Esperanza Creek

The Esperanza Creek 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: Esperanza Creek

Commodity

Primary: Gold

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: 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

Comments

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Small surface placer mine workings are probably present; probably mostly accomplished by hand.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

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

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

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Gold was discovered on Esperanza Creek in 1907-1908 (Smith, 1909). Gold is present in the narrow main channel where gravels are exposed between muck banks. The exact location of this discovery and the small amount of mining is not known. It is assumed to be along the lower part of the creek where the stream valley is narrow. There is extensive surficial cover in this area and bedrock, exposed locally on uplands, is mostly part of a schistose impure marble assemblage of probable Paleozoic age( Sainsbury, 1975; Till and others, 1986) . At least part of this bedrock assemblage is probably equivalent to Ordovician impure marble known elsewhere on Seward Peninsula (Till and others, 1986). Quaternary/Tertiary basalt flows locally cap the valley walls in this area.

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary

References

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., 1975, Geology, ore deposits, and mineral potential of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 73-75, 108 p., 3 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

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): Smith, P.S., 1909, Recent developments in southern Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379-F, p. 267-301.

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): 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.

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