Hirst-Chichagof Gold Mine

The Hirst-Chichagof Gold Mine is a gold mine located in Alaska at an elevation of 98 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

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Site Name

Primary: Hirst-Chichagof Gold Mine
Secondary: Hirst-Chichagof Mining Co.-12 Patented Lode Claims

Commodity

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

Location

State: Alaska
District: Chichagof

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Queenstake Resources; Ventures Trident Ltd.
Years: 1986 -

Owner Name: Queenstake Resources
Years: 1986 -

Production

Year: 1932
Year: 1943
Time Period: 1922-1943
Year: 1943
Time Period: 1922-1943

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1922
Year Last Production: 1943
Discovery Year: 1905
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: LENS, RIBBON

Structure

Type: R
Description: Hirst Fault Zone Trends N 28 Degrees W, Dips 72 Degrees Sw

Type: L
Description: Graywacke Bedding Strikes N 65 Degrees W, Dips 64 Degrees Sw

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ORE MINED AT AVERAGE GRADE OF 1.3 OZ/TON AU-USGS B 929, P. 80 (IN 1938 ONLY)

Materials

Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): HIRST FAULT ZONE, AVERAGE STRIKE N 28 DEGREES W, AVERAGE DIP 72 DEGREES SW, CUTS SHALEY TO MASSIVE GRAYWACKE WITH AVERAGE STRIKE OF N 65 DEGREES W AND DIP OF 65 DEGREES SW. FAULT ZONE IS UP TO 50 FT. WIDE, AND CONTAINS MANY SPLITS, BOTH PARALLEL TO FAULT AND TO BEDDING. 4 MAJOR ORE SHOOTS IN HIRST FAULT AND SPLITS. DIKE ROCKS FORM FOOTWALL ALONG MUCH OF FAULT, BUT MISSING FROM HANGING WALL. ORE SHOOTS ARE COMPOSED OF QUARTZ BODIES, BOTH RIBBON AND MASSIVE QUARTZ, UP TO 10 FT. THICK, MOST 2-4 FT. THICK. LESS THAN 3% OF ORE ARE METALLIC MINERALS, INCLUDING PYRITE, ARSENOPYRITE, SPHALERITE, GALENA, CHALCOPYRITE, AND FREE GOLD FOUND IN VEIN QUARTZ, IN LAYERS OF WALL ROCK BETWEEN QUARTZ RIBBONS, AND LOCALLY IN WALL ROCK NEAR VEINS. GOLD USUALLY NOT VISIBLE, BUT OCCASIONALLY SMALL SPECKS ARE SEEN. ORE SHOOTS ARE LOCALIZED ALONG ALONG INTERSECTIONS OF FAULTS AND BEDDING PLANES AND IN WARP IN MAIN FAULT. ONLY NO. 1 ORE SHOOT REACHES SURFACE, AND GRADE THERE IS NOT MINEABLE. ORE

Comment (Deposit): SHOOTS NOS. 1, 2, AND 3 ARE FOUND ABOVE THE 300 FT. LEVEL IN THE MINE, AND ARE CUT OFF BY LARGE WARP IN HIRST FAULT WHICH EXTENDS FROM 180-700 FT. LEVELS. MAIN ORE SHOOT IS FOUND FROM 180-1700 FT. LEVELS. ANOTHER ORE SHOOT, THE KAY ORE SHOOT, IS FOUND IN SPLIT FAULT FOR 1,600 FT. FROM MAIN FAULT ON MAIN LEVEL OF MINE. ORE ABOVE MAIN LEVEL OF MINE MINED OUT BEFORE 1938.

