Kennecott Mines

The Kennecott Mines is a silver and copper 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

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: Kennecott Mines
Secondary: Kennecott Copper Corporation
Secondary: Mines: Bonanza, Jumbo, Eric, Mother Lode
Secondary: Prospects: Independence

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Lead

Location

State: Alaska
District: Nizina

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1911
Year Last Production: 1938
Discovery Year: 1900
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation Not Related To Depth; Practically Entire Deposit Has Been Partially Oxidized, Even In Deepest Levels Of Mine; Oxidized Ore Is Composed Of: Malachite, Limonite, Covellite, Antlerite, Azurite, Chalcanthite, Cuprite, Cu Arsenates And Brochantite?

Rocks

Name: Greenstone
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Greenstone
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Greenstone
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Greenstone
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Enargite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Bornite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Tennantite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Covellite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): KENNECOTT MINES WERE SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO WORLD CU PRODUCTION FOR MANY YEARS ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Workings): 4 INTERCONNECTED MINES WITH COMBINED LENGTH OF OVER 70 MI IN UNDER GROUND WORKINGS; DEEPEST WORKINGS REACH 2800 FT ELEVATION; ADITS LOCATED BETWEEN 4000 AND 6000 FT; SMALL AMOUNT OF SURFACE ARE ALSO MINED

Comment (Location): LOCATION GIVEN IS THAT OF THE JUMBO MINE ADIT, WHICH IS PRINTED ON THE MCCARTHY C5 QUAD.; MAJOR MINES AND PROSPECTS OF KENNECOTT COPPER CORP. LIE WITHIN 2 MI RADIUS OF JUMBO MINE LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Comment (Commodity): SOME OF THE HIGHEST GRADE CU ORE EVER MINED CAME FROM THIS DEPOSIT;NO DISCRETE AG MINERALS FOUND

Comment (Development): BONANZA, JUMBO, AND ERIC MINES OF KENNECOTT COPPER CORPORATION AND MOTHER LODE MINE OF SUBSIDIARY MOTHER LODE COALITION MINES CORP. WERE EVENTUALLY INTERCONNECTED AND OPERATED AS A UNIT; BONANZA ORE BODY DISCOVERED, 1900; ABOUT 1907, MOST CLAIMS IN AREA WERE CONSOLIDATED UNDER KENNECOTT COPPER CORP.; FIRST PRODUCTION FROM BONANZA IN 1911, FROM JUMBO IN 1913, AND FROM ERIE IN 1916; IN 1918 KENNECOTT AQUIRED CONTROL OF MOTHER LODE MINE, WHICH HAD BEEN PRODUCING SINCE 1913; ALL MINES CLOSED IN 1938; SOME INTERMITTENT SMALL-SCALE SURFICIAL MINING SINCE THEN

Comment (Deposit): MAJOR DEPOSITS: MASSIVE CHALCOCITE, AND CU SULFIDES IN IRREGULAR VEIN-LIKE BODIES WITH CROSS SECTIONS RESEMBLING UPRIGHT ISOCELES TRIANGLES; LARGEST ORE BODY, IN JUMBO MINE, AVERAGED 110 M IN HEIGHT, WAS BETWEEN 0.6-18.5 M IN WIDTH AND EXTENDED ALONG A NE PLUNGE FOR 460 M; ALSO: VEINS, PODS AND IRREGULAR MASSES ALONG DISCRETE STRATIGRAPHIC HORIZONS; APPROXIMATELY 25% OF ORE COMPOSED OF OXIDIZED MINERALS, MAINLY MALACHITE, COVELLITE, ANTLERITE, AZURITE AND CHALCANTHITE; ALSO MINOR PRODUCTION FROM CHALCOCITE ORE IN TALUS AND GLACIAL PLACER DEPOSITS DERIVED FROM BONANZA LODE

Comment (Geology): ALL MAJOR DEPOSITS ARE IN LOWER PART OF CHITISTONE LIMESTONE, GENERALLY LESS THAN 100 M ABOVE THE CONTACT WITH THE UNDERLYING NIKOLAI GREENSTONE; INDEPENDENCE PROSPECT IS ON CHALCOCITE AND BORNITE BEARING VEINS IN SHEAR ZONES MAINLY IN NIKOLAI GREENSTONE NEAR THE LIMESTONE CONTACT; ORE GENESIS COMPLEX AND OBSCURE; ARMSTRONG AND MACKEVETT, (1975), SUGGEST THAT INITIAL ORE LOCALIZATION WAS CONTROLLED BY THE INTRODUCTION OF CU-RICH OXYGENATED GROUNDWATER DERIVED FROM NIKOLAI GREENSTONE TERRANE INTO DOLOMITIC SABHKA DEPOSITS IN THE CHITISTONE LIMESTONE DURING THE LATE TRIGSSIC TO LATE JURASSIC; DEPOSITS WERE LATER REMOBILIZED DURING LATE JURASSIC AND EARLY CRETACEOUS REGIONAL OROGENY, GSA ABS W/PROG, 1975 ANN. MTGS., V. 7, NO. 7, P. 980

References

Reference (Other Database): BAG-MF-773B-92

Reference (Deposit): ADGGS SR 31, LOC. 149B

Reference (Deposit): USGS PP 1050, P. 83, 201-202

Reference (Deposit): USGS MF-773C

Reference (Deposit): USGS CIRC 739, P. 4-5

Reference (Deposit): USGS MF-773B, LOC. 89-93

Reference (Deposit): USGS BULL 1323, P. 32-34

Reference (Deposit): USGS BULL 1246, P. 52-53, 56

Reference (Deposit): USGS BULL 947-F, P. 98-101

Reference (Deposit): USBM BULL 405, P. 25, 205-206, 209-211, 275

Reference (Deposit): ECON GEOL, V. 15, NO. 1, P. 1-80

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