The West Fork-Post River is a copper and silver 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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West Fork-Post River MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: West Fork-Post River
Commodity
Primary: Copper
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Zinc
Location
State: Alaska
District: McGrath
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: Polymetallic veins
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Not available
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Mafic Intrusive Rock
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrrhotite
Ore: Sphalerite
Comments
Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The West Fork-Post River was discovered by the late Bruce Reed during mineral investigations for the U.S. Geological Survey in the 1960s (Reed and Elliott, 1968, C 596). Values from selected grab samples collected by Reed and Elliott (1968, C 596) contain up to 45.7 grams/tonne silver, 1.50 percent copper, and 0.07 percent zinc.
Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Polymetallic vein (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 22c).
Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive
Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Similar to Veleska-South prospect (MG050) in McGrath B-2 quadrangle.
Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Reed and Elliott, 1968 (C 596)
Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The West Fork-Post River occurrence consists of small lenses and disseminations of pyrrhotite associated with a swarm of northwest-trending mafic dikes that cut argillite of the Early to Late Silurian Terra Cotta Mountains Sandstone, a unit of the Dillinger subterrane (Bundtzen and others, 1988; Bundtzen, Harris, and Gilbert, 1997). Samples collected by Reed and Elliott (1968, C 596) contained semi-massive pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite and sphalerite. Values from selected grab samples on the surface run up to 45.7 grams/tonne silver, 1.50 percent copper, and 0.07 percent zinc.
References
Reference (Deposit): MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous mineral deposits in the western part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-F, 38 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.
Reference (Deposit): Reed, B.L. and Elliott, R.L., 1968, Geochemical anomalies and metalliferous deposits between Windy Fork and Post River, southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 596, 22 pages.
Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., Harris, E.E., and Gilbert, W.G., 1997, Geologic Map of the eastern McGrath quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Report of Investigations 97-14, 34 pages, one sheet, scale 1:125,000.
Reference (Deposit): Reed, B.L., and Elliott, R.L., 1968, Results of stream sediment sampling in parts of the southern Alaska Range: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report, 9 pages, one sheet, 1:500,000 scale.
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