Kougarok River

The 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

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Site Name

Primary: Kougarok River

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Tin

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: 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: Cassiterite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary; placer deposits on the active floodplain are the result of two or more cycles of erosion and placer development in the area.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Active?

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The entire length of this segment of the Kougarok River has been extensively placer mined for gold. Sainsbury and others (1969) show where many of these mine workings are located but additional mine tailings are also shown on the USGS 1:63,360 topographic map of the area (Bendeleben C-6 quadrangle). Most of these placer mine workings are the result of dredge operations.

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

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Kougarok River is the largest and most important drainage in the Kougarok mining district. Placer mining started here as early as 1900 when $50,000 worth of gold (about 3,000 ounces at $18 per ounce) were recovered (Brooks and others, 1901). Extensive dredging of the active floodplain has taken place from a mile upstream to 7-8 miles downstream from the mouth of Taylor Creek (Sainsbury and others, 1969). Placer mining, including dredging, has continued locally to the present. Most of the more than 240,000 ounces of known production from the Kougarok district (Hudson and DeYoung, 1977) is from the upper part of Kougarok River. The recovered gold is dark compared to that from tributaries (Collier and others, 1908). Placer concentrates contain cassiterite, abundant pyrite, and magnetite (Knopf, 1908). A gray, sulfide-rich dredge concentrate contained 2,000 ppm Ag, 7,000 ppm Bi, and greater than 10 % Pb (Sainsbury and others, 1969, p. 39). Bedrock in the upper Kougarok River drainage is dominately Lower Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks (Sainsbury and others, 1969; Till and others, 1986). Placer deposits on the active floodplain are the result of two or more cycles of erosion and placer development in the area.

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

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Brooks (1901) reports initial production at the turn of the century to be $50,000 (about 3,000 ounces at $18 per ounce); this is an indication of the richness of the upper Kougarok River area. Most of the more than 240,000 ounces of known production from the Kougarok district (Hudson and DeYoung, 1978) is from the upper part of Kougarok River.

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): Ford, R.C., 1993, Geology, geochemistry, and age of gold lodes at Bluff and Mt. Distin, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: Golden, Colorado School of Mines, Ph.D. dissertation, 302 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.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., Richardson, G. B., and Collier, A. J., 1901, Reconnaissance in the Cape Nome and Norton Bay regions, Alaska, in 1900: U.S. Geological Survey Special Publication, p. 1-180.

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): Hudson, T.L., and DeYoung, J. H., Jr., 1978, Map and tables describing areas of mineral resource potential, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Suvey Open-File Report 78-1-C, 62 p., one sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

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): 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.

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