Amaknak Island

The Amaknak Island 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

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Site Name

Primary: Amaknak Island

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: Alaska
District: Aleutians

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

Model Name: Epithermal vein, generic

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Rocks are regionally propylitically altered or metamorphosed to low-grade. Area of locality is highly iron-stained. Christie (1974) reported the alteration assemblage of epidote-chlorite-kaolinite-pyrite accompanied by moderate to intense leaching.

Rocks

Name: Andesite
Role: Host
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Brief reconnaissance mapping and sampling reported by Christie (1974); however, in 1992 the entire ridge was being quarried for riprap and fill and being removed for commercial port development (F.H. Wilson, unpublished data, 1992).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Christie, 1974

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Christie (1974) reported a color anomaly caused by the oxidation of disseminated pyrite in volcanic breccia of the Unalaska Formation (see Drewes and others, 1961) cut by small swarms of feldspar porphyry andesite and hornblende-biotite porphyry basalt (lamprophyre) dikes. Dikes are oriented 010x dipping 80x E. The dikes are weakly mineralized, however small vuggy quartz veins occur adjacent to some dikes. Fracturing in the area varies from moderate to intense. At least one of these quartz veins was gold-bearing on the basis of a report in Drewes and others (1961).

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = This and other undescribed occurrences were apparently reported to Drewes (Drewes and others, 1961) by someone named Eakle on the basis of local reports.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Epithermal gold vein

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Miocene or younger

References

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Unalaska quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies MF-446, 1 sheet, scale 1: 250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Christie, J.S., 1974, Aleut-Quintana-Duval 1974 joint venture, final report: Unpublished Quintana Minerals Corporation report, 24 p., 3 appendices, 2 maps. (Report held by the Aleut Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska.)

Reference (Deposit): Drewes, Harold, Fraser, G.D., Snyder, G.L., and Barnett, H.F., Jr., 1961, Geology of Unalaska Island and adjacent insular shelf, Aleutian Islands, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1028-S, p. 583-676.

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

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