet of the 8 feet of bench gravel (Mertie, 1932, p. 250). The valley near past mining operations is about 70 to 100 meters wide, with fan gravel common at the mouths of small side gulches. Miners have reported two types of gold in the gravel: fine, flaky gold and coarse, rough gold with adhering quartz (Yeend, 1991). Mining on the creek was restricted to the 2-km stretch downstream from Greenhorn Gulch (Yeend, 1991). Operations in 1975 closed down due to excessive amounts of cassiterite in sluice boxes (Menzie, 1983, p. 40).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Placer gold deposit (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

References

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): 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): Barker, J.C., 1979, Trace element study of the Circle mining district, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 57-79, 74 p.

Reference (Deposit): Eberlein, G.D., Chapman, R.M., Foster, H.L., and Gassaway, J.S., 1977, Map and table describing known metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral deposits in central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-168-D, 132 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000.

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): 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): Nelson, A.E., West, W.S., and Matsko, J.J., 1954, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in eastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 348, 21 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1918, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1916: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, 469 p.

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.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1932, Mining in the Circle district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824, p. 155-172.

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