Comment (Workings): WORKINGS CONSIST OF 426 FT. TUNNEL AT 435 FT. EL., 898 FT. TUNNEL AT 285 FT. EL., MAIN LEVEL TUNNEL ABOUT 5,000 FT. LONG AT ABOUT 100 FT. EL.. 10 LEVELS DOWN TO 1700 FT. BELOW MAIN LEVEL. AT LEAST 3 SHAFTS DRIVEN. NO. 3 SHAFT EXTENDS DOWN TO 1,700 FT. LEVEL. MILL FOR MINE IS BETWEEN PORTAL AND BEACH, AND HANDLED 35-0 TONS OF ORE PER DAY. ELECTRIC POWER FOR MINE PURCHASED FROM CHICHAGOF MINING CO. AND OBTAINED FROM AUXILIARY DIESEL POWER PLANT. ALMOST ALL OLD WORKINGS OF MINE CURRENTLY INACCESSABLE (AS OF 1982). LESS THAN 10% OF AREA EXPLORED BY WORKINGS WAS MINED.

Comment (Deposit): QUEENSTAKE RESOURCES PLANS TO REOPEN HIRST-CHICHAGOF WORKINGS AND DEWATER AND TEST KAY ORE SHOOT. SINCE MAIN LEVELS OF HIRST-CHICHAGOF AND CHICHAGOFF MINES ARE ONLY 3,600 FT. APART, QUEENSTAKE IS CONSIDERING CONNECTING THE TWO MINES FOR JOINT DEVELOPMENT OF UNEXPLORED ORE RESERVES. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Location): USGS B 929, PL. 1; USGS MF-467, LOC. 27; USGS MF-1476-B, LOC. 14. LOCATION IS AT PORTAL OF MAIN LEVEL TUNNEL. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Comment (Development): FIRST CLAIM STAKED IN 1905. HIRST-CHICHAGOF MINING CO. FORMED IN 1918, OBTAINED 12 CLAIMS IN 1919. 3 TUNNELS STARTED IN 1920, NO. 1 ORE SHOOT REACHED IN 1921, MILL BEGAN PRODUCING IN 1922. MINE PRODUCED EVERY YEAR FROM 1922-1943, UNTIL SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF WORLD WAR II. 19 CLAIMS AQUIRED FROM ENSERCH, INC. BY QUEENSTAKE RESOURCES IN 1986. QUEENSTAKE ALSO OWNS CHICHAGOF MINE. CONSIDERABLE EXPLORATION DONE IN RECENT YEARS BY ENSERCH, INC. AND QUEENSTAKE RESOURCES, AND MINE MAY BE REOPENED IN COMBINATION WITH CHICHAGOF MINE.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): USGS MF-1476-B, P. 6

Comment (Production): SOME PB AND CU MAY HAVE BEEN RECOVERED AT SMELTER.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): E1: UNMINED AREA EXPLORED BY UNDERGROUND WORKINGS (MINING WIDTH 3-10 FT.). E2: HIRST TAILINGS. BOTH E1 AND E2 ARE INFERRED MARGINAL RES

Comment (Reserve-Resource): INFERRED RESERVES HAVING MINING WIDTH EXCEEDING 3 FT. - CONTINUATION OF KAY ORE SHOOT (MINING STOPPED IN 1943.

Comment (Geology): HIRST FAULT ZONE CUTS GRAYWACKE AT LARGE ANGLE TO BEDDING, MANY FAULTS SPLIT OFF MAIN FAULT PARALLEL TO FAULT AND PARALLEL TO BEDDING.

References

Reference (Deposit): USGS B 929, P. 60, 65-71, 78-81, 101-118, PLATES 1, 3, 18, 19 (1941)

Reference (Deposit): USGS MF-1476-B, P. 5, 6, LOC. 14 (1982)

Reference (Deposit): USGS OF 78-450, P. 58-61 (1978)

Reference (Deposit): USGS MF-467, LOC. 27 (1972)

Reference (Other Database): BAG-B-929-PL-1

Reference (Production): D1-G9: USGS B 929, P. 104. G10-G12: USGS MF-1476-B, P. 5. G13: NORTHERN MINER, 1986, V. 72, NO. 1, P. 12

Reference (Reserve-Resource): USGS MF-1476-B, P. 5, 6

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