Old Smoky

The Old Smoky 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: Old Smoky

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Antimony

Location

State: Alaska
District: Tolovana

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Prospect
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: Most of the intrusive rocks and some of the sedimentary host rocks have experienced variable degrees of metasomatic hydrothermal alteration followed by lower temperature supergene alteration (Allegro, 1984, p. 4). Allegro (1984) described four types of hydrothermal alteration: 1) silicification, as partial to complete replacement of the host rock by a dense network of quartz veinlets generally localized along contacts between the intrusive and sedimentary rocks; 2) sericitization, as fine- to medium-grained white mica in selvages along quartz veins, as anastomosing sericite-opaque mineral veinlets, and as patchy to massive sericitic replacement of feldspar, ferromagnesium minerals and quartz; 3) deposition of trigonal nets of needle-like rutile often associated with secondary quartz and minor feldspar; and 4) epidote 1 sericite as a replacement of calcic plagioclase and ferromagnesian minerals resulting in massive aggregates, pseudomorphs, veins, and vug fillings of epidote commonly associated with sericite, opaque minerals, and quartz.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Stibnite

Comments

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Trenching near the head of Olive Creek has exposed narrow, northwest-trending auriferous arsenopyrite-quartz veins in ferruginous quartzite near the intersection of an altered, porphyritic, biotite-monzonite dike, and a potassium feldspar-porphyry dike (Foster, 1968). Mineralization at the Old Smoky prospect is in Devonian sedimentary rocks composed of shale, argillite, fine-grained sandstone, and pebbly conglomerate (Allegro, 1984, p. 3). Narrow zones of thermal metamorphism occur along sheared contacts between these sedimentary rocks and hypabyssal igneous intrusive rocks (Allegro, 1984, p. 3). Similar felsic intrusive rocks throughout the Livengood Quadrangle have been potassium-argon dated at 58.0 to 88.8 m.y. (Turner and others, 1975).? Most of the intrusive rocks and some of the sedimentary host rocks have experienced variable degrees of metasomatic hydrothermal alteration followed by lower temperature supergene alteration (Allegro, 1984, p. 4). Allegro (1984) described four types of hydrothermal alteration: 1) silicification, as partial to complete replacement of the host rock by a dense network of quartz veinlets generally localized along contacts between the intrusive and sedimentary rocks; 2) sericitization, as fine- to medium-grained white mica in selvages along quartz veins, as anastomosing sericite-opaque mineral veinlets, and as patchy to massive sericitic replacement of feldspar, ferromagnesium minerals and quartz; 3) deposition of trigonal nets of needle-like rutile often associated with secondary quartz and minor feldspar; and 4) epidote +/- sericite as a replacement of calcic plagioclase and ferromagnesian minerals resulting in massive aggregates, pseudomorphs, veins, and vug fillings of epidote commonly associated with sericite, opaque minerals, and quartz.? Allegro's (1984) investigation and sample data reveal that the mineralization in the southern portion of the cut is localized along the contact zones between the biotite monzonite and the surrounding sedimentary rocks, and along a contact between biotite monzonite and feldspar porphyry. Channel and chip samples of arsenopyrite-stibnite quartz veins from these zones contained 1.0 to 29.8 ppm gold. Selected samples from the prospect contain 3 to 13 ppm gold as determined by atomic absorption, and 1.6 to 7.0 ppm gold as determined by fire assay-atomic absorption (Foster, 1968, p. 2).? Adjacent to the sheared contact zone, the intrusive rocks are either highly silicified with abundant rutile and some epidote, sericite, arsenopyrite, and monor stibnite, or contain epidote with sericite, rutilated quartz and arsenopyrite (Allegro, 1984, p. 6). Other rocks from the contact zone show intense supergene effects such as clay alteration, covellite and iron-oxides. In some cases these zones contain gold. Green scorodite is present throughout the mineralized areas.? In the northern section of the prospect, the most abundant mineralization is located along the contact area between the feldspar porphyry and a roof pendant of sandstone and shale (Allegro, 1984). A massive 1-meter-wide stibnite lens surrounded by a bleached sericite zone occurs along the northern contact of the roof pendant. Channel samples along this contact zone range from 0.5 to 4.3 ppm gold (Allegro, 1984, p. 6). Some gold is also associated with saprolitic zones in all the intrusive phases but these zones are not limited to shear zones or contacts (Allegro, 1984, p. 6).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Allegro, 1984

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Some trenching and prospect pits that have been channel and chip sampled.

Comment (Geology): Age = Felsic intrusive rocks throughout the Livengood Quadrangle, similar to those at the mineralized contact zone of the Old Smoky prospect, have been potassium-argon dated at 58.0 to 88.8 m.y. (Turner and others, 1975).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Gold-bearing shear zone at contact of hypabyssal intrusions into sediments.

References

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-633, 72 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-819, 241 p.

Reference (Deposit): Foster, R.L., 1968, Descriptions of the Ruth Creek, Lillian Creek, Griffin, Old Smoky, Sunshine No. 2, and Olive Creek lode prospects, Livengood District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 68-104, 21 p.

Reference (Deposit): Allegro, G.L., 1984, Geology of the Old Smokey prospect, Livengood C-4 quadrangle: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Report of Investigations 84-1, 10 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:120.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-413, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

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