Birch Creek

The Birch Creek is a silver and 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: Birch Creek

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold

Location

State: Alaska
District: Circle

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: N

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Workings): OTHER THAN DURING THE DISCOVERY PERIOD OF THE LATE 1800'S, LITTLE MINING WAS DONE ON BIRCH CREEK UNTIL THE 1980'S. MINING OPERATIONS USING HEAVY EQUIPMENT WITH MODERN HIGH-VOLUME SLUICEBOXES WERE ACTIVE ALONG THE UPPER PART OF BIRCH CREEK IN THE 1980'S (YEEND, 1991). A BENCH ABOUT A MILE BELOW TWELVEMILE CREEK WAS UNSUCCESSFULLY MINED IN 1911 (COBB, 1976, P. 7, [OFR 76-633]).

Comment (Deposit): GOLD IN SMALL QUANTITIES CAN STILL BE PANNED FROM JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE ALONG THE UPPER 160 KM OF BIRCH CREEK (YEEND, 1991, P. 26).

Comment (Production): DURING THE SPRING OF 1894, ABOUT A HALF OUNCE OF GOLD PER MAN PER DAY WAS BEING TAKEN FROM PITKA'S BAR (DUNHAM, 1898). IN THE 1980'S IN THE UPPER PART OF BIRCH CREEK NEAR THE STEESE HIGHWAY, 2,000 CUBIC YARDS OF GRAVEL PER DAY YIELDED 0.005 TO 0.0075 OUNCES PER CUBIC YARD (YEEND, 1991, P.26, LAMPRIGHT, 1996, P. 56). MOST BIRCH CREEK PRODUCTION HAS BEEN FROM RIVER BARS WITH BUCKLEY BAR PROBABLY BEING THE MOST PRODUCTIVE (ELLSWORTH AND DAVENPORT, 1913, P. 213). BATTEST MINING REPORTED MINING OPERATIONS ON BIRCH CREEK IN 1985 (BUNDTZEN AND OTHERS, 1986).

Comment (Deposit): 213). A BENCH ABOUT A MILE BELOW TWELVEMILE CREEK WAS UNSUCCESSFULLY MINED IN 1911 (COBB, 1976, P. 7). MINING OPERATIONS USING HEAVY EQUIPMENT WITH MODERN HIGH-VOLUME SLUICEBOXES WERE ACTIVE ALONG THE UPPER PART OF BIRCH CREEK IN THE 1980'S (YEEND, 1991).

Comment (Location): THE COORDINATES ARE FOR THE BIRCH CREEK/BUCKLEY BAR CONFLUENCE. THE STEESE HIGHWAY PARALLELS BIRCH CREEK JUST EAST OF TWELVEMILE SUMMIT AS IT FLOWS WEST FROM MASTODON DOME. EVENTUALLY BIRCH CREEK FLOWS SOUTH, EAST, THEN NORTH, CROSSING THE STEESE HIGHWAY AGAIN BETWEEN CENTRAL AND CIRCLE.

Comment (Deposit): BIRCH CREEK IS APPROXIMATELY 560 KM LONG, ORIGINATING JUST EAST OF MASTODON DOME AND EMPTYING INTO THE YUKON RIVER APPROXIMATELY 50 KM BELOW FORT YUKON. BIRCH CREEK FLOWS OVER QUARTZITE AND QUARTZITE SCHIST BEFORE CROSSING INTO THE TINTINA FAULT TRENCH WHERE IT THEN FLOWS WITHIN THE BROAD LOWLANDS OF THE YUKON RIVER OVER PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE SURFICIAL DEPOSITS. THE FLOOD PLAIN OF THE UPPER AND MIDDLE PORTIONS OF THE CREEK IS COMPOSED OF PEBBLE-TO-COBBLE GRAVEL THAT CONTAINS A FEW BOULDERS COMPOSED PRIMARILY OF QUARTZ AND QUARTZITE. A PEBBLE COUNT OF GRAVEL IN BIRCH CREEK BETWEEN THE MOUTH OF GOLD DUST AND BUTTE CREEKS REVEALS A COMPOSITION OF 72 PERCENT QUARTZITIC SCHIST, 20 PERCENT QUARTZ, AND 8 PERCENT SCHIST. PANNED CONCENTRATES ARE LOW IN MAGNETITE AND ILMENITE, AND RICH IN GARNET (YEEND, 1991, P. 26). THE ONLY EARLY PLACER PRODUCTION RECORDED FROM BIRCH CREEK WAS FROM RIVER BARS, OF WHICH BUCKLEY BAR WAS PROBABLY THE MOST PRODUCTIVE (ELLSWORTH AND DAVENPORT, 1913, P.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

References

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1938, Gold placers of the Fortymile, Eagle, and Circle districts, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-C, p. 133-261.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E. H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Misc. Field Studies Map 391, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E. H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U. S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-633, 72 p.

Reference (Deposit): Koschmann, A. H., and Bergendahl, M. H., 1968, Principal gold-producing districts of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 610, 283 p.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J. B. Jr., 1938, Gold placers of the Fortymile, Eagle, and Circle districts, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-C, p. 133-261.

Reference (Deposit): Yeend, W. E., 1991, Gold placers of the Circle district, Alaska - past, present, and future: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1943, 42 p.

Reference (Deposit): Yeend, W. E., 1985, Trace elements of placer gold: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 945, p. 4-7.

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T. K., Eakins, G. R., Green, C. B., and Lueck, L. L., 1986, Alaska's mineral industry 1985: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 39, 68 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A. H., 1907, The Circle precinct, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 314, p. 187-204.

Reference (Deposit): SMITH, PHILIP S., 1933, PAST PLACER - GOLD PRODUCTION FROM ALASKA: USGS BULL. 857 B PP. 93 - 98

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J. B. Jr., 1932, Mining in the Circle district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824, p. 155-172.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C. E., 1912, Placer mining in the Fairbanks and Circle Disctricts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520, p. 240-245.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C. E. and Davenport, R. W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana Region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, p. 203-222.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A. H. and Capps, S. R., 1924, The Alaskan mining industry in 1922: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755, p. 3-49.

Reference (Deposit): Ellsworth, C. E. and Parker, G. L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, p. 153-172.

Reference (Deposit): Eberlein, G. D., Chapman, R. M., Foster, H. L., and Gassaway, J. S., 1977, Map and table describing known metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral deposits in central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 77-168D, 132 p.

Reference (Deposit): Menzie, W. D., Foster, H. L., Tripp, R.B., and Yeend, W. E., 1983, Mineral resource assessment of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-170-B, 61 p., 1 sheet, 1:250,000.

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