Sea Level

The Sea Level is a gold and silver 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: Sea Level
Secondary: Sealevel

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Lead

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: Most of the quartz veins are bordered by a hydrothermally altered zone up to three feet thick, characterized by generally fine-grain, light-gray to bluish-gray, massive, carbonate- and sericite-bearing rock that commonly contains cubic pyrite crystals up to an inch across (Maas and others, 1995, p. 215). Maas and others (1995) interpret this zone as hydrothermally altered mafic metavolcanic rock. Early miners called this altered rock 'blue porphyry,' which they interpreted as crosscutting altered dikes that predate the quartz veins, but are closely associated with some of the orebodies (Brooks, 1902, p. 65; Wright and Wright, 1908, p. 143). Gold content of these pyritic altered zones is high adjacent to the quartz veins and diminishes away from them. Weathered altered rocks have a reddish-brown, oxidized rind up to three inches thick.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

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

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = The quartz in the veins is not recrystallized (Maas and others, 1995, p. 215). The veins thus are probably younger than most or all of the Late Cretaceous regional metamorphism.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = crosscutting altered dikes that predate the quartz veins, but are closely associated with some of the orebodies (Brooks, 1902, p. 65; Wright and Wright, 1908, p. 143). Gold content of these pyritic altered zones is high adjacent to the quartz veins and diminishes away from them. Weathered altered rocks have a reddish-brown, oxidized rind up to three inches thick.? the Sea Level mine was developed in the early 1900s by a three-compartment shaft 125 feet deep, with drifts along the orebody at the 50- and 125-foot levels (Wright and Wright, 1908, p. 144). Total length of these workings was more than 1200 feet. A short tunnel with winze was also driven on the main vein at a point 350 feet N60E of the shaft house. The vein was exposed at several other points by opencuts and prospect tunnels, and it appears to continue northeastward for at least 2000 feet, onto the adjoining Sea Breeze claim (KC094). Other surface developments included an inclined tram, a 30-stamp mill, and a pipeline for water power.? An unknown amount of gold and silver was produced from the Sea Level mine in the early 1900s, when the ore reportedly averaged $5.35/ton (Au at $20.67/ounce) (Brooks, 1902, p. 66-67). Maas and others (1995, p. 217) report a mean value of 4940 ppb Au in 38 samples of the Sea Level deposit.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = An unknown amount of gold and silver was produced from the Sea Level mine in the early 1900s, when the ore reportedly averaged $5.35/ton (Au at $20.67/ounce) (Brooks, 1902, p. 66-67).

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

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Throughout its history, the name of the property has varied from 'Sea Level' to 'Sealevel.'

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Brooks, 1902; Maas and others, 1995

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The Sea Level mine was developed in the early 1900s by a three-compartment shaft 125 feet deep, with drifts along the orebody at the 50- and 125-foot levels (Wright and Wright, 1908, p. 144). Total length of these workings was more than 1200 feet. A short tunnel with winze was also driven on the (main) vein at a point 350 feet N60E of the shaft house. The vein was exposed at several other points by opencuts and prospect tunnels, and it appears to continue northeastward for at least 2000 feet, onto the adjoining Sea Breeze claim (KC094). Other surface developments included an inclined tram, a 30-stamp mill, and a pipeline for water power.? Maas and others (1995, p. 217) report a mean value of 4940 ppb Au in 38 samples of the Sea Level deposit.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The country rocks in this part of Revillagigedo Island are marine, interbedded, andesitic and basaltic metavolcanic rocks and subordinate pelitic metasedimentary rocks that are intruded by stocks, sills, and dikes of Cretaceous feldspar-porphyritic granodiorite (Berg and others, 1988). The strata and some of the granodiorite were regionally metamorphosed to greenschist grade in Late Cretaceous time. These regionally metamorphosed rocks subsequently were locally remetamorphosed to hornblende hornfels near the contacts of Cretaceous granodiorite plutons that were emplaced after the regional metamorphism. The premetamorphic age of the strata is uncertain. Berg and others (1988) assign them a Mesozoic or (late) Paleozoic age. Berg (1982) and Crawford and others (in press) assign them to the Gravina belt, of Late Jurassic or Cretaceous age, or to the Taku terrane, of late Paleozoic to Late Triassic age. The metamorphic and intrusive rocks locally are overlain by basalt and andesite lava flows of Quaternary or Tertiary age.? the Sea Level deposit consists of sulfide-bearing quartz fissure veins. The veins cut hydrothermally altered mafic metavolcanic (greenstone schist) country rocks, and a 25-foot-thick body that either is an intrusive dike of altered porphyry ('blue porphyry' of Brooks, 1902, p. 65-67; and Wright and Wright, 1908, p. 144-146), or a zone of hydrothermally altered mafic metavolcanic rock (Maas and others, 1995, p. 210-218). The principal workings were on two parallel veins 15 feet apart. One is 5 feet thick and one 1-2 feet thick; both strike NE and dip steeply SE, at an acute angle to the NW strike of the foliation of the metamorphic country rocks. The veins consist of coarsely crystalline, milky quartz and minor muscovite, and contain (auriferous) pyrite, galena, and sphalerite, and sparse flakes of native gold. Pyrite cubes also are common in the altered wallrocks of the veins. Included in the veins are large breccia fragments of altered country rocks that reportedly carried as high values in precious metals as the quartz. Locally conspicuous, open-space-filling textures indicate quartz deposition at shallow crustal levels. In addition to the faulting that preceded vein formation; some of the veins in turn are sheared and offset by small faults. The quartz in the veins, however, is not recrystallized, and they thus are probably younger than most or all of the Late Cretaceous regional metamorphism (Maas and others, 1995, p. 215).? Most of the quartz veins are bordered by a hydrothermally altered zone up to three feet thick, characterized by generally fine-grain, light-gray to bluish-gray, massive, carbonate- and sericite-bearing rock that commonly contains cubic pyrite crystals up to an inch across (Maas and others, 1995, p. 215). Maas and others (1995) interpret this zone as hydrothermally altered mafic metavolcanic rock. Early miners called this altered rock 'blue porphyry,' which they interpreted as

References

Reference (Deposit): Crawford, M.L., Crawford, W.A., and Gehrels, G.E., 2000, Terrane assembly and structural relationships in the eastern Prince Rupert quadrangle, British Columbia, in H.H. Stowell and W.C.McClelland, eds., Tectonics of the Coast Mountains, southeastern Alaska and British Columbia: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Special Paper 343, p. 1-21.?

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.

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): Berg, H.C., 1982, The Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program; guide to information about the geology and mineral resources of the Ketchikan and Prince Rupert quadrangles, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 855, 24 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): 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.

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