Smalls River

The Smalls River is a platinum 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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MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Smalls River

Commodity

Primary: Platinum

Location

State: Alaska
District: Goodnews Bay

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: Placer PGE-Au

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: All volcanic rocks in the center of the crater exhibit intense argillic alteration and have been totally replaced by white clay (kaolinite?).

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = An exploration hole was drilled 192 feet to bedrock at this location.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Platinum-group metal (PGM) alloys

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Mertie (1969, p. 81; 1976, p. 5) reports that a 192-foot-deep exploration drill hole at this location intersected platinum- and gold-bearing material but it was apparently only a local concentration. Smalls River is the main drainage on the north side of the Red Mountain ultramafic pluton.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Placer PGE-Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39b)

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Mertie, 1969

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.

References

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1969, Economic geology of platinum minerals: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 630, 120 p.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1976, Platinum deposits in the Goodnews Bay district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 938, 42 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1977, Placer deposit map of central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-168B, 64 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1980, Summaries of data and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in fifteen quadrangles in southwestern and west-central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-909, 103 p.

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