Big Squaw Creek

Site Name

Primary: Big Squaw Creek
Secondary: Squaw Creek

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Molybdenum
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Uranium
Secondary: Thorium
Secondary: Antimony
Secondary: Lead

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Location

State: Alaska
District: Chandalar

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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: Gold

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Comments

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Small-scale surface workings, by hand methods only. Mining in 1923 was in gravel 3 to 4 feet deep. Mining was reported as late as 1928, but there is no information on any later activity.

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

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Squaw Creek cuts through the Chandalar lode gold district, and the placer gold occurrences in this area are generally attributed to direct weathering of the gold-bearing veins. In spite of the proximity of Squaw Creek to the gold-bearing veins, most of the placer mining activity on this creek appears to have been limited to an area near the head of the creek (Chipp, 1970). This area on the upper creek, just below the Jupiter claim on the Eneveloe prospect (CH046), was mined, although there was little gravel in the creek bed and in places the creek was running on bedrock. On the lower creek early efforts at mining the deeper gravels were thwarted as the gravels were thawed and the shafts were flooded. The gold that has been produced was in thin gravels along an irregular bedrock surface. The gravels are coarse and subangular with numerous greenstone boulders and slabs of schist. Glacial damming and disruption of drainage has created both pre- and post-glacial generations of placers. the placer concentrates contain gold, pyrite, arsenopyrite, stibnite, monazite, uranothorianite, galena, molybdenite, and zircon.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Not determined

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = A sediment sample from the middle fork of Big Squaw Creek showing 0.001 percent eU contained trace monazite, uranothorianite, pyrite, galena, and rare molybdenite, and zircon (Nelson and others, 1954, p. 16, 18, table 10, sample 4638). This creek was called 'Big Squaw Creek' by A.G. Maddren (1913) in 1909. Uranothorianite in concentrates indicates a possible uraniferous lode deposit in the drainage; potentially mineable U and/or Th deposits are not known in the quadrangle. See also: Little Squaw Creek (CH039).

Comment (Production): Production Notes = No production data available.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Mertie, 1925

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References

Reference (Deposit): Chipp, E.R., 1970, Geology and geochemistry of the Chandalar area, Brooks Range, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geologic Report 42, 39 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:36,000.

Reference (Deposit): Heiner, L.E., and Wolff, E.N., eds., 1968, Mineral resources of northern Alaska, Final report, submitted to the NORTH Commission: Mineral Industry Research Laboratory, University of Alaska, Report 16, 306 p.

Reference (Deposit): Maddren, A.G., 1913, The Koyukuk-Chandalar region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 532, 119 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-457, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

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

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Chandalar and Wiseman quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-340, 205 p.

Reference (Deposit): Swainbank, R.C., Bundtzen, T.K., and Wood, J.E., 1991, Alaska's Mineral Industry 1990: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 45, 78 p.

Reference (Deposit): Eakins, G.R. and Forbes, R.B., 1976, Investigation of Alaska's uranium potential: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 12, 372 p., 5 sheets, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., Green, C.B., Deagen, J., and Daniels, C.L., 1987, Alaska's mineral industry, 1986: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Special Report 40, 68 p.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1925, Geology and gold placers of the Chandalar district, in Brooks, A.H., and others, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1923: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 773, p. 215-263.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., and Cruz, E.L., 1983, Summaries of data and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-278, 91 p.

Reference (Deposit): Overstreet, W.C., 1967, The geologic occurrence of monazite: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 530, 327 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1977, Placer deposit map of central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-168B, 64 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): DeYoung, J.H., Jr., 1978, Mineral resources map of the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-878-B, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Dillon, J.T., 1982, Source of lode and placer gold deposits of the Chandalar and upper Koyukuk Districts: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Open-File Report 158, 25 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Swainbank, R.C., Bundtzen, T. K., Clough A.H., and Henning, M.W., 1997, Alaska's mineral industry 1996: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 51, 68 p.

Reference (Deposit): Nelson, A.E., West, W.S., and Matsko, J.J., 1954, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in eastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 348, 21 p.

Reference (Deposit): Roehm, J.C., 1949, Report of mining activities in the Chandalar district, Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Itinerary Report 31-2, 1 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813, p. 1-72.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1926, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1924: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 783-A, p. 1-39.

Reference (Deposit): Reed, I.M., 1929, Report on mining conditions in the Chandalar district: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 31-3, 5 p.

Reference (Deposit): Reed, I.M., 1930, Report on the Little Squaw area of the Chandalar mining district: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 31-4, 18 p.

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