Coal Creek

Site Name

Primary: Coal Creek
Secondary: Adamic
Secondary: Coal Creek Hydraulic Mining Association
Secondary: Emily Association
Secondary: Forrest Association
Secondary: Golden Eagle Bench Association
Secondary: Gold Placers, Inc.
Secondary: Malstrom Association
Secondary: Slaven Association
Secondary: McDonald

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver

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Location

State: Alaska
District: Circle

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Land Status

Not available

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Not available

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Placer Au-PGE

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Silver
Ore: Gold

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Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = This site is within the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.

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

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Mertie, 1942

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Active mining and prospecting took place intermittently between 1902 and 1986. In 1986, the land was donated to the National Park Service (National Park Service, 1990). Large-scale placer mining along Coal Creek and its tributaries began in 1934. In 1934, placer claims along Coal Creek extended for 7 miles, reaching to Colorado Creek. A bucket-line floating dredge began operation along the creek in 1935, and a tractor-haul road was constructed to the Yukon River (National Park Service, 1990).

Comment (Geology): Age = Tertiary to Quaternary.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The head of Coal Creek crosses metamorphic rocks and greenstone of Paleozoic age, and as the river flows northward, it crosses a belt of Upper Cretaceous to Tertiary conglomerate and other sedimentary rocks (Brabb and Churkin, 1969; Dover and Miyaoka, 1988). Placers are not found south of the conglomerate belt, and placer grounds drop sharply in value at the north edge. The placers were largely derived from the conglomerate, which was derived in turn, from the older metamorphic rocks. This interpretation is supported by the presence of garnets and garnetiferous schist in the gravels (Prindle and Mertie, 1912; Cobb, 1973 (B 1374)). Monazite has also been reported in concentrates (Bates and Wedow, 1953). Mean fineness values from 16 assays were 897 parts Au per thousand and 96 parts Ag per thousand (Mertie, 1942). ? Active mining and prospecting took place intermittently between 1902 and 1986. In 1986, the land was donated to the National Park Service (National Park Service, 1990). Large-scale placer mining along Coal Creek and its tributaries began in 1934. In 1934, placer claims along Coal Creek extended for 7 miles, reaching to Colorado Creek. A bucket-line floating dredge began operation along the creek in 1935, and a tractor-haul road was constructed to the Yukon River. Between 1936 and 1957 92,385 ounces of placer gold were recovered from Coal Creek by the owners of the dredge, Gold Placers, Inc. (National Park Service, 1990). Mining along Coal Creek continued in 1962-1964 and 1973-1986 (National Park Service, 1990).

Comment (Production): Production Notes = The owners of the dredge, Gold Placers, Inc., recovered 92,385 ounces of placer gold between 1936 and 1957 (National Park Service, 1990).

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References

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

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., 1942, Tertiary deposits of the Eagle-Circle district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-D, p. 213-264.

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): Bates, R.G. and Wedow, H. Jr., 1953, Preliminary summary review of thorium-bearing mineral occurrences in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 202, 13 p.

Reference (Deposit): Overstreet, W.C., 1967, The geologic occurrence of monazite: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 530, 327 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brabb, E.E., and Churkin, M.J., 1969, Geologic map of the Charley River quadrangle, east-central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Geologic Investigations Map I-573, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

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

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L.M., and Mertie, J.B. Jr., 1912, Gold placers between Woodchopper and Fourth of July Creeks, upper Yukon River: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520-G, p. 201-210.

Reference (Deposit): Lyle, W.M., 1973, Geologic and mineral evaluation of the Charley River drainage, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Open-File Report AOF-28, 6 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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