McDonald

Site Name

Primary: McDonald
Secondary: Morton
Secondary: Blue Bird
Secondary: Blue Bird Fraction
Secondary: Combination

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Commodity

Primary: Gold

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Location

State: Alaska
District: Fairbanks

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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

Not available

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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: Stibnite
Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Cervantite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Scorodite

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Comments

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The Blue Bird claim was located September 28, 1924, by John McDonald (Kukkola, 1939). The adjoining Blue Bird fraction was located on July 5, 1924, also by John McDonald (Kukkola, 1939). By 1931, there were several groups of workings on four claims (Hill, 1933, p. 133-135). Mining was reported from this group of claims in the 1930's (Hill, 1933; Smith, 1939 [B 910-A]). The Blue Bird incline was 80 feet deep with three levels of drift on a vein that was oriented N. 35 W., 65 NE; the vein was terminated by a fault on all three levels. The Combination shaft consisted of a 100-foot incline that followed a vein that was oriented N. 20 W., 45 E. (Hill, 1933). Kukkola (1939) reported that a shaft was sunk 125 feet to the northwest of the old shaft, but it is unclear if this was the Combination shaft reported by Hill (1933) or another. Mining on this 'new' shaft was carried on to a depth of 210 feet.

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

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Prior to 1931, the Blue Bird workings produced 240 tons of ore averaging $19 in gold per ton (0.92 ounce of gold per ton) (Hill, 1933, p. 134). The Combination shaft ore averaged $25 to $40 in gold per ton (1.21 to 1.94 ounces of gold per ton), but the amount produced was not reported. Mine production from 1932 to 1938 was 4,000 tons or ore that netted $80,000 (Kukkola, 1939). No mill was erected on the property; the ore was hauled to the Mohawk mill.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Hill, 1933

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = In 1917, a few shallow pits exposed a quartz vein with arsenopyrite scattered through it and coatings of scorodite and cervantite (Chapin, 1919, p. 323). By 1927, a shaft was sunk that exposed visible gold in schist-hosted quartz veins (Moffit, 1927, p. 12). By 1931, there were several groups of workings on four claims (Hill, 1933, p. 133-135). The Blue Bird incline was 80 feet deep with three levels of drifting on a vein that was oriented N. 35 W., 65 NE; the vein was terminated by a fault on all three levels. The Blue Bird workings produced 240 tons of ore averaging $19 in gold per ton ( 0.92 ounce of gold per ton). The Combination shaft consisted of a 100-foot incline that followed a vein that was oriented N. 20 W., 45 E. The vein had an average width of 3 feet, and ore from it was rich in sulfides, averaging $25 to $40 in gold per ton (1.21 to 1.94 ounces of gold per ton). Large boulders of stibnite-arsenopyrite ore were found on the dump. On the McDonald claim, four, subparallel, nearly vertical veins strike N. 40 E; the ore consists of arsenopyrite and stibnite. Mining was reported from this group of claims in 1931 and 1937 (Hill, 1933; Smith, 1939 [B 910-A]). The gold is 810 to 846 fine (Glover, 1950).

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References

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Glover, A.E., 1950, Placer gold fineness: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-1, 38 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): Hill, J.M., 1933, Lode deposits of the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 849-B, p. 29-163.

Reference (Deposit): Kukkola, T., 1939, Report on the Blue Bird mine: Fairbanks, University of Alaska, Bachelor of Mining Engineering thesis, 33 p.

Reference (Deposit): Joesting, H.R., 1942, Strategic mineral occurences in interior Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 1, 46 p.

Reference (Deposit): Moffit, F.H., 1927, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1925: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 792-A, p. 1-39.

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.

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): 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): Smith, P.S. 1939, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

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