Ungalik River

The Ungalik River 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: Ungalik River

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: Alaska
District: Koyuk

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

Model Name: Placer Au-PGE

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Amalgam
Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Gold
Ore: Hematite
Ore: Limonite
Ore: Magnetite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Scheelite

Comments

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Gold was discovered on Ungalik River, both at the mouth of Bonanza Creek and farther downstream, in 1889 (Smith and Eakin, 1911). Shallit (1938) reports that after spending $15,000 to $16,000 on prospect drilling, the Ungalik Syndicate built a dredge on the Ungalik River at the mouth of Bonanza Creek. This dredge operated from 1938 until at least 1942. The next report of mining along Ungalik Creek is the cessation of dredging in 1987 or 1988 (Shallit, 1938; Smith, 1939; Smith, 1941; Smith, 1942; Bundtzen and others, 1991). A second dredge, owned by the Shaw and Cook Company, also began operating in 1938, and probably continued for several years (Shallit, 1938). Intermittent mining occurred along the Ungalik River until 1987 or 1988 (Bundtzen and others, 1991).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Probably inactive

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Cobb, 1976 (OFR 76-866)

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

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The country rocks in the vicinity of the Ungalik River are sedimentary rocks cut by Cretaceous granite or granodiorite dikes (Cobb, 1973 [B 1374]). The dikes are described by Anderson (1944) as light green, fine grained, and composed almost entirely of altered feldspars and quartz, along with disseminated pyrite.? the gold placers along the Ungalik River were reported by Smith and Eakin (1911) to be irregularly distributed and of low grade. Anderson (1944) reports the following minerals in the concentrates (in order of abundance): magnetite, andradite, pyrite, hematite, zircon, pyroxenes, cinnabar, quartz, apatite, limonite, feldspar, ilmenite, scheelite, gold, and amalgam.? Gold was discovered on Ungalik River, both at the mouth of Bonanza Creek and farther downstream, in 1889 (Smith and Eakin, 1911). From 1938 until 1987 or 1988 a dredge operated intermittently along the Ungalik River (Shallit, 1938; Bundtzen and others, 1991). A second dredge also operated for several years around 1938 (Shallit, 1938).? Also see NR008 and 010.

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.

References

Reference (Deposit): Shallit, A.B., 1938, Placer operations in second division-1938: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report MR 192-4, 27 p.

Reference (Deposit): Anderson, Eskil, 1944, Petrographic descriptions of rocks collected during 1944 field investigation in north-west Alaska, and lists of ore and rock samples and placer concentrates collected in northwestern and interior Alaska during 1945 field season: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-28, 76 p.

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

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): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Candle, Holy Cross, Norton Bay, Nulato, and Unalakleet quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-866, 102 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., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.

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

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Norton Bay quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-381, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

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