North Fork (Kougarok River)

The North Fork (Kougarok River) 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: North Fork (Kougarok River)

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: Alaska
District: Kougarok

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: Placer Au-PGE

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Gangue: Hematite
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary; this area has probably gone through at least two cycles of erosion and placer development.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Gold was discovered on North Fork (Kougarok River) by 1902 (Collier, 1902) and placer mining started by 1903 (Brooks, 1904). Sainsbury and others (1969) show 3,500 feet of placer mine workings on the main channel of North Fork starting 2,000 feet upstream from the mouth of Harris Creek. Gravel benches on North fork are also reported to be gold-bearing (Collier and others, 1908). Early reports (Collier and others, 1908) indicate that coarse, bright, and well-rounded gold was concentrated on limestone (marble) bedrock. Placer concentrates are reported to contain pyrite, hematite, and magnetite (Cobb, 1973, B 1374). The top 3 feet of broken and fractured bedrock was mined. Bedrock in the area is Paleozoic marble that is only locally fossiliferous. Poorly constrained ages for the marble, based on scattered fossil occurrences, are Ordovician to Devonian (Till and others, 1986).

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

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Surface open-cut placer mine workings extend 3,500 feet along the main channel of North Fork starting 2,000 feet upstream from the mouth of Harris Creek.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Cobb, 1975 (OFR 75-429)

References

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Bendeleben quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-417, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Bendeleben quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-429, 123 p.

Reference (Deposit): Collier, A.J., 1902, A reconnaissance of the northwestern portion of Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 2, 70 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1904, Placer mining in Alaska in 1903: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 225, p. 43-59.

Reference (Deposit): Till, A.B., Dumoulin, J.A., Gamble, B. ., Kaufman, D.S., and Carroll, P.I., 1986, Preliminary geologic map and fossil data, Soloman, Bendeleben, and southern Kotzebue quadrangles, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 86-276, 10 p., 3 plates, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Collier, A. J., Hess, F.L., Smith, P.S., and Brooks, A.H., 1908, The gold placers of parts of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, including the Nome, Council, Kougarok, Port Clarence, and Goodhope precincts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 328, 343 p.

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

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., Kachadoorian, Reuban, Hudson, Travis, Smith, T.E., Richards, T.R., and Todd, W.E., 1969, Reconnaissance geologic maps and sample data, Teller A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2, B-3, C-1, and Bendeleben A-6, B-6, C-6, D-5, and D-6 quadrangles. Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 377, 49 p., 12 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

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.