Drenchwater Creek

The Drenchwater Creek is a lead and zinc 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: Drenchwater Creek

Commodity

Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Secondary: Barium-Barite
Secondary: Silver

Location

State: Alaska
District: Colville

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

Model Name: Sedimentary exhalative Zn-Pb

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = K-Ar ages of 319+10 and 330+17 Ma were obtained from biotite from a volcanic interbed within the mineralized belt; a Pb-isotope model age of 200 Ma was obtained from galena.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Lode; sediment-hosted Pb-Zn

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Sulfides occur as disseminated grains, fracture fillings, and in boxwork quartz in black chert and siliceous shale of Mississippian to Lower Pennsylvanian(?) Kuna Formation of Lisburne Group; felsic to intermediate(?) volcanic rocks are interbedded in the sedimentary section. The sulfides are at the west end of a west-northwest-trending zone of sporadic occurrences that extends about 1.25 mi (2 km) parallel to the strike of bedding and complex structural imbrication. Sulfides probably syngenetic.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Nokleberg and Winkler (1982)

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Some samples contain up to 23% Zn, 5.1% ppm Pb, 1150 ppm Cu, 5000 ppm Ba, and 15 ppm Ag (Jansons, 1982, p. 22-28; Jansons and Baggs, 1980, p. 40-46).

References

Reference (Deposit): Nokleberg, W.J., and Winkler, G.R., 1978, Stratiform zinc-lead mineralization, Drenchwater Creek area, Howard Pass quadrangle, western Brooks Range, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 772-B, p. B15-B17

Reference (Deposit): Churkin, M. Jr., Mayfield, C.F., Theobald, P.K., Barton, H., Nodleberg, W.J., Winkler, G.R., and Huie, C., 1978, Geological and geochemical appraisal of metallic mineral resources, southern National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-70A, 82 p.

Reference (Deposit): Jansons, Uldis, 1982, Zinc-lead occurrences in and near the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report MLA 121-82, 55 p.

Reference (Deposit): Jansons, Uldis, and Baggs, D.W., 1980, Mineral investigations of the Misheguk Mountains and Howard Pass quadrangles, National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 38-80, 76 p.

Reference (Deposit): Mayfield, C.F., Curtis, S.M., Ellersieck, I., and Tailleur, I.L., 1979, The Ginny Creek zinc-lead-silver and Nimiuktuk barite deposits, northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 804-B, p. B11-B12.

Reference (Deposit): Nokleberg, W.J., and Winkler, G.R., 1982, Stratiform zinc-lead deposits in the Drenchwater Creek area, Howard Pass quadrangle, northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska; U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1209, 22 p., 2 over-size plates, scale 1:19,800

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