Washington Creek

The Washington Creek is a 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

Name: Washington Creek

State:  Alaska

County:  na

Elevation:

Commodity: Gold

Lat, Long: 64.52306, -165.20361

Map: View on Google Maps

Satelite View

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.


Satelite image of the Washington Creek

Washington Creek MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Washington Creek
Secondary: Washington Gulch


Commodity

Primary: Gold


Location

State: Alaska
District: Nome


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:


Physiography

Not available


Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Placer Au-PGE


Orebody

Not available


Structure

Not available


Alterations

Not available


Rocks

Not available


Analytical Data

Not available


Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Magnetite
Gangue: Garnet


Comments

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Gold was discovered in Washington Creek by 1900. It was reported to be fine gold accompanied by magnetite and garnet on a clay bottom (Brooks and others, 1901). Moffit (1913) reported that gold was recovered on bedrock from a 10-inch-thick layer of fine sand resembling beach sand. Washington Creek appears to have been placer mined along most of its length at surface elevations between about 50 and 125 feet. The low elevation and physiographic setting suggest that coastal plain deposits could be present in parts of this drainage. The placer gold thus could be derived from reworking the coastal plain deposits. The Washington Creek placer is probably related in part to similar deposits on Stevens, Moss, and Laurada Creeks (NM274-276) that, in their lower elevations, appear to have developed on a weakly defined Third Beach formed on the bedrock of Army Peak (Metcalfe and Tuck, 1942, p. 32).

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Placer mining tailings are present along the creek between surface elevations of about 50 to 125 feet; the deposit at about 70 to 75 feet elevation may be a weak Third Beach developed on Army Peak.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Metcalfe and Tuck, 1942

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Alluvial placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Probably inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.


References

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-463, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File report 78-93, 213 p.

Reference (Deposit): Metcalfe, J.B., and Tuck, Ralph, 1942, Placer gold deposits of the Nome district, Alaska: Report for U.S. Smelting, Refining, and Mining Co., 175 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., Richardson, G. B., and Collier, A. J., 1901, Reconnaissance in the Cape Nome and Norton Bay regions, Alaska, in 1900: U.S. Geological Survey Special Publication, p. 1-180.

Reference (Deposit): Moffit, F.H., 1913, Geology of the Nome and Grand Central quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 533, 140 p.


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