Kashwitna River

The Kashwitna River is a gold, silver, and copper 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: Kashwitna River

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Primary: Copper

Location

State: Alaska
District: Willow Creek

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Jurassic

Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Middle Paleocene
Age Old: Early Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Bornite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Capps and Tuck, 1935

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Assays show small amounts of gold (no more than 0.02 oz/ton) and 5.0 oz/ton Ag (Capps and Tuck, 1935). Capps (1940) reports that some samples collected from the Kashwitna Basin are nearly pure bornite.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Early Paleocene or younger ; mineralization is hosted in both early Paleocene to Late Cretaceous tonalite and Jurassic quartz diorite gneiss.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Capps and Tuck (1935) report quartz float and numerous quartz veins containing small amounts of pyrite and copper minerals such as chalcopyrite and less commonly borite and chalcocite. Three different occurrences were examined. Veins are as thick as 2 ft and cut hornblende diorite and quartz diorite gneiss. Some veins have been displaced via post-mineral faults, and felsic dike rock is found at some localities. Assays show small amounts of gold (no more than 0.02 oz/ton) and 5.0 oz/ton Ag. ? Bedrock in the vicinity includes: 1) early Paleocene and Late Cretaceous tonalite. The lithology is dominantly biotite-hornblende tonalite and lesser biotite-hornblende quartz diorite; and 2) Jurassic (?) amphibolite and foliated quartz diorite and local, minor quartz-feldspar gneiss.

Comment (Geology): Age = Host rock is Early Paleocene - Late Cretaceous and Jurassic.

References

Reference (Deposit): Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., White, M.G. and Moxham, R.M., 1952, Interim report on an appraisal of the uranium possibilities of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 51, 123 p.

Reference (Deposit): Capps, S.R., 1940, Geology of the Alaska Railroad region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 907, 201 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1979, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials in the Anchorage quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 79-1095, 184 p.

Reference (Deposit): Capps, S.R., and Tuck, Ralph, 1935, The Willow Creek-Kashwitna District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-B, p. 95-113.

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