Windy Creek

The Windy Creek is a molybdenum, zinc, and lead 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: Windy Creek

Commodity

Primary: Molybdenum
Primary: Zinc
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Tin
Secondary: REE
Secondary: Barium-Barite

Location

State: Alaska
District: Council

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: Porphyry Mo, low-F

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Alteration in the intrusive rocks includes limonite staining, weak to strong sericitization of plagioclase, and variable chloritization and sericitization of hornblende (Till and others, 1986).

Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Scheelite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Fluorite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Pyrrhotite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Mid-Cretaceous; the Windy Creek stock is inferred to be mid-Cretaceous based on similarities to the Granite Mountain stock to the east in the Candle quadrangle (Miller and others, 1971).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Miller and others, 1971

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = No workings are known but mining claims were staked in the area in the 1970's.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Porphyry Mo, low-F ? (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 21b ?) However, the prospect is associated with an alkalic intrusive rock complex and highly polymetallic in character.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = This propect is in the west part of the Windy Creek stock, a mid-Cretaceous composite pluton of quartz monzonite, monzonite, syenite and some melanite-bearing nepheline syenite (Miller and others, 1971; 1972). Latite and greenish quartz porphyry, both commonly pyritiferous, and biotite granodiorite dikes locally crosscut the alkalic-related phases of the Windy Creek stock (Miller and others, 1971; 1972; Till and others, 1986). Roof pendants of metamorphic rocks are present. Miller and others (1971) collected five samples over a distance of about 2 miles. A sample of an oxidized quartz vein, their sample locality 8, contained 1,500 ppm Mo, 3,000 ppm Pb, 1,500 ppm Zn, 500 ppm Sn, 3 ppm Ag, and greater than 1,000 ppm La. The other four samples collected by Miller and others (1971) included quartz veins, quartz-veined monzonite, and oxidized aphanitic intrusive rock. Except for the aphanitic intrusive rock, these samples contained anomalous metal contents including up to 7 ppm Ag, greater than 5,000 ppm Ba, 15,000 ppm Pb, 700 ppm Mo, and 150 ppm Sn. In general, the west side of the Windy Creek stock is fractured and both quartz-sulfide and quartz-fluorite-sulfide veins are present (Till and others, 1986). Rare quartz veins up to 5 inches wide contain up to several percent fluorite, 1 to 2 percent molydenite, galena, and sphalerite. Thin quartz veinlets containing pyrite, fluorite, molybdenite, scheelite, and minor galena and sphalerite are more common although stockwork vein systems have not been observed (Till and others, 1986). Alteration in the intrusive rocks includes limonite staining, weak to strong sericitization of plagioclase, and variable chloritization and sericitization of hornblende (Till and others, 1986). This area was staked in the 1970's as a potential porphyry molybdenum prospect.

References

Reference (Deposit): Miller, T.P., Elliott, R.L., Grybeck, D.J., and Hudson, T.L., 1971, Results of geochemical sampling in the northern Darby Mountains, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 478, 12 p.

Reference (Deposit): Miller, T.P., Grybeck, D.J., Elliott, R.L., and Hudson, T.L., 1972, Preliminary geologic map of the eastern Solomon and southeastern Bendeleben quadrangles, eastern Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 72-256, 11 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.

Reference (Deposit): Gamble, B.M., 1988, Non-placer mineral occurrences in the Solomon, Bendeleben, and southern part of the Kotzebue quadrangles, western Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Map MF-1838-B, 13 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

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