Sitka

The Sitka is a gold and silver 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: Sitka
Secondary: Sitka Gold Mine

Commodity

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

Location

State: Alaska
District: Alaska Peninsula

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: Polymetallic veins
Model Name: Epithermal vein, Sado

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: The country rock exhibits pervasive propylitization.

Rocks

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Amethyst
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Eocene or younger.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The Sitka deposit is a 5- to 10-foot-wide zone of auriferous quartz-sulfide veins in an east-west-striking shear that cuts rocks mapped as andesite of the Eocene to Oligocene Popof volcanic rocks (Wilson and others, 1995). The shear zone dips 65 to 80 degrees to the south. The veins contain pyrite and as much as 5 percent chalcopyrite and galena, along with lesser amounts of sphalerite. They are vuggy and show evidence of open-space filling, resulting in inward-facing euhedral quartz crystals. The sulfides occur mostly at the base of the quartz crystals. The gold, where mined, was free-milling (Atwood, 1911).? the mine was operated in conjunction with the Apollo mine (PM079) until about 1915 (Wilson and others, 1988). Production to that time was estimated at 15,000 tons of unknown grade (Brown, 1947). In the 1980s Alaska Apollo Mines cut six trenches and drilled three core holes for a total of 1,571 feet. The remaining resource is said to be 140,000 tons (Wilson and others, 1996). the average grade is not available.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = The estimated production is about 15,000 tons of unknown grade.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Wilson and others, 1988

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = the resource is estimated 140,000 tons (reported in Alaska Construction and Oil, v. 25, no. 3, March, 1984, p. 31). The grade is not available.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Sado epithermal gold veins, Polymetallic veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 25d; 22c)

Comment (Deposit): Model Number = 25d; 22c

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = the mine is located on private land.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The mine was operated from about 1900 to 1915. Workings at that time consisted in part of a 400-foot shaft, a 360-foot adit, stopes as much as 150 feet long and 15 feet wide on the 55-foot level, and numerous crosscuts (Wilson and others, 1988). In 1983 Alaska-Apollo Gold Mines cut six trenches and drilled three core holes for a total of 1,571 feet.

References

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1941, Past lode gold production from Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-C, p. 159-212.

Reference (Deposit): Berg, H.C., and Cobb, E.H., 1967, Metalliferous Lode Deposits of Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1246, 254 p.

Reference (Deposit): MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous mineral deposits in the western part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-F, 38 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Brown, F.R., 1947, Report on the Apollo Consolidated Gold Mining Company, with an analysis by an anonymous reviewer (1935):Territorial Department of Mines Report MR 138-1, 13 p.

Reference (Deposit): Atwood, W.W., 1911, Geology and mineral resources of parts of the Alaska Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 467, 137 p.

Reference (Deposit): Webber, B.S., Moss, J.M., Rutledge, F.A., and Sanford, R.S., 1946, Reconnaissance examinations of parts of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands southwestern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines, unpublished report of investigations, 40 p. (Unpublished report held by the U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage.)

Reference (Deposit): Martin, G.C., 1905, Gold deposits of the Shumagin Islands, in Brooks A.H., Mineral resources of Alaska in 1904: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 259, p. 100-101.

Reference (Deposit): Atwood, W.W., 1909, Mineral resources of southwest Alaska, in Brooks, A.H., and others, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1908: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379, 411 p.

Reference (Deposit): Wilson, F.H., White, W.H., and DuBois, G.D., 1988, Brief descriptions of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Port Moller and Stepovak Bay quadrangles, Alaska Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 88-666, 128 p., scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Wilson, F.H., Detterman, R.L., Miller, J. W., and Case, J.E., 1995, Geologic map of the Port Moller, Stepovak Bay, and Simeonof Island quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigation Series Map I-2272, 1 map sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Wilson, F.H., White, W.H., Detterman, R.L., and Case, J.E., (1991) 1996, Maps showing the resource assessment of the Port Moller, Stepovak Bay, and Simeonof Island quadrangles, Alaska Peninsula, with a section on Geology of the Pyramid porphyry copper deposit, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska, by W.H. White, J.S. Christie, M.R. Wolfhard, and F.H.Wilson, and a section on Description of the Shumagin epithermal gold vein deposit, by W.H. White and L.D. Queen: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2155-F, 46 p., 2 sheets, scales 1:500,000 and 1:250,000...

Reference (Deposit): Nokleberg, W.J., Bundtzen, T.K., Berg, H.C., Brew, D.A., Grybeck, D.J., Robinson, M.S., Smith, T.E., and Yeend, W., 1987, Significant metalliferous lode deposits and placer districts of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1786, 104 p.

Reference (Deposit): Alaska Construction and Oil, 1984, Alaska mining ? Gold Production could redouble, v. 25, no. 3, p. 31.

Reference (Deposit): Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., White, M.G., and Moxham, R.M., 1952, Interim report on an appraisal of the uranium possibilities of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 52-165, 124 p.

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