Henry Creek (including Merrit Gulch)

The Henry Creek (including Merrit Gulch) 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

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Site Name

Primary: Henry Creek (including Merrit Gulch)

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: Alaska
District: Kougarok

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

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Gold was identified in Henry Creek gravels as early as 1901 (Collier, 1902) and some sporadic mining activity was noted up to 1937 (Smith, 1939, B 910A). Sainsbury and others (1969) show placer mine workings to be at two locations on this drainage. The first is a 1,500 foot-long segment of the active channel and an adjacent gulch on the north side that starts 4,000 feet upstream of the mouth. The second is another 1,500 foot-long segment of the active channel that starts 7,000 feet above the mouth. The gold recovered from early work was reported to be relatively coarse and flat (Collier and others, 1908). Bedrock of the area is extensively coverd by tundra, but upland exposures are primarily Lower Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks (Sainsbury and others, 1969; Till and others, 1986). A report of schist bedrock with enclosed greenstone bodies (Collier and others, 1908) refers to the mafic metavolcanic assemblage in the headwater areas of Henry Creek (Sainsbury and others, 1969; Till and others, 1986).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Sainsbury and others, 1969

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Sainsbury and others (1969) show placer mine workings to be at two locations on this drainage. The first is a 1,500 foot-long segment of the active channel and an adjacent gulch on the north side that starts 4,000 feet upstream of the mouth. The second is another 1,500 foot-long segment of the active channel that starts 7,000 feet above the mouth.

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary

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

References

Reference (Deposit): Collier, A.J., 1902, A reconnaissance of the northwestern portion of Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 2, 70 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Bendeleben quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-429, 123 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S. 1939, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., Kachadoorian, Reuban, Hudson, Travis, Smith, T.E., Richards, T.R., and Todd, W.E., 1969, Reconnaissance geologic maps and sample data, Teller A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2, B-3, C-1, and Bendeleben A-6, B-6, C-6, D-5, and D-6 quadrangles. Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 377, 49 p., 12 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Bendeleben quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-417, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Collier, A. J., Hess, F.L., Smith, P.S., and Brooks, A.H., 1908, The gold placers of parts of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, including the Nome, Council, Kougarok, Port Clarence, and Goodhope precincts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 328, 343 p.

Reference (Deposit): Till, A.B., Dumoulin, J.A., Gamble, B. ., Kaufman, D.S., and Carroll, P.I., 1986, Preliminary geologic map and fossil data, Soloman, Bendeleben, and southern Kotzebue quadrangles, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 86-276, 10 p., 3 plates, scale 1:250,000.

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