Dese Creek

The Dese Creek 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: Dese Creek

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Mercury

Location

State: Alaska
District: Port Clarence

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: Cinnabar
Ore: Gold

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Probably inactive

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Not defined

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Placer mining operations, mostly dredging, have taken place along 1.5 miles of the main drainage between surface elevations of 45 and about 180 feet.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Not known

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Sainsbury and others, 1969; Cobb, 1975

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Bedrock in the Dese Creek drainage is a metapelitic sequence with local metamorphosed mafic intrusive bodies (Sainsbury, 1972). In places, the retrograded greenschist facies mafic bodies preserve remnant blueschist facies minerals. The age of this assemblage is unknown but it is probably Paleozoic. Sainsbury and others (1969) mapped placer workings along 1.5 miles of the main drainage at surface elevations of 45 to 180 feet. Mining took place primarily between 1927 and 1946 and included several years of dredge operations (Cobb, 1975). Heavy mineral concentrates from placer operations contained cinnabar. Sainsbury and others (1969) report anomalous mercury levels in stream sediments above the area of placer operations. The character of the placer deposit has not been described. The area is low enough that Quaternary marine transgressions could have affected the placer deposit.

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

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary

References

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., and Sainsbury, C.L., 1972, Metallic mineral resource map of the Teller quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-426, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., Kachadoorian, Reuban, Hudson, Travis, Smith, T.E., Richards, T.R., and Todd, W.E., 1969, Reconnaissance geologic maps and sample data, Teller A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2, B-3, C-1, and Bendeleben A-6, B-6, C-6, D-5, and D-6 quadrangles. Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 377, 49 p., 12 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., 1972, Geologic map of the Teller quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Map I-685, 4 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Teller quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-587, 130 p.

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