Drenchwater--West

The Drenchwater--West is a zinc and lead 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: Drenchwater--West

Commodity

Primary: Zinc
Primary: Lead

Location

State: Alaska
District: Colville

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Prospect
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Sedimentary exhalative Zn-Pb

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Not determined

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Nokleberg and Winkler (1982)

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Samples contain as much as >10,000 ppm Zn, 20,000 ppm Pb, 1500 ppm Ba, and 150 ppm Ag (Nokleberg and Winkler, 1982, p. 16).

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Lode; sediment-hosted Pb-Zn

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Sulfides occur as disseminated grains, fracture fillings, and in boxwork quartz in black chert and siliceous shale of Mississippian to Lower Pennsylvanian(?) Kuna Formation of the Lisburne Group; an interbed of felsic to intermediate(?) volcanic rocks occurs nearby. These sulfides are about midway in a west-northwest-trending zone of sporadic occurrences that extends about 1.25 mi (2 km) parallel to the strike of bedding. The sulfides are probably syngenetic.

Comment (Geology): Age = K-Ar ages of 319+10 and 330+17 Ma were obtained from biotite from a volcanic interbed within the mineralized belt; a Pb-isotope model age of 200 Ma was obtained from galena.

References

Reference (Deposit): Mayfield, C.F., Curtis, S.M., Ellersieck, I., and Tailleur, I.L., 1979, The Ginny Creek zinc-lead-silver and Nimiuktuk barite deposits, northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 804-B, p. B11-B12.

Reference (Deposit): Nokleberg, W.J., and Winkler, G.R., 1978, Stratiform zinc-lead mineralization, Drenchwater Creek area, Howard Pass quadrangle, western Brooks Range, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 772-B, p. B15-B17

Reference (Deposit): Jansