The Mineral 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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Mineral Creek MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Mineral Creek
Commodity
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Location
State: Alaska
District: Circle
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
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Conglomerate Bedrock Iron Stained
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Gold
Comments
Comment (Production): Production Notes = By 1935, 12,000 ounces of gold had been removed from Mineral Creek.
Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = National Park Service, 1990
Comment (Exploration): Status = Probably inactive
Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Claims were staked on Mineral Creek in 1898, but mining did not take place until later. Early mining occurred near the mouth of Alice Gulch. Nuggets assayed 925 parts Au per thousand, and 072 parts Ag per thousand (Mertie, 1938). By 1906, eighteen men were mining 7 claims, mostly by shoveling. One small hydraulic plant was also used for stripping, and three steam hoists were being operated (National Park Service, 1990). Much of the mining was done in winter, with gravel stockpiled for sluicing in the spring (National Park Service, 1990).? A dredge was installed on Woodchopper Creek (CY038) in 1937, and mining on Mineral Creek became less active, although Alluvial Gold drilled 92 holes in Mineral Creek gravel in 1938. They reported finding about 1 ounce of gold for every 66 cubic yards of muck and gravel (National Park Service, 1990). Mining and prospecting occurred on Mineral Creek as recently as 1986, and the area may still be active (National Park Service, 1990).
Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = See also Woodchopper Creek (CY038), Dome Creek (CY010), Iron Creek (CY019), and Alice Gulch (CY002). This site is within the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.
Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Mineral Creek is underlain primarily by Cretaceous to Tertiary sedimentary rocks (Dover and Miyaoka, 1988). The gold is found in gravels and in weathered conglomerate bedrock (Brooks, 1907).? Claims were staked on Mineral Creek in 1898, but mining did not take place until later. Early mining occurred near the mouth of Alice Gulch. Gold assayed 925 parts Au per thousand, and 072 parts Ag per thousand (Mertie, 1938). By 1906, eighteen men were mining 7 claims, mostly by shoveling. One small hydraulic plant was also used for stripping, and three steam hoists were being operated (National Park Service, 1990). In 1906, there were three benches on the south side of the valley, with 2 to 5 feet of gravel beneath as much as 30 feet of muck. The pay streaks were in parallel channels 12 to 14 feet wide. The gold was also in weathered, iron-stained conglomerate bedrock (Brooks, 1907).? Much of the mining was done in winter, with gravel stockpiled for sluicing in the spring. By 1935, 12,000 ounces of gold had been recovered from Mineral Creek (National Park Service, 1990).? A dredge was installed on Woodchopper Creek (CY038) in 1937, and mining on Mineral Creek became less active, although Alluvial Gold drilled 92 holes in Mineral Creek gravel in 1938. They reported finding about 1 ounce of gold for every 66 cubic yards of muck and gravel (National Park Service, 1990). Mining and prospecting occurred on Mineral Creek as recently as 1986, and the area may still be active (National Park Service, 1990).
Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.
References
Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1938, Gold placers of the Fortymile, Eagle, and Circle districts, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-C, p. 133-261.
Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Charley River quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-390, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Reference (Deposit): National Park Service, 1990, Final environmental impact statement, volume 1, Mining in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska: National Park Service, Anchorage, Alaska, p. 36-44.
Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1907, The Alaskan mining industry in 1906: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 314, p. 19-39.
Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1942, Tertiary deposits of the Eagle-Circle district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-D, p. 213-264.
Reference (Deposit): Dover, J.A., and Miyaoka, R.T., 1988, Reinterpreted geologic map and fossil data, Charley River quadrangle, east-central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2004, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.
Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1930, Geology of the Eagle-Circle district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 816, 168 p.
Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Charley River and Coleen quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-632, 45 p.
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