Upper Dahl Creek

Site Name

Primary: Upper Dahl Creek

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Jade
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Chromium
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Cadmium

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Location

State: Alaska
District: Shungnak

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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: Gold
Ore: Silver

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Comments

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

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Total production from the Dahl Creek placers (also see ARDF number SH002) is estimated to be 15,000 ounces to more than 17,000 ounces (Degenhart and others, 1978).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Smith, 1913; Reed, 1931

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Gold was first discovered in 1898 and the claims were worked more or less continuously up to 1968. From the late 50's into the early 70's nephrite boulders were recovered and cut during the mining process. Early mining was done with shovels and sluice box. In the 1920's, hydraulic equipment was installed and used extensively around Wye Creek. In 1988 and 1989 NANA took jig samples from each of the claim blocks in an attempt to complete a patenting application on the claims.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Silver (native)

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = the gradient of Dahl Creek is approximately 150 feet per mile. Much of material collected as nephrite jade was serpentinite rather than nephrite. Best placer ground is worked out. The mine area is accessible by trail from Kobuk and is owned by NANA Regional Corp. Data on Dahl Creek are available by request from NANA Regional Corp.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = At the upper Dahl Creek placer mine most of the gold lies on, or just above, bedrock, although some spongy gold occurs in black, soil-like overburden (A. Williams, unpublished data, 1998). The gold was most abundant near the mouth of Wye Creek. Creek gravels range from 5 to 25 feet thick. The gold is in the lower 1 to 2 feet of gravel as well as on bedrock; it is unevenly distributed and patchy, occurring in pockets. There is no continuous pay streak. The gold is reddish to brass yellow in color. Some of the nuggets were spongy and rare wire gold has been reported. Nuggets of considerable size have been recovered from the deposit. One nugget was worth about $65 in 1913 and had considerable greasy-looking milky quartz attached. A flat nugget worth over $600 was recovered just below Harry Creek. The gold was valued at $17.20 per ounce (Reed, 1931). Concentrates from the placers are predominately magnetite, along with some chromite and native copper. Nuggets of native silver up to 1 inch in diameter been reported in the concentrates. The silver carries a small amount of cadmium. (Smith, 1913). Nephrite boulders have been recovered during placer mining.? the upper Dahl Creek placer is in thawed ground. Bedrock is lower Paleozoic, black slate with quartz stringers, and schist which breaks into small, rectangular blocks. The joint faces on these blocks are commonly iron-stained. The dominant strike of the bedrock is perpendicular to the creek, forming natural riffles for catching gold. Holes sunk on some low benches on either side of the creek are in unconsolidated deposits up to 15 feet thick. Quartz veins cutting bedrock on these benches are 1 inch to 4 feet thick. Serpentinite near Dahl Creek around the confluence of Stockley Creek contains chrysotile and fibrous serpentine.

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References

Reference (Deposit): Coats, R.R., 1944, Asbestos deposits of the Dahl Creek area, Kobuk River district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report, 4 p.

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

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources of the Shungnak quadrangle, Alaska: USGS Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-448, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Fritts, C.E., 1970, Geology and geochemistry of the Cosmos Hills, Ambler River and Shungnak River Quadrangles, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geological Report 39, 63 p., 4 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Fritts, C.E., 1969, Geology and geochemistry in the southeastern part of the Cosmos Hills, Shungnak D-2 quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geological Report 37, 35 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:48,000.

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): Brooks, A.H., 1922, The Alaska mining industry in 1920: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 722-A, p. 1-74.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1909, The mining industry in 1908: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379-A, p. 21-62.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H. and Capps, S.R., 1924, Mineral industry in Alaska, 1922: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755, p. 1-56.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S. and Eakin, H.M., 1911, Mineral resources of Alaska 1910: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, 333 p..

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1912, The Alaska mining industry in 1911, in Brooks, A.H., and others, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1911: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520, p. 17-44.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1914, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1913: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592, p. 340-341.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1916, Antimony deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 649, 67 p.

Reference (Deposit): Martin, G.C., 1919, Alaska Mining Industry in 1917: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692, p. 11-42

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813, p. 1-72.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1910, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1909: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442, 426 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1936, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64.

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

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1937, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-95.

Reference (Deposit): WGM Staff, 1980, Non-fuel mineral resources of Alaska: Anchorage, Alaska, WGM, Inc. Unpublished report for Phillips Petroleum Company, 320 p. (Report held by NANA Regional Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska).

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-94.

Reference (Deposit): Mayfield, C.F. and Grybeck, D., 1978, Mineral occurrences and resource map of the Ambler river quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-120I, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-91.

Reference (Deposit): Degenhart, C.E., Griffis, R.J., McQuat, J.F., and Bigelow, C.G., 1978, Mineral studies of the western Brooks Range performed under contract to the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Contract #JO155089: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 103-78, 529 p., 11 sheets.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929, in Smith, P.S., and others Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824-A, p. 1-81.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836, p. 1-83.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-82.

Reference (Deposit): Anderson, Eskil, 1945, Asbestos and jade occurrences in the Kobuk River region, Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 3-R, 48 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., and Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1930, Geology and mineral resources of northwestern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 815, 315 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): Smith, P.S., 1929, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1926: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 797, p. 1-50.

Reference (Deposit): Anderson, Eskil, 1947, Mineral occurrences other than gold deposits in northwestern Alaska: Alaska Territorial Division of Mines Pamphlet 5-R, 48 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith. P.S., 1913, The Noatak-Kobuk region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 536, 60 p.

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

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-81.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in five quadrangles in west central Alaska (Hughes, Kotzebue, Melozitna, Selawik, Shungnak): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-627, 58 p.

Reference (Deposit): Saunders, R.H., 1953, Itinerary report of the Eagle and Shungnak district for the 1952 field season: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Itinerary Report 195-44, 7 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813-A, p. 1-72.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1925, Alaska's mineral resources and production, 1923: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 773, p. 3-52.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in five quadrangles in west central Alaska (Hughes, Kotzebue, Melozitna, Selawik and Shungnak): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-627, 58 p.

Reference (Deposit): Grybeck, D.J., 1977, Known mineral deposits of the Brooks Range, Alaska: US Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-166C, 41 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1977, Placer deposit map of central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-168B, 64 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Reed, I.M., 1931, Report on the placer deposits of the upper Kobuk goldfields: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 37-1, 57 p.

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