Chichagoff Gold Mine

Site Name

Primary: Chichagoff Gold Mine
Secondary: Chichagoff Mining Co.: 29 Patented Claims

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Lead

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Location

State: Alaska
District: Chichagof

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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.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

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Ownership

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

Owner Name: Queenstake Resources
Years: 1986 -

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1906
Discovery Year: 1905
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

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Orebody

Form: LENS

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Structure

Type: R
Description: Chichagof Fault Trends N 40 Degrees W, Dips 70 Degrees Sw

Type: L
Description: Graywacke Bedding Strikes N 58 Degrees W, Dips 68 Degrees Sw

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ASSAYS OF QUARTZ UP TO 6 OZ/TON AU, AVERAGE GRADE OF ORE 1.16 OZ/TON AU, 0.344 OZ/TON AG

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Materials

Ore: Silver
Gangue: Pyrite

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Comments

Comment (Development): GOLD FOUND IN FLOAT IN 1905, AND CHICHAGOFF GOLD MINING CO. FORMED. CHICHAGOF ORE SHOOT DISCOVERED 1906, AND TUNNEL STARTED. GOLDEN GATE PROPERTY DISCOVERED IN 1906 AND TUNNEL AND MILL STARTED; PROPERTY TAKEN OVER BY CHICHAGOFF MINING CO. IN 1911. MINE PRODUCED EVERY YEAR FROM 1905-1942, WHEN HALTED BY WORLD WAR II. QUEENSTAKE RESOURCES BEGAN SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND EXPLORATION INCLUDING 400 FT. OF DIAMOND DRILLING, 950 FT. OF SURFACE TRENCHING, AND REOPENING UNDERGROUND WORKINGS. QUEENSTAKE AND IT'S PARTNER, VENTURES TRIDENT LTD. PARTNERSHIP, PURCHASED NEARBY HIRST-CHICHAGOF MINE IN 1986.

Comment (Location): USGS B 929, PLATE 1; USGS MF-1476-B, LOC. 15, USGS MF-467, LOC. 33. LOCATION IS AT PORTAL OF MAIN LEVEL. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

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

Comment (Production): G9, G10: TOTALS FOR AG AND AU, AG ORE ARE INCOMPLETE, PROBABLY MORE. AVERAGE MILL PLATE RECOVERY: 1.067 OZ/TON AU, 0.225 OZ/TON AG.

Comment (Deposit): SPELLING OF SITE NAME VARIES. THE MINE AND COMPANY ARE SPELLED CHICHAGOFF, BUT THE FAULT AND ORE SHOOT ARE SPELLED CHICHAGOF, AS IS THE TOWN. AS OF 1986, QUEENSTAKE RESOURCES WAS CONSIDERING CONNECTING CHICHAGOFF AND HIRST-CHICHAGOF MINES, SINCE MAIN LEVELS ARE ONLY 3,600 FT. APART. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Deposit): CHICHAGOF FAULT TRENDS N 40 DEGREES W, DIPS 70 DEGREES SW IN SHALY TO MASSIVE GRAYWACKE, WITH MANY SPLITS DIVERGING OFF FAULT BOTH WITH AND AGAINST BEDDING OF GRAYWACKE (STRIKE N 58 DEGREES W, DIP 68 DEGREES SW). FAULT CONTAINS LARGE WARP. FIVE MAIN ORE SHOOTS EXIST: CHICHAGOF, GOLDEN-GATE, TEMBLY, RUST, AND TEMBLY-RUST. ORE SHOOTS OCCUPY CHICHAGOF FAULT ZONE AND SPLITS, WITH GENERAL SE PLUNGE OF 70 DEGREES, WIDTHS 2-8 FT., WITH MAXIMUM WIDTH 15 FT.. ORE SHOOTS ARE LENTICULAR QUARTZ BODIES THAT PINCH AND SWELL ALONG STRIKE OF FAULT AND DOWN DIP, WITH REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE BETWEEN ELONGATION OF SHOOTS AND DIRECTION AND PITCH OF INTERSECTIONS OF MAIN FAULT AND BEDDING PLANES. ONLY CHICHAGOF AND GOLDEN GATE ORE SHOOTS REACH SURFACE. ORE SHOOTS COMPOSED OF GANGUE OF BANDED OR RIBBON QUARTZ WITH PYRITE, ARSENOPYRITE, GALENA, AND FREE GOLD, WITH MASSIVE WHITE QUARTZ AND CALCITE ALSO PRESENT AS GANGUE MINERALS.

Comment (Workings): MAIN LEVEL AT 60 FT. EL. CONSISTS OF CROSSCUT FOR 440 FT, THEN DRIFT ALONG CHICHAGOF FAULT FOR 4,987 FT. FROM PORTAL. FOUR TUNNELS ABOVE MAIN LEVEL, GOLDEN GATE NOS. 1-4, WITH LONG RAISE FROM MAIN LEVEL TO GOLDEN GATE NO. 4. 21 LEVELS DOWN TO 2,200 FT. BELOW MAIN LEVEL ARE REACHED BY SHAFTS NOS. 1-6. MINE HAS TWO MILLS, GOLDEN GATE AND CHICHAGOF, WITH AERIAL TRAMWAY TO GOLDEN GATE MILL (TRAMWAY AND MILL WERE IN DISREPAIR AS OF 1938). CHICHAGOF MILL HAD 4 5-STAMP BATTERIES, AND HANDLED 60-70 TONS/DAY OF ORE IN 1938. A HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT ON SISTER LAKE, 4.5 MI. AWAY, PROVIDES POWER FOR BOTH CHICHAGOFF AND HIRST-CHICHAGOF MINES. AS OF 1982, ALL UNDERGROUND WORKINGS WERE INACCESSABLE, BUT BEGINNING IN 1983 QUEENSTAKE RESOURCES BEGAN REDEVELOPMENT AND EXPLORATION OF WORKINGS, OPENING GOLDEN GATE NO. 1 IN 1983-84 FOR EXPLORATION DRIFT ON VEIN, AND REOPENING ADDITIONAL 1,500 FT. OF MAIN LEVEL DRIFT FOR DRILL-TESTING IN 1986.

Comment (Commodity): ASSAY DATA FROM USGS B 929, P. 89-90, AND USGS MF-1476-B, P. 5.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): E1, E2: INFERRED MARGINAL RESERVES HAVING MINING WIDTH RANGING FROM 3-15 FT-EL: BIG CROPPINGS AREA OF CHICHAGOF FAULT; E2: UNMINED AREA

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References

Reference (Deposit): USGS B 929, P. 65-70, 86-101, PLATES 15, 16, 17, 1, 3 (1941)

Reference (Deposit): USGS MF-1476-B, LOC. 15, P. 5 (1982)

Reference (Deposit): USGS OF 78-450, P. 28-31 (1978)

Reference (Deposit): THE NORTHERN MINER, 1985, V. 71, NO. 25, P. 20

Reference (Deposit): THE NORTHERN MINER, 1986, V. 72, NO. 1, P. 12

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

Reference (Production): D1-G10: USGS B 929, P. 89-90, TABLES 1, 2; ALSO USGS OF 78-450, P. 28. G11-G13: USGS MF-1476-B, P. 5

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

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