Salmon River Platinum Placer Mine

The Salmon River Platinum Placer Mine is a pge mine located in Alaska at an elevation of 49 feet.

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: Salmon River Platinum Placer Mine
Secondary: Claims:

Commodity

Primary: PGE
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Chromium

Location

State: Alaska
District: Goodnews Bay

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1937
Year Last Production: 1986
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Gravel
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Holocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Mercury
Gangue: Ilmenite
Unknown: Cinnabar
Unknown: Chromite

Comments

Comment (Location): USGS MF-362, LOC. 12 (APPROXIMATE LOCATION). USGS P 938, FIG. 3 (EXACT LOCATION). LOCATION IS AT DOWNSTREAM EXTENT OF KNOWN PAYSTREAK. PLACER EXTENDS UP SALMON RIVER 6 MI. NE TO MOUTH OF CLARA CREEK. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Comment (Development): LITTLE MINING UNTIL 1937, WHEN DREDGE WAS CONSTRUCTED BY GOODNEWS BAY MINING CO. DREDGE IN OPERATION FROM 1937-1975. BENCH CLAIMS MINED 1942-1957 WITH DRAGLINE EXCAVATOR. SINCE 1975, MINING HAS BEEN SPORADIC, MAINLY REWORKING OLD TAILINGS WITH DREDGE. "MUD HOG" PLANT USED TO REWORK BENCH TAILINGS IN 1966. 34 STREAM PLACER AND APPROXIMATELY 70 BENCH PLACER CLAIMS ESTABLISHED ON SALMON RIVER, NOT COUNTING TRIBUTARIES. CLAIMS PURCHASED BY HANSON PROPERTIES IN 1980.

Comment (Geology): BEDROCK FLOOR OF SALMON RIVER CHARACTERIZED BY ONE OR MORE V-SHAPED INCISIONS CHARACTERISTIC OF INCOMPLETE STREAM REJUVINATION FOLLOWING GLACIATION. ; MAJOR.UNITS: BEDROCK CONSISTS OF MES-PAL GRAYWACKE, SILICEOUS ARGILLITE, CHERT, ANDESITE DIKES AND SILLS, AND SILICEOUS TUFFS. ; REG.COM: SOURCE OF PLATINUM METALS IS ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS OF GOODNEWS BAY ULTRAMAFIC COMPLEX ON RED MTN., TRANSPORTED BY TRIBUTARY STREAMS TO THE WEST OF SALMON RIVER. GOLD IS PROBABLY FROM GLACIAL MORAINE IN SALMON RIVER VALLEY.

Comment (Deposit): PLACER CONSISTS OF TWO PAYSTREAKS: VALLEY FLOOR AND BENCH. THE VALLEY FLOOR PAYSTREAK EXTENDS 6 MI. FROM MOUTH OF CLARA CREEK TO CLAIM 15B. WIDTH VARIES FROM 250-1000 FT. THICKNESS VARIES FROM 30 FT. UPSTREAM TO 75 FT. DOWNSTREAM. PLACER CONSISTS OF GRAVELS 6-8 IN. DIAMETER, WITH OCCASIONAL BOULDERS TO 2 FT. DIAMETER. PRECIOUS METALS MAY EXTEND AT LEAST 3 FT. INTO BEDROCK. BENCH PAYSTREAK EXTENDS 4.4 MILES, WITH AN ADDITIONAL POSSIBLE, BUT UNCONFIRMED, 4.5 MI. SOUTH TO CHAGVAN BAY. BENCH PAYSTREAK IS TO THE EAST OF VALLEY FLOOR, AND CONTIGUOUS WITH IT FOR SHORT DISTANCE. BEDROCK OF BENCH CHANNEL IS 0-80 FT. HIGHER THAN VALLEY FLOOR BEDROCK. WIDTH OF PAYSTREAK IS 200-1,200 FT., DEPTH IS FROM 10 FT. AT NORTHERN LIMIT TO 125 FT. AT SOUTHERN LIMIT OF PAYSTREAK AT OLSON BENCH CLAIM. ALLUVIUM OF BENCH PAYSTREAK IS 80% CLAY AND 20% GRAVEL, REWORKED FROM GLACIAL MORAINE. GRAVEL IS SUBROUNDED TO SUBANGULAR, 2-3 IN. DIA., WITH SOME COBBLES, AND OCCURS AS LENTICULAR BEDS INLAID IN

Comment (Deposit): CLAY, 6 IN. TO 3 FT. THICK. PRECIOUS METALS RECOVERED FROM LOWER 6-8 FT. OF CLAY AND GRAVEL AND UPPER 3-4 FT. OF ALTERED BEDROCK.

Comment (Workings): STREAM VALLEY AND BENCH PAYSTREAKS WORKED BY DREDGE WITH SEVERAL PARALLEL CUTS OVER LENGTH OF PAYSTREAKS TOTALING APPROXIMATELY 15-20 MI OF CUTS UP TO 50 FT. DEEP. BENCH PAYSTREAK ALSO MINED WITH DRAGLINE EXCAVATOR TO 40 FT. DEEP. CONSIDERABLE CHURN DRILLING DONE FOR EXPLORATION.

Comment (Deposit): GRADIENT OF VALLEY FLOOR PAYSTREAK BEDROCK IS 41.2 FT./MI., GRADIENT OF BENCH PAYSTREAK CHANNEL BEDROCK IS 54.7 FT./MI.. POTENTIAL RESERVES OF BENCH PAYSTREAK ARE CONSIDERABLY GREATER THAN VALLEY FLOOR PAYSTREAK. LARGEST (ONLY!) PGM MINE IN UNITED STATES. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Deposit): THIS SITE NAME WAS CREATED BY THE REPORTER OR OTHER USGS EMPLOYEE BASED ON PROXIMITY TO SOME MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC FEATURE.

Comment (Commodity): GOLD IS ALIEN MINERAL INTRODUCED BY GLACIATION. PGM OFTEN INTERGROWN WITH MAGNETITE, CHROMITE. A SINGLE MICRODIAMOND OCCLUDED ONTO A PLATINUM GRAIN WAS FOUND DURING DREDGING IN 1986.

References

Reference (Other Database): BAG-MF-362-12

Reference (Deposit): ADGGS SR 40, P. 29 (1987)

Reference (Deposit): USBM 51-86, P. 2, 6, 7 (1986)

Reference (Deposit): USGS OF 80-909, P. 27 (1980)

Reference (Deposit): USGS MF-362, LOC. 12 (1972)

Reference (Deposit): USGS P 938, P. 4-7, 27-39 (1976)

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.