Switch Creek

The Switch 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

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: Switch Creek

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Tertiary: Lead

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: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1906
Discovery Year: 1905
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Tourmaline
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Ilmenite
Gangue: Quartz
Unknown: Galena

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Deposit): AND DRIFTING WERE THE ONLY MINING METHODS USED. ONCE HYDRAULIC MINING WAS INTRODUCED IN 1922, IT WAS THE PREDOMINANT MINING METHOD USED ON THE CREEKS THROUGH THE 1930'S (MERTIE, 1938). BOTH SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND WORK TOOK PLACE. DRIFT MINING OCCURRED ON BENCHES WHILE HYDRAULIC MINING WAS USED ON CREEK GRAVELS (MENZIE AND OTHERS, 1983, P. 52).

Comment (Deposit): HEADWATERS OF SWITCH CREEK DRAIN BOTH CRETACEOUS BIOTITE MONZOGRANITE AND CALCAREOUS QUARTZ-MUSCOVITE SCHIST (WILTSE AND OTHERS, 1995). BOTH FLOOD-PLAIN AND BENCH GRAVELS HAVE BEEN MINED. A BENCH ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE CREEK IN THE LOWER VALLEY IS 12 TO 15 METERS ABOVE THE CREEK BED. REMNANTS OF OTHER BENCHES UPVALLEY ARE SITES OF FORMER MINING OPERATIONS (MERTIE, 1938). THE GRAVEL ON THE BENCHES IS COMPOSED OF COBBLES AND A FEW BOULDERS. BOULDERS ARE FAIRLY COMMON IN THE PRESENT VALLEY (YEEND, 1991). GOLD HAS BEEN CONCENTRATED WITHIN THE LOWER 1 METER ABOVE OF BEDROCK. THE LARGEST NUGGET FOUND WAS 4 OUNCES (MERTIE, 1938). WEIGHTED MEAN OF EIGHT ASSAYS SHOWED FINENESS OF 760 AU AND 231 AG (MERTIE, 1938). JOHNSON (1910), REPORTED ARSENOPYRITE IN QUARTZ-FELDSPAR VEINS, AND CONCENTRATES CONTAINING GOLD, ARSENOPYRITE, PYRITE, GALENA, CASSITERITE, ILMENITE, GARNET, TOURMALINE, LIMONITE, AND QUARTZ. GOLD HAS BEEN MINED SPORADICALLY ON SWITCH CREEK SINCE 1906. INITIALLY, OPENCUT

Comment (Production): MINING HAS BEEN REPORTED (SEE WORKINGS/EXPLORATION), HOWEVER, AMOUNT OF PRODUCTION IS UNKNOWN.

Comment (Workings): GOLD HAS BEEN MINED SPORADICALLY ON SWITCH CREEK SINCE 1906. INITIALLY, OPENCUT AND DRIFTING WERE THE ONLY MINING METHODS USED. ONCE HYDRAULIC MINING WAS INTRODUCED IN 1922, IT WAS THE PREDOMINANT MINING METHOD USED ON THE CREEKS THROUGH THE 1930'S (MERTIE, 1938). BOTH SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND WORK TOOK PLACE. DRIFT MINING OCCURRED ON BENCHES WHILE HYDRAULIC MINING WAS USED ON CREEK GRAVELS (MENZIE AND OTHERS, 1983, P. 52).

Comment (Deposit): SEE ALSO DEADWOOD CREEK, ARDF NO. CI014; USGS OFR 83-170-B, APPENDIX I, NO. 105

Comment (Deposit): THIS SITE NAME WAS CREATED BY THE REPORTER OR OTHER USGS EMPLOYEE BASED ON PROXIMITY TO SOME MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC FEATURE.

Comment (Commodity): SOME REFERENCES REPORT WOLFRAMITE AND/OR CASSITERITE; OTHERS REPORT NO WOLFRAMITE OR CASSITERITE

Comment (Location): THE LOCATION IS THE APPROXIMATE CENTER OF MINING ON SWITCH CREEK. THE PLACERED AREA EXTENDS ABOUT 3,500 FT UP AND DOWN STREAM FROM THE INTERSECTION OF THE COORDINATES. SWITCH CREEK IS A TRIBUTARY OF DEADWOOD CREEK.

References

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): Cobb, E. H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.

Reference (Deposit): Joesting, H.R., 1942, Strategic mineral occurences in interior Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 1, 46 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P. S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-106.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E. H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Misc. Field Studies Map 391, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L. M., 1906, Yukon placer fields: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 284, p. 109-127.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A. H., 1907, The Circle precinct, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 314, p. 187-204.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P. S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-106.

Reference (Deposit): Wedow, Helmuth, Jr. and Killeen, P. L., 1954, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in eastern interior Alaska, 1946: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 331, 36 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P. S., 1937, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-88.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P. S., 1936, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-83.

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., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-81

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P. S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-98.

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): 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): Smith, P. S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836, p. 1-115.

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 77-168D, 132 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P. S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-82.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P. S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824, p. 1-81.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L. M., 1905, The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 251, 89 p.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L. M., 1913, A geologic reconnaissance of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 538, 82 p.

Reference (Other Database): BAG-OFR-83-170B-105

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C. E. and Davenport, R. W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana Region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, p. 203-222.

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 95-2b, 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C. E., 1912, Placer mining in the Fairbanks and Circle Disctricts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520, p. 240-245.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C. E., 1910, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442, p. 230-245.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C. E. and Parker, G. L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, p. 153-172.

Reference (Deposit): Johnson, B. L., 1910, Occurrence of wolframite and cassiterite in the gold placers of Deadwood Creek, Birch Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442, p. 246-250.

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

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A. H., 1918, The Alaskan mining industry in 1916: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, p. 11-62.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A. H., 1916, The Alaskan mining industry in 1915: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 642, p. 16-71.

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): Brooks, A. H., 1915, The Alaskan mining industry in 1914: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622, p. 15-68.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.

The Top Ten Gold Producing States

These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.