Kiwalik Flats

The Kiwalik Flats 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: Kiwalik Flats
Secondary: Keewalik Flats

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: Alaska
District: Fairhaven

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: Gold

Comments

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Production from 1988 through 1991 was approximately 9,900 ounces of gold (Shaffer, 1997).

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

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The Kiwalik Flats mine area was extensively explored by shafts and churn drill holes in 1935 by Keewalik Mining and in 1940 by Arctic Circle Exploration. A small portion of the deposit was dredged by the mid-1940's. In the early 1980's, the dredge tailings were reworked. In 1984, a program of 5 churn drill holes was completed to verify previous results and recalculate reserves. The 1984 drilling program determined that the upper 7 feet of gravel was mostly barren and that by stripping it as waste the grade of the deposit could be increased from 0.0237 ounces of gold per cubic yard to 0.0463 ounces per cubic yard. The area was mined by drag line from 1988 through 1991 by GHD (Douglas Culp, personal communication, 1998). In 1989, GHD processed 98,000 cubic yards of pay gravel. In 1991, GHD's last year of production, 15,000 cubic yards of overburden were stripped and 70,000 cubic yards of gravel were washed. The pay gravel is below water level so gravel must be removed from the pit for washing.

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = River gradient under 25 feet per mile.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Muntzert, 1986; Shaffer, 1997

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Based on calculations from drilling by Arctic Circle Exploration in 1940, remaining reserves on the Kiwalik Flats were 43,130 ounces of gold in 2.35 million cubic yards of gravel, overlain by with 3.36 million cubic yards of overburden (Shaffer, 1997).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Placer gold occurs in river gravels in buried paleo-channels of the Kiwalik River at the confluence of Candle Creek. The deposit is overlain by an average of 16 feet (range from 0 to 50 feet in thickness) of frozen, organic-rich silt and clay. The pay gravel varies from 5 to 23 feet thick (average of 13 feet). Concentrates contain garnet, pyrite, and magnetite. Bedrock is quartz-mica schist.? the property was extensively explored from 1935 to 1940. A portion of the property was dredged in the mid 1940's. The area was re-evaluated in the mid-1980's and mined with a drag line from 1988 through 1991.

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

References

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): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Candle Quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-389, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Gault, H.R., Killeen, P.L., West, W.S. and others, 1953, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in the northwestern part of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska 1945-47 and 1951: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 250, 31 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cass, J.T., 1959, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Candle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-287, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., Swainbank, R.C., Wood, J.E., Clough, A.H., 1991 (1992), Alaska's Mineral Industry 1991: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Special Report 46, 89 p.

Reference (Deposit): Shaffer, W.L., 1997, Memo to Earl Beistline; subject: Kiwalik Flats: Unpublished report dated March 5, 1997, 2 p. (Report held by NANA Regional Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska, and Berg and Wetlesen, Guelph Mills, Pennsylvania).

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., Swainbank, R.C., Deagen, J.R. and Moore, J.L., 1990, Alaska's mineral industry 1989: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 44, 100 p.

Reference (Deposit): Muntzert, J.K., 1983, Kiwalik Flats Placer Gold Deposit: unpublished report, 35 p. (Report held by NANA Regional Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska, and Berg and Wetlesen, Guelph Mills, Pennsylvania).

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

Reference (Deposit): Muntzert, J.L., 1986, Kiwalik Flats placer gold deposit, Preliminary report on results of 1984 drilling program: unpublished report, 42 p. (Report held by NANA Regional Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska, and Berg and Wetlesen, Guelph Mills, Pennsylvania).

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