Silver King

The Silver King is a silver, copper, gold, zinc, and lead 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: Silver King

Commodity

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

Location

State: Alaska
District: Hyder

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: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Arsenopyrite
Ore: Barite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Buddington, 1929

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Polymetallic veins

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Lead-isotope studies of galena at the Silver King prospect indicate that the deposit is Eocene in age, contemporaneous with emplacement of the Hyder Quartz Monzonite (Maas, 1995, p. 229-248).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The country rocks in the area near the Silver King prospect are metamorphosed pelitic strata of the Jurassic or older Mesozoic Hazelton Group; the Triassic Texas Creek Granodiorite, which underlies and locally intrudes the Hazelton; and the Eocene Hyder Quartz Monzonite, which intrudes the Hazelton and Texas Creek rocks (Smith, 1977; Berg and others, 1977, p. 15-18, 22-23).? Buddington (1929, p. 99-100) describes the deposit as a quartz fissure vein 6-30 inches thick in graywacke and argillite cut by a quartz diorite dike. The vein contains 2-8 inches of solid sulfides, including sphalerite, galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, and a little arsenopyrite; a little barite also is present. A sample of the solid sulfides, chiefly galena, assayed 1.28 oz of Au and 5.96 oz of Ag per ton, 55% Pb, and 2.2% Cu.? This prospect could not be located in 1972-73, probably owing to snow cover (Berg and others, 1977, p. 38-39).? Lead-isotope studies of galena at the Silver King prospect indicate that the deposit is Eocene in age, contemporaneous with emplacement of the Hyder Quartz Monzonite (Maas, 1995, p. 229-248).

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Prospect could not be located 1972-1973. ? Some records link the Silver King and Marietta (BC026) claims, but the Silver King prospect is at a lower elevation and farther south (Berg and others, 1977, p. 39, 77).? Site is in Misty Fiords National Monument.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = According to Buddington (1929, p. 99-100), the lower exposure of the vein was stripped for 50 feet, and the upper exposure was stripped for 8 feet.?An early assay of a sample of the solid sulfide part of the vein showed 1.28 oz of Au and 5.96 oz of Ag per ton, 55% Pb, and 2.2% Cu.

References

Reference (Deposit): Buddington, A.F., 1929, Geology of Hyder and vicinity, southeastern Alaska, with a reconnaissance of Chickamin River: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 807, 124 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, J.G., 1977, Geology of the Ketchikan D-1 and Bradfield Canal A-1 quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1425, 49 p.

Reference (Deposit): Berg, H.C., Elliott, R.L., Smith, J.G., Pittman, T.L., and Kimball, A. L., 1977, Mineral resources of the Granite Fiords wilderness study area, Alaska, with a section on aeromagnetic data by Andrew Griscom: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1403, 151 p.

Reference (Deposit): Elliott, R.L., and Koch, R.D., 1981, Mines, prospects, and selected metalliferous mineral occurrences in the Bradfield Canal quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 81-728-B, 23 p., 1 sheet, scales 1:250,000 and 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Maas, K.M., Bittenbender, P E., and Still, J.C., 1995, Mineral investigations in the Ketchikan mining district, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 11-95, 606 p.

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