Red Devil Mercury Mine

The Red Devil Mercury Mine is a mercury mine located in Alaska at an elevation of 312 feet.

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

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.

Site Name

Primary: Red Devil Mercury Mine
Secondary: 9 Unpatented Claims: Kusko No. 1-5
Secondary: Red Devil Nos. 1-4

Commodity

Primary: Mercury
Secondary: Antimony

Location

State: Alaska

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1933
Year Last Production: 1971
Discovery Year: 1933
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: PINCH AND SWELL, OTHER: PRISMATIC

Structure

Type: R
Description: Deposit On Sw Limb Of Sleetmute Anticline.

Type: L
Description: Bedding Strikes N 10 Degrees-60 Degrees W, Dips 45 Degrees-60 Degrees Sw; Dikes Strike N 50 Degrees-75 Degrees E, Dip 40 Degrees-65 Degrees Se

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Dikes Altered To Silica-Carbonate Rock By Hydrothermal Alteration.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: UP TO 30% HG, AVERAGE GRADE 2-5% HG (USGS B 1142-G, P. G11). UP TO 110.4 LB/TON HG, 15.10% SB (USBM RI 4065, P. 11, TABLE 2, SAMPLE NO. 69).

Materials

Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Stibnite
Gangue: Orpiment
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Realgar

Comments

Comment (Deposit): NUMEROUS DISCRETE ORE BODIES LOCALIZED ALONG AND NEAR INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN NE-TRENDING ALTERED DIKES AND NW-TRENDING FAULTS OFFSETTING DIKES AND PARALLEL TO GRAYWACKE AND ARGILLITE COUNTRY ROCK. MOST ORE BODIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MAIN DIKE NEAR MAIN SHAFT. DOLLY AND RICE SERIES, SE OF DOLLY SHAFT (1,082 FT. NW OF MAIN SHAFT), CONSIST OF AT LEAST 12 ORE BODIES ALONG NORTHERNMOST DIKE. ORE BODIES ARE CRUDELY PRISMATIC AND UP TO 2 FT. THICK AND 30 FT. STRIKE LENGTH, AND ELONGATED SEVERAL HUNDRED FT. IN PLUNGE DIRECTION. LONGEST VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL EXTENTS OF DOLLY SERIES ARE AT LEAST 633 FT. AND 906 FT.. SOME PINCHING AND SWELLING OF ORE BODIES. ORE BODIES AND DIKE-FAULT INTERSECTIONS PLUNGE 40 DEGREES S. ORE ZONE IS AT LEAST 600 FT. WIDE, 1,500 FT. LONG AND 600 FT. DEEP. SOME ORE BODIES PERSIST BEYOND DEPTHS OF EXPLORATION. ORE BODIES COMPOSED OF CINNABAR AND STIBNITE, WITH SECONDARY ANTIMONY MINERALS, REALGAR, ORPIMENT, AND MINOR AMOUNTS OF IRON MINERALS IN

Comment (Deposit): QUARTZ-CARBONATE-CLAY GANGUE. ORE BODIES CONSIST OF CLOSELY SPACED CINNABAR-BEARING VEINLETS GRADING OUTWARD TO WIDELY SPACED VEINLETS FORMING PROTORE CONTAINING LESS THAN 1% HG, AND DISTALLY INTO PERIPHERAL ZONE OF BARREN VEINLETS AND CLAY ALTERATION. CINNABAR-BEARING HALO EXTENDS 50 FT. OUT FROM ORE BODIES. SOME VEINLETS CONTAIN NUMEROUS VUGS.

Comment (Workings): UNDERGROUND WORKINGS CONSISTED OF 9,600 FT. OF SHAFTS, ADITS, CROSSCUTS, DRIFTS, WINZES, AND RAISES. MAIN SHAFT INCLINED 63 DEGREES FOR 507 FT. DOWNSLOPE AND 143 FT. VERTICALLY. 5 MAIN LEVELS CONNECTED WITH MAIN SHAFT. MINE ALSO EQUIPPED WITH AIRFIELD, RETORT, POWER, AND FLOTATION PLANTS WITH 100 TON/DAY ORE CAPACITY.

Comment (Geology): RIGHT-LATERAL DISPLACEMENT ON NW-TRENDING FAULTS IS UP TO 40 FT., WITH CUMULATIVE OFFSET OF SEVERAL HUNDRED FT.. ORE MINERAL SOLUTIONS INTRODUCED NEAR END OF FAULTING. FAULTS RAKE 0-50 DEGREES NW.

Comment (Production): SB NOT PRODUCED AS COMMODITY UNTIL 1969-71, WHEN ORE CONCENTRATES WERE SHIPPED TO JAPAN.

Comment (Location): USGS B 1142-G, PLATE 2; USGS P 268, PLATE 4; USGS MF-368, LOC. 11. LOCATION IS AT ENTRANCE TO MAIN SHAFT. ORE BODIES AND WORKINGS EXTEND 1,000 FT. NW. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Comment (Development): CLAIMS STAKED BY HANS HALVERSON IN 1933. EARLY OPERATIONS MINED CREEK BED FLOAT BY GROUND SLUICING, 95 FT. TUNNEL AND CROSSCUT DRIVEN IN 1939. JOHNSON-MCKAY RETORT TUBES USED. TWO "D" RETORT TUBES INSTALLED IN 1940. MINING, TUNNELING, AND PRODUCTION FROM 1940-46, WHEN MINE WAS SHUT DOWN DUE TO LOW MERCURY PRICES. DECOURSEY MOUNTAIN MINING CO. ACQUIRED LEASE IN 1952, RESUMED PRODUCTION IN 1953. DECOURSEY MOUNTAIN MINING CO. CHANGED NAME TO ALASKA MINES AND MINERALS, INC. IN 1959. PRODUCTION CONTINUED FROM 1953 UNTIL ORE MINED OUT IN 1964. PRODUCTION RESUMED IN 1969 BY BOTH OPEN PIT AND UNDERGROUND METHODS. MINE CLOSED IN 1971 BECAUSE OF LOW MERCURY PRICES.

Comment (Commodity): SB NOT CONSIDERED COMMODITY UNTIL 1969-71, WHEN FLOTATION CONCENTRATES WERE SHIPPED TO JAPAN

Comment (Deposit): UNDERGROUND WORKINGS FLOODED AS OF 1981. MINE WAS "WET" AND REQUIRED CONTINUOUS PUMPING TO AVOID FLOODING. MOST HIGH-GRADE ORE HAS BEEN MINED OUT. WHILE PRODUCING, IT WAS THE LARGEST MERCURY MINE IN ALASKA ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

References

Reference (Other Database): BAG-B-1142-G-PL-2

Reference (Production): USBM OFR 9-85, P. 169

Reference (Deposit): USGS B 1142-G (1963)

Reference (Deposit): USBM OFR 9-85, P. 166-171, MAP NO. 28 (1985)

Reference (Deposit): USBM RI 4065, P. 9-18 (1947)

Reference (Deposit): USGS MF-368, LOC. 11 (1972)

Reference (Deposit): USGS P 268, P. 108-110, PLATE 4 (1955)

Reference (Deposit): ADGGS ALASKA MINES & GEOLOGY, JAN. 1982, VOL. 31, NO. 1, P. 1-4

Reference (Deposit): USGS OF 76-606, P. 47-50 (1976)

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