Shovel Creek

The Shovel 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: Shovel Creek

State:  Alaska

County:  na

Elevation:

Commodity: Gold

Lat, Long: 66.37833, -157.84778

Map: View on Google Maps

Satelite View

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Satelite image of the Shovel Creek

Shovel Creek MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Shovel Creek


Commodity

Primary: Gold


Location

State: Alaska
District: Selawik


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

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Albitization of quartz monzonite adjacent to tourmaline veinlets.


Rocks

Not available


Analytical Data

Not available


Materials

Ore: Gold


Comments

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = Stream gradient approximately 250-300 feet per mile.

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

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Miller and Ferrians, 1968

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The creek has been placer mined on a small scale. The site was examined and some rock samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the 1960's. One hundred lode claims were staked in the vicinity in 1972 (Grybeck, 1977).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Shovel Creek heads in the Upper Cretaceous Purcell Mountain quartz monzonite pluton, and crosses a contact between Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous andesitic volcanic rocks and the quartz monzonite. No large zones of altered rock were observed in the area, but abundant cobbles of black tourmaline and of albitized quartz monzonite containing tourmaline veinlets occur in the placer tailings and stream gravels. The quartz monzonite appears to be altered adjacent to the veinlets. Analyses of two tourmaline-rich cobbles show 700 and 1,000 ppm copper but no detectable gold. Indications are that the placer gold may have come from the quartz-tourmaline veins (Miller and Ferrians, 1968).


References

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., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in five quadrangles in west central Alaska (Hughes, Kotzebue, Melozitna, Selawik and Shungnak): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-627, 58 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources of the Shungnak quadrangle, Alaska: USGS Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-448, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Eakins, G.R., Jones, B.K. and Forbes, R.B., 1977, Investigation of Alaska's uranium potential: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Open-File Report 109, 213 p., 10 sheets, scale 1:40,000.

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 77-168-D, 132 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Miller, T.P. and Ferrians, O.J., Jr., 1968, Suggested areas for prospecting in the central Koyukuk River region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 570, 12 p.

Reference (Deposit): Grybeck, D.J., 1977, Known mineral deposits of the Brooks Range, Alaska: US Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-166C, 41 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in five quadrangles in west central Alaska (Hughes, Kotzebue, Melozitna, Selawik, Shungnak): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-627, 58 p.


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