Sonny Fox

The Sonny Fox is a copper, 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: Sonny Fox
Secondary: Babcock & Downey
Secondary: Lady Luck

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Zinc

Location

State: Alaska
District: Homer

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: Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Borden and others (1991) report carbonization, sulfidization, sericitization, and silicification of the wall rock adjacent to the veins.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Silver
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Copper
Ore: Arsenopyrite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Tertiary; Boden and others (1991) report other veins in the district are about 55 m.y. old.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The host rocks of the prospect are graywacke and slate of the Cretaceous Valdez Group (Richter, 1970). Most of the production on the property has come from the Lucky Lady Vein which averages about 2 feet thick . The vein strikes generally northeast and dips 60SE. The vein is white quartz and in parts shows some banding. The most abundant sulfide mineral is arsenopyrite, with minor amounts of pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena (Richter, 1970). Free gold was also present, often in coarse particles visible to the naked eye (Pilgrim, 1933). Over 800 feet of drifts, tunnels, and stopes have been driven on this vein. The other vein on the property is lens shaped and contains the same sulfide assemblage as the Lucky Lady. The veins are thickest in the more massive graywacke units and trend to pinch out in the slate units. ? Richter (1970) calculated there are at least 800 feet of workings at the mine site exclusive of raises, stopes and shafts. The mill was a No.1 Denver Quartz Mill with a capacity of 7 tons per 22 hours. The concentrates ranged in grade from $128.00 per ton to over $530 per ton (at $20.67 per ounce gold) and were shipped to the Tacoma smelter (Pilgrim, 1933). The mine produced from 1926 to 1940 and production totaled $70,000 during that time (Richter,1970).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Richter (1970) calculated there are at least 800 feet of workings at the mine site exclusive of raises, stopes and shafts. The mill was a No.1 Denver Quartz Mill with a capacity of 7 tons per 22 hours. The concentrates ranged in grade from $128.00 per ton to over $530 per ton (at $20.67 per ounce gold) and were shipped to the Tacoma smelter (Pilgrim, 1933).

Comment (Production): Production Notes = The mine produced from 1926 to 1940 and production totaled $70,000 during that time (Richter,1970). The concentrates ranged in grade from $128.00 per ton to over $530 per ton and were shipped to the Tacoma smelter (at $20.67 per ounce gold, Pilgrim, 1933).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Pilgrim, 1933; Richter, 1970

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Low-sulfide, Au-quartz vein (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a)

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Copper (native)

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Silver (native)

References

Reference (Deposit): Richter, D.H., 1970, Geology and lode-gold deposits of the Nuka Bay area, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 625-B, p. Bl-B16.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813-A, p. 1-72.

Reference (Deposit): MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous mineral deposits in the eastern part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-A, 99 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Capps, S.R., 1938, Lode mining in the Nuka Bay district, in Smith, P.S., Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 25-32.

Reference (Deposit): Berg, H.C., and Cobb, E.H., 1967, Metalliferous Lode Deposits of Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1246, 254 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813, p. 1-72.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929, in Smith, P.S., and others, Mineral Resources of Alaska in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824, p. 83-109.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic minerals resources map of the Seldovia quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-397, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1979, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than minerals fuels and construction materials) in the Seldovia quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 80-87, 47 p.

Reference (Deposit): Borden, J.C., Goldfarb, R.J., Gent, C.A., Burruss, R.C., and Roushey, B.H., 1992 Geochemistry of lode-gold deposits, Nuka Bay district, southern Kenai Peninsula: Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1991: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2041, p. 13-21.

Reference (Deposit): Pilgrim, E.R., 1933, Progress of lode mining in interior Alaska, 1932: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 194, 11 p.

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