Galena

The Galena 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: Galena

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Zinc

Location

State: Alaska
District: Juneau

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: Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Thirty tons of ore--reported by Twenhofel and others (1949) who visited prospect in 1940.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Late Cretaceous or younger.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Surface workings only. The vein was discovered and located in 1937 by Joe Ibach. Reed (1938) collected a one-foot sample that assayed 0.16 ounce per ton gold, 0.30 ounce per ton silver and 0.79 percent zinc. About 30 tons of ore reportedly was mined by Ibach and Tom Smith in 1939 (Twenhofel and others, 1949, p. 31). The ore had a value of about $60 per ton (about 1.7 ounces of gold per ton).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Twenhofel and others, 1949

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Unknown.

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Typical Reid Inlet-type vein, pods of high grade ore in a quartz vein. Deposit is in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The Galena mine is largely covered by surficial deposits, inferred to be mainly lateral moraine from a more extensive Reid Glacier (Rossman, 1959, B 1058-B, pl. 4). It is within the part of the Reid Inlet gold area or district that is underlain by granodiorite of Cretaceous age. The prospect was completely sloughed when MacKevett and others (1971) searched for it. Twenhofel and others (1949) described the Galena deposit as a banded and vuggy quartz vein between 4-18 inches in width that was exposed on strike for 60 feet. The vein contained pyrite, sphalerite, and galena, and locally native gold.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Low-sulfide gold-quartz vein (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a).

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Gold (native)

References

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Mount Fairweather quadrangle, AK: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Study Map MF-436, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Reed, J.C., 1938, Some mineral deposits of Glacier Bay and vicinity, Alaska: Economic Geology, v. 33, p. 52-80.

Reference (Deposit): Twenhofel, W.S., Reed, J. C., and Gates, G.O., 1949, Some mineral investigations in southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 963-A, p. 1-45.

Reference (Deposit): MacKevett, E.M., Jr., Brew, D.A., Hawley, C.C., Huff, L.C., and Smith, J.G., 1971, Mineral resources of Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 632, 90 p., 12 plates, scale 1:250,000.

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.

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.