Billiken

The Billiken is a copper and iron 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: Billiken

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Iron
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Silver

Location

State: Alaska
District: Fairhaven

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: Skarn Fe

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Mg-bearing silicate minerals have been serpentinized and phlogopite is well-developed.

Rocks

Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age in Years: 94.900000+-2.900000
Dating Method: K-Ar
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Magnetite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Phlogopite
Gangue: Olivine
Gangue: Idocrase
Gangue: Dolomite
Gangue: Diopside
Gangue: Clinohumite
Gangue: Serpentine

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Magnesian iron skarn (Newberry and others, 1997; Cox and Singer, 1986; model 18d)

Comment (Geology): Age = Cretaceous; this deposit is in the east contact zone of the Kugruk pluton, which has yielded a K/Ar age of 94.9 +/- 2.9 Ma (Till and others, 1986, p. A-15).

Comment (Geology): Age = Chron age is for metavolcanic rocks that host the mineralization.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Newberry and others, 1997

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The general area is extensively mantled with tundra; the prospect was initially explored by core drilling. Some core may still be stored at Independence (BN076).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = This magnetite-rich skarn prospect was discovered and core drilled by Placid Oil and Minerals in the mid-1970's. Although tundra cover is extensive in this area, the deposit is well expressed in aeromagnetic data. A large, positive, north-south trending aeromagnetic anomaly over this prospect is about 0.4 mile wide and 2 miles long. The deposit contains massive to brecciated magnetite in dolomite with blebs to stringers of pyrite and chalcopyrite (Hudson and others, 1977). Newberry and others (1997) classify this prospect as a magnesian iron skarn developed in dolomite. It contains clinohumite, olivine, diopside, and idocrase. Serpentine minerals replace diopside and olivine and phlogopite is present. A sample of the skarn contained 0.06 ounces/ton Ag, 0.0003 ounces/ton Au, 0.2 % Cu, 0.02 % Zn, 0.01 % Co, and 45 % Fe (Newberry and others, 1997, Table 2). This deposit is in the east contact zone of the Kugruk pluton, which has yielded a K/Ar age of 94.9 +/- 2.9 Ma (Till and others, 1986, p. A-15).

References

Reference (Deposit): Hudson, T.L., Miller, M. L., and Pickthorn, W. J., 1977, Map showing metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral deposits, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-796-B, 46 p., one sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Newberry, R.J., Allegro, G.L., Cutler, S.E., Hagen-Levelle, D.D., Adams, D.D., Nicholson, L.C., Weglarz, T.B., Bakke, A.A., Clautice, K.H., Coulter, G.A., Ford, M.J., Myers, G.L., and Szumigala, D.J., 1997, Skarn deposits of Alaska, in Goldfarb, R.J., and Miller, L.D., eds., Mineral Deposits of Alaska: Economic Geology Monograph 9, p. 355-395.

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