Democrat Creek

Site Name

Primary: Democrat Creek
Secondary: Democrat Gulch
Secondary: Democrat Pup

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Antimony

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Location

State: Alaska
District: Fairbanks; Richardson

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Land Status

Not available

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Not available

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

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

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Placer Au-PGE

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Stibnite

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Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary

Comment (Production): Production Notes = From 1905 through 1921, production in the Richardson district was approximately 95,000 ounces of gold and 24,000 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and Reger, 1977). Since 1980, the district has produced approximately 10,000 additional ounces of gold from intermittent mining (Olson and others, 1985). For this time period, information regarding individual mine production was not available.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Bundtzen and Reger, 1977

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

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The Richardson area is characterized by gentle slopes and broad, alluvium-filled valleys (Prindle and Katz, 1913, p. 140). The area is unglaciated and largely overlain by windblown silt, sand, and loess, locally up to 50 meters thick (Foster and others, 1979). The bedrock in the region comprises greenschist to amphibolite facies schist, marble, and gneiss that have been intruded by various igneous bodies (Bundtzen and Reger, 1977, p. 29). The schist and marble are probably Paleozoic, and the gneiss has a probable protolith of Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks (Weber and others, 1978). Some quartz veins in the schist and gneiss are mineralized (Chapin, 1914). The intrusive bodies in the area range in composition from rhyolite to andesite. Fine-grained rhyolite containing quartz and feldspar phenocrysts is common throughout the area (Olson and others, 1985). At the nearby Democrat Lode (BD014), the rhyolite contains arsenopyrite, gold, and pyrite, and is albitic, clay, and sericite altered (R.J. Newberry, oral communication, 1998). Structurally, the Richardson region is cut by a northwest-trending fracture system termed the Richardson Lineament. The lineament appears to correspond with the distribution of the rhyolite and other intrusive bodies and placer gold deposits (Bundtzen and Reger, 1977, p. 29). Also, the lineament tends to separate gneissic rocks to the northeast from schistose rocks to the southwest (Swainbank and others, 1984). ? the Democrat Creek placers are located on a section of the Richardson Lineament termed the Democrat dike. Bedrock in the Democrat Creek drainage is composed primarily of biotite gneiss and rhyolite. The gold source for the residual and fluvial placers of Democrat Creek is interpreted to be the rhyolite. The rhyolite has an aphanitic groundmass, and quartz, plagioclase, and K-spar phenocrysts. Locally, the plagioclase phenocrysts are weathered to clay, possibly montmorillonite. Albite accompanies quartz in the veins (R.J. Newberry, oral communication, 1998). Quartz stringers locally containing sulfides are also present (Olson and others, 1985). The lode contains fractures with Fe-stained void-space quartz veins and localized sericite. K-spar from the rhyolite yielded a K-Ar minimum age of 86.9 +/- 2.6 Ma (Bundtzen and Reger, 1977). Minerals in the rhyolite are arsenopyrite, gold, pyrite, and stibnite (McCoy and others, 1997). Metz and Hawkins (1981) reported the average gold fineness to be 928. ? Gold was first discovered in the Richardson district in 1905. Placer mines began operating in several streams in the immediate area. These include Tenderfoot Creek (BD039), Banner Creek, and Buckeye Creek (BD005) and associated tributaries. After peak gold production in 1908, mining in the area declined (Olson and others, 1985). From 1905 through 1921, production from the Richardson district was approximately 95,000 ounces of gold and 24,000 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and Reger, 1977). Since 1980, the district has produced approximately 10,000 additional ounces of gold from intermittent mining (Olson and others, 1985). Because of the depth to bedrock, mining along Democrat Creek has primarily used open-cut methods (Ellsworth and Parker, 1911). Recently, limited placer mining has occurred in association with the development of the Democrat Lode (BD014).

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Gold was first discovered in the Richardson area in 1905. Placer mines began operating in several streams in the immediate area. These include Tenderfoot Creek (BD039), Banner Creek, Buckeye Creek (BD005) and associated tributaries. After peak gold production in 1908, mining in the area declined (Olson and others, 1985). Because of the depth to bedrock, mining along Democrat Creek has primarily used open-cut methods (Ellsworth and Parker, 1911). Recently, limited placer mining has occurred in association with the development of the Democrat Lode (BD014).

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References

Reference (Deposit): Chapin, Theodore, 1914, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592-J, p. 357-362.

Reference (Deposit): Swainbank, R.C., Burton, J.P., and Metz, P.A., 1984, Bedrock geology of the Richardson mining district, Alaska: University of Alaska, Mineral Industry Research Laboratory Open-File Report 84-2, 60 p., 8 maps, scale 1:40,000.

Reference (Deposit): Menzie, W.D., and Foster, H.L., 1979, Metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral resource potential in the Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-529D, 61 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C.E., and Parker, G.L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, 325 p.

Reference (Deposit): Olson, B.G., Burton, J., Wolff, E.N., and Swainbank, R.D., 1985, Mining and minerals in the golden heart of Alaska: Fairbanks North Star Borough Publication, 80 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., and Eberlein, G.D., 1980, Summaries of data on and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Big Delta and Tanacross quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-1086, 77 p.

Reference (Deposit): Metz, P.A., and Hawkins, D.B., 1981, A summary of gold fineness values from Alaska placer deposits: University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Mineral Industry Research Laboratory Report No. 45, 63 p.

Reference (Deposit): Weber, F.R., Foster, H.L., Keith, T.E.C., Dusel-Bacon, C., 1978, Preliminary geologic map of the Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-529A, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-388, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., and Reger, R.D., 1977, The Richardson lineament-a structural control for gold deposits in the Richardson mining district, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geologic Report 55, 46 p.

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 77-168-D, 132 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): McCoy, Dan, Newberry, R.J., Layer, Paul, DiMarchi, J.J., Bakke, Arne, Masterman, J.S., and Minehane, D.L., 1997, Plutonic-related gold deposits of interior Alaska, in R.J. Goldfarb, and L.D. Miller, eds., Mineral Deposits of Alaska: Economic Geology Monograph 9, p. 191-241.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1913, Detailed description of the Fairbanks district, in Prindle, L. M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 59-152.

Reference (Deposit): Saunders, R.H., 1965, A geochemical investigation in the Richardson area, Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Mines and Minerals Geochemical Report 3, 11 p.

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