St. Paul

The St. Paul 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: St. Paul
Secondary: McCann, Thomas, Mickley, and Hagel

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Antimony

Location

State: Alaska
District: Fairbanks

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

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: The quartz and the schist country rock is decayed, shattered, and iron-stained and stibnite and its alteration products are found along the footwall of th evein (Mertie, 1917).

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Stibnite

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Hill, 1933

Comment (Production): Production Notes = A mine operated thoughout 1917, and the ore was processed in a mill with a capacity of 20 tons per day (Chapin, 1919, p. 323). In 1918, one hundred fifty feet of tunnel was driven, but none of the ore was milled; the mill operated on ore from the Billy Sunday and Mohawk mines (FB064 and FB061, respectively) (Martin, 1920, p. 40). A little mining also took place in 1919 (Brooks and Martin, 1921, p. 81). By 1931, all the ore above the lower tunnel level, for its full length, had been stoped; it produced about 1,000 tons of ore with an average value of $30 in gold per ton (about 1.45 ounces of gold per ton) (Hill, 1933, p. 129).

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Schist-hosted gold-quartz vein

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = An auriferous vein of massive, vitreous quartz, about 3 feet thick, strikes N. 40 E. and dips 38 NW. (Mertie, 1917, p. 409-410). The quartz and the schist country rock are decayed, shattered, and iron-stained. Stibnite and its alteration products are found along the footwall; the gold content is lower where stibnite is present. The mine and a mill with a capacity of 20 tons per day operated throughout 1917 (Chapin, 1919, p. 323). In 1918, 150 feet of tunnel was driven. However, none of the ore was milled; the the mill operated on ore from the Billy Sunday and Mohawk mines (FB064 and FB061, respectively) (Martin, 1920, p. 40). A little mining also took place in 1919 (Brooks and Martin, 1921, p. 81). By 1931, the lower tunnel near the mill was about 300 feet long and trended north-northeast (Hill, 1933, p. 129). Material on the dump consisted entirely of quartz-mica schist. The upper tunnel, caved by 1931, was about a quarter of a mile north of the lower tunnel, and was driven 250 feet on a vein that ranged in thickness from 3 to 4 feet. The vein above the tunnel has a dip of 45 W., but it steepens to 70 degrees in a winze below the tunnel. All the ore above the tunnel level for its full length had been stoped; it produced about 1,000 tons of ore with an average value of $30 in gold per ton (about 1.45 ounces of gold per ton). The dump from the upper tunnel is composed largely of iron-stained biotite schist with a considerable amount of clay gouge and quartz. There were also some large pieces of stibnite-arsenopyrite-quartz ore and a few pieces of high-grade gold quartz. A grab sample from crushed material on this dump that presumably came from the vein assayed 72 cents in gold per ton (about 0.03 ounce of gold per ton (Hill, 1933, p. 129). Glover (1950) reported that the gold is 806 fine.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = A mine and a mill with a capacity of 20 tons per day operated in 1917 (Chapin, 1919, p. 323). In 1918, 150 feet of tunnel was driven. None of the ore was milled and the operated on ore from the Billy Sunday and Mohawk mines (Martin, 1920, p. 40). A little mining also took place in 1919 (Brooks and Martin, 1921, p. 81). By 1931, the lower tunnel near the mill was about 300 feet long and trended north-northeast (Hill, 1933, p. 129). The upper tunnel, caved by 1931, was about a quarter of a mile north of the lower tunnel, and was driven 250 feet on a vein that ranged in thickness from 3 to 4 feet. In 1997, Silverado Gold Mines, Ltd., drilled and trenched the St. Paul zone (Swainbank and Clautice, 1998, p. 8).

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = In February, 2000, Silverado Gold Mines, Ltd., reported that the property contained a resource of 359,992 ounces of gold: 16,338 ounces proven, 81,354 ounces probable, and 262,300 ounces possible (Silverado Gold Mines, Ltd., Ester Dome project web site, February 17, 2000; http://www.silverado.com).

References

Reference (Deposit): Hill, J.M., 1933, Lode deposits of the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 849-B, p. 29-163.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., and Martin, G. C. 1921, The Alaska mining industry in 1919: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714, p. 59-95.

Reference (Deposit): Martin, G.C., 1920, The Alaska mining industry in 1918: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-A, p. 1-52.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-662, 174 p.

Reference (Deposit): Killeen, P.L., and Mertie, J.B., 1951, Antimony ore in the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 51-46, 43 p.

Reference (Deposit): Chapin, Theodore, 1919, Mining in the Fairbanks district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-F, p. 321-327.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-410, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B. Jr., 1917, Lode mining in the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662-H, p. 403-424.

Reference (Deposit): Glover, A.E., 1950, Placer gold fineness: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-1, 38 p.

Reference (Deposit): Chapman, R.M., and Foster, R.L., 1969, Lode mines and prospects in the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 625-D, 25 p., 1 plate.

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