Esperanto Creek

The Esperanto Creek 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: Esperanto Creek
Secondary: Keating Gulch

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver

Location

State: Alaska
District: Innoko

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: Placer Au-PGE

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary. The placer gold is probably derived from a Cretaceous or Tertiary monzonite pluton at the head of Esperanto Creek (Bundtzen and others, 1987).

Comment (Production): Production Notes = The production from 1922 to 1962 was 4,429 ounces of gold and 699 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and others, 1987).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Cobb, 1976 (OFR 76-576)

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Gold mining along Esperanto Creek began in 1922 and continued intermittently until at least 1962 (Brooks and Capps, 1924; Bundtzen and others, 1987). Continuous, mechanized mining took place from 1935 to 1940 (Smith, 1937; Smith, 1938; Smith, 1939 [B 910-A]; Smith, 1939 [B 917-A]; Smith, 1941; Smith, 1942).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The rocks at the head of Esperanto Creek are Tertiary chert, argillite, and volcaniclastic rocks in thrust contact with Paleozoic carbonate rocks (Chapman and others, 1985). A Cretaceous or Tertiary monzonite pluton cuts this fault near the headwaters of Esperanto Creek. The monzonite is heavily weathered and contains large feldspar phenocrysts and quartz stockwork veins. Most of the mine tailings seem to be composed of quartz and feldspar from the weathered monzonite (Dashevsky, 2001).? Placer gold on Esperanto Creek was found in gravels 1 foot thick (Mertie, 1936). The gold averages about 869 fine (Smith, 1941; Metz and Hawkins, 1981). The source of gold at Esperanto Creek may be the Cretaceous or Tertiary monzonite pluton at the head of the creek (Bundtzen and others, 1987).? Gold mining along Esperanto Creek began in 1922 and continued intermittently until at least 1962 (Brooks and Capps, 1924; Bundtzen and others, 1987). Continuous, mechanized mining took place from 1935 to 1940 (Smith, 1937; Smith, 1938; Smith, 1939 [B 910-A]; Smith, 1939 [B 917-A]; Smith, 1941; Smith, 1942). Production from 1922 - 1962 was 4,429 ounces of gold and 699 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and others, 1987).

References

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., Green, C.B., Deagen, J., and Daniels, C.L., 1987, Alaska's mineral industry, 1986: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Special Report 40, 68 p.

Reference (Deposit): Chapman, R.M., Patton, W.W., and Moll, E.J., 1985, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Ophir quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 85-203, 1 sheet, 1:250,000 scale.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction material) in the Iditarod and Ophir quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-576, 101 p.

Reference (Deposit): Metz, P.A., and Hawkins, D.B., 1981, A summary of gold fineness values from Alaska placer deposits: University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Mineral Industry Research Laboratory Report No. 45, 63 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Ophir quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-367, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S. 1939, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1937, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-95.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H. and Capps, S.R., 1924, Mineral industry in Alaska, 1922: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755, p. 1-56.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1936, Mineral deposits of the Ruby-Kuskokwim region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-C, 115-245.

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