Yankee Creek

The Yankee 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: Yankee Creek

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 (Production): Production Notes = A conservative estimate of production from Yankee Creek between 1909 to 1968 and 1981 to 1986 is 62,500 ounces of gold and 12,650 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and others, 1987).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The bedrock in the vicinity of Yankee Creek is slate, sandstone, and decomposed igneous rock (Mertie, 1936); the area also contains Cretaceous or Tertiary rhyolitic dikes and alkali-calcic monzonite plutons. These intrusive rocks are the likely source of gold in Yankee Creek (Bundtzen and others, 1987). Only the lower 4 1/2 miles of Yankee Creek are in the Ophir quadrangle; extensive mining along Yankee Creek also occurred in the Iditarod quadrangle.? Gold is found in the coarse gravels; in 1911, these gravels were about 8 feet thick and buried under 1 to 3 feet of muck and silt (Maddren, 1911). Bundtzen and others (1987) report that the gold is 849.6 fine, with 129.5 parts silver, and 20.0 parts impurities. Smith (1941) reports an average gold fineness of 882.? Heavy minerals identified in pan concentrates from lower Yankee Creek include magnetite, ilmenite, magnesiochromite, scheelite, and free gold (Bundtzen and others, 1987). Marten Gulch, a locally-named tributary to Yankee Creek in the Ophir quadrangle, contained magnetite, ilmenite, siderite, hornblende, hypersthene, eckermanite, and hidalgoite (a lead- arsenic sulfate) (Bundtzen and others, 1987).? Yankee Creek was first prospected during the winter of 1908-1909, and mining began in 1909 (Maddren, 1910; Maddren, 1911). Mining was nearly continuous from 1910 until 1940 (Cobb, 1976 [OFR 76-576]). Williams (1950) and Saunders (1960) report mining along Yankee Creek in 1950 and 1959.? A conservative estimate of production from Yankee Creek between 1909 to 1968 and 1981 to 1986 is 62,500 ounces of gold and 12,650 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and others, 1987).

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

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Also see the ARDF site for Yankee Creek in the Iditarod quadrangle.

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

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary. The source(s) of the placer gold probably are the Cretaceous or Tertiary rhyolitic dikes and monzonite plutons in the area (Bundtzen and others, 1987).

References

Reference (Deposit): Saunders, R.H., 1960, Itinerary report on a trip to the Flat and Ophir Districts: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Itinerary Report 64-2, 15 p.

Reference (Deposit): Maddren, A.G., 1910, The Innoko gold-placer district, Alaska, with accounts of the central Kuskokwim valley and the Ruby Creek and Gold Hill placers: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 410, 87 p.

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

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): Maddren, A.G., 1911, Gold placer mining developments in the Innoko-Iditarod region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, p. 236-270.

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

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): Williams, J.A., 1950, Mining operations in the Fairbanks district and Innoko and Koyukuk precincts: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 194-13, 20 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.

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