Wildcat

The Wildcat 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: Wildcat

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Bismuth
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Antimony

Location

State: Alaska
District: Ketchikan

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: Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: The wallrock adjacent to the vein is impregnated with sulfides.

Rocks

Name: Gabbro
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Pyrrhotite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Cretaceous or younger.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = This part of Revillagigedo Island is underlain mainly by marine, pelitic sedimentary rocks and andesitic or basaltic volcanic rocks that are intruded by Cretaceous stocks, sills, and dikes of feldspar-porphyritic granodiorite, and by a stock and probably related plugs of Tertiary gabbro (Berg and others, 1988). The strata were regionally metamorphosed to greenschist-grade phyllite and semischist in Late Cretaceous time. They subsequently were contact metamorphosed to hornblende hornfels: locally, near some of the Cretaceous granodiorite contacts, and, more widely, peripheral to the Tertiary gabbro. The premetamorphic age range of the strata is uncertain. Berg and others (1988) note that they closely resemble Upper Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous flysch and volcanic rocks nearby on Gravina Island. The country rocks are cut by a high-angle fault along Tongass Narrows that displays about 4 miles of right-lateral offset.? the Wildcat deposit consists of two sets of quartz fissure veins in a dioritic dike or sill (called syenite by Wright and Wright, 1908, p. 151-152) that cuts black slate-phyllite (Brooks, 1902, p. 61-62, Cobb and Elliott, 1980, p. 112). The older set, which is roughly parallel to the foliation of the slate-phyllite, contains pyrrhotite. The younger set, which crosscuts the metamorphic foliation, includes the principal vein, which contains free gold, pyrite, and minor chalcopyrite. This vein is up to about 16 inches thick, and was traced on the surface for more than 900 feet. The country rock adjacent to the vein contains disseminated sulfide minerals and, possibly, gold values. The prospect was explored in the early 1900s by opencuts and short tunnels and shafts. A 5-ton test shipment made at that time reportedly contained 1.0-1.5 ounce Au/ton; some gold probably was recovered from this shipment.? According to Brooks (1902, p. 61), a nearby [quartz fissure] vein carries pyrite and pyrite, and reportedly, antimony and bismuth.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Low-sulfide Au-quartz veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a)

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Early reports note that the Wildcat deposit is similar to the one at the Hoadley prospect (KC065).

Comment (Production): Production Notes = A 5-ton test shipment made in the early 1900s reportedly contained 1.0-1.5 ounce Au/ton; some gold probably was recovered from this shipment.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Brooks, 1902

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The prospect was explored in the early 1900s by opencuts and short tunnels and shafts. A 5-ton test shipment made at that time reportedly contained 1.0-1.5 ounce Au/ton; some gold probably was recovered from this shipment.

References

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1902, Preliminary report on the Ketchikan mining district, Alaska, with an introductory sketch of the geology of southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1, 120 p.

Reference (Deposit): Wright, F.E., and Wright, C.W., 1908, The Ketchikan and Wrangell mining districts, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 347, 210 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.

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.