Van Curlers Bar (Middle Fork Chena River)

The Van Curlers Bar (Middle Fork Chena River) 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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Site Name

Primary: Van Curlers Bar (Middle Fork Chena River)

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 (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = A dredge operated at Van Curlers Bar, and hydraulic methods have been used. Mining activity was reported in 1912, 1921, and 1927 to 1940, and there was various mining and/or prospecting up to 1981 (Menzie and others, 1983).

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

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The bedrock immediately beneath the Van Curlers Bar is described by Foster and others (1983) as phyllite, calcareous phyllite and marble. The headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Chena River, however, are underlain by pelitic schist. Placer gold mining activity was reported in 1912, 1921, and 1927 to 1940, and various mining and/or prospecting occurred up to 1981 (Menzie and others, 1983). A small dredge operation resulted in moderate production for many years prior to 1963, but details are lacking (Cobb, 1973, p. 129, [B 1374]).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Menzie and others, 1983.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = A small dredge operation resulted in moderate production for many years prior to 1963, but details are lacking (Cobb, 1973, p. 129, [B 1374]).

References

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

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., and Davenport, R.W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, 303 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): Foster, H.L., Laird J., Keith T.E.C., Cushing, G.W., and Menzie, W.D., 1983, Preliminary geologic map of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-170-A, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

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