Unnamed (near Desolation Glacier)

The Unnamed (near Desolation Glacier) is a nickel and copper 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: Unnamed (near Desolation Glacier)

Commodity

Primary: Nickel
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Titanium
Secondary: Gold

Location

State: Alaska
District: Yakutat

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Pentlandite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Pyrrhotite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Ilmenite

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Disseminated pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite occur in a 'gabbro diabase' dike with average width of 5-6 ft that is exposed for 200 feet . The rock also contains a reported 2-5 percent titanium and probably contains ilmenite. An average grade reported is 0.59 percent nickel, 0.62 percent copper, and 0.010 ounce per ton in gold (Mark-Anthony, 1977). Based on the content of nickel, pentlandite is probably present . ? the dike cuts the hornblende schist and gneiss unit of Brew and others (1978). Based on the mid-Tertiary age of the nickel-bearing layered mafic intrusions of the Fairweather Range (Goldfarb, 1997), the mafic dike probably is also Tertiary. Brew and others (1978) considered the pre-metamorphic age of the schist host rocks as possibly Precambrian; Berg and others (1972) interpreted it as Mesozoic.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Mineralized mafic dike probably affiliated with layered gabbro intrusions.

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Small deposit, but worthy of additional followup because of its grade. It was not found by the Bureau of Mines investigators in 1977 (Kimball and others, 1978, p. C124) during stormy weather.? the occurrence is in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Average value from surface exposures was reported to be 0.59 percent nickel, 0.62 percent copper, and 0.01 ounce per ton gold; titanium ranged from 2-5 percent (Mark-Anthony, 1977, cited by Kimball and others, 1978, p. C124). The occurrence was found by private prospectors.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Mark-Anthony, 1977; Kimball and others, 1978

Comment (Geology): Age = Tertiary.

References

Reference (Deposit): Berg, H.C., Jones, D. L., and Richter, D. H., 1972, Gravina-Nutzotin Belt-tectonic significance of an Upper Mesozoic sedimentary and volcanic sequence in southern and southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 800-D, p. D1-D24.

Reference (Deposit): Brew, D.A., Johnson, B.R., Grybeck, D., Griscom, A., Barnes, D.F., Kimball, A.L., Still, J.C., and Rataj, J.L., 1978, Mineral resources of the Glacier Bay National Monument Wilderness Study Area, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-494, 670 p.

Reference (Deposit): Kimball, A.L., Still, J.C., and Rataj, J.L., 1978, Mineral resources, in Brew, D. A., and others, Mineral resources of the Glacier Bay National Monument wilderness study area, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-494, p. C1-C375.

Reference (Deposit): Goldfarb, R J., 1997, Metallogenic evolution of Alaska: Economic Geology Monograph 9, p. 4-34.

Reference (Deposit): Mark-Anthony, Leo, 1977, Maps and notes on investigations in Glacier Bay, 1958-1960. (Unpublished material available at U.S. Bureau of Land Management library, Juneau, Alaska).

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