Sixmile

The Sixmile is a lead, copper, gold, silver, and zinc 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: Sixmile

Commodity

Primary: Lead
Primary: Copper
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Primary: Zinc

Location

State: Alaska
District: Hyder

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Prospect
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Early Jurassic

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Early Jurassic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Maas and others (1995, p. 254) suggest that sulfide-bearing quartz fissure veins hosted by Texas Creek Granodiorite at the Six Mile prospect are Eocene in age. If so, the age of the deposit is roughly contemporaneous with emplacement of the Hyder Quartz Monzonite batholith.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Buddington, 1929 (B807)

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The prospect was explored in the early 1900s by two adits, 25 and 35 feet long. Picked samples of the richest veins assayed as much as 1080 oz. Au/ton and 200 oz. Ag/ton; samples of the wallrock granodiorite contained an average of 0.05 oz. Au/ton and 2.5 oz. Ag/ton. Samples of a 35-foot-long vein sampled by the U.S. Bureau of Mines in the early 1990s contained up to 3.77 ppm Au, 195.8 ppm Ag, and 2.89% Pb (Maas and others, 1995, p. 261).

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Polymetallic veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 22c)

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The country rocks in the area of this site include: pelitic metasedimentary and subordinate andesitic metavolcanic strata of the Jurassic or Triassic Hazelton Group; recrystallized granodiorite of the Triassic Texas Creek Granodiorite, which intrudes the Hazelton rocks; quartz monzonite and granodiorite of the Hyder Quartz Monzonite batholith, which intrudes the Hazelton and Texas Creek rocks; and Tertiary lamprophyre dikes, which intrude all of the foregoing rock units (Buddington, 1929; Smith, 1973, l977; Berg and others, 1988).? the deposit consists of sulfide-bearing quartz fissure veinlets in a shear zone 5 inches to 5 feet wide in (Texas Creek) granodiorite (Buddington, 1929, p. 76-77; Elliott and others, 1978, loc. 4; Cobb and Elliott, 1980, p. 97; Maas and others, 1995, p. 261). Some of the stringers are rich in free gold, which occurs in the borders of the stringers and in the adjacent granodiorite. Some of the stringers also carry galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite; and some of these sulfides also are disseminated, or face fractures, in the granodiorite adjacent to the veins. ? Maas and others (1995, p. 254) suggest that sulfide-bearing quartz fissure veins hosted by Texas Creek Granodiorite at the Six Mile prospect are Eocene in age. If so, the age of the deposit is roughly contemporaneous with emplacement of the Hyder Quartz Monzonite batholith.? the prospect was explored in the early 1900s by two adits, 25 and 35 feet long. Picked samples of the richest veins assayed as much as 1080 oz. Au/ton and 200 oz. Ag/ton; samples of the wallrock granodiorite contained an average of 0.05 oz. Au/ton and 2.5 oz. Ag/ton. Samples of a 35-foot-long vein sampled by the U.S. Bureau of Mines in the early 1990s contained up to 3.77 ppm Au, 195.8 ppm Ag, and 2.89% Pb (Maas and others, 1995, p. 261).

References

Reference (Deposit): Buddington, A.F., 1929, Geology of Hyder and vicinity, southeastern Alaska, with a reconnaissance of Chickamin River: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 807, 124 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, J.G., 1973, A Tertiary lamprophyre dike province in southeastern Alaska: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 10, p. 408-420.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, J.G., 1977, Geology of the Ketchikan D-1 and Bradfield Canal A-1 quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1425, 49 p.

Reference (Deposit): Elliott, R.L., Berg, H.C., and Karl, Susan, 1978, map and table describing metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral deposits, Ketchikan and Prince Rupert quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report, 78-73-B,17 p., scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., and Elliott, R.L., 1980, Summaries of data on and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Ketchikan and Prince Rupert quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-1053, 154 p.

Reference (Deposit): Berg, H.C., Elliott, R.L., and Koch, R.D., 1988, Geologic map of the Ketchikan and Prince Rupert quadrangles, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Investigations Series Map MF-1807,27 p., scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Maas, K.M., Bittenbender, P E., and Still, J.C., 1995, Mineral investigations in the Ketchikan mining district, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 11-95, 606 p.

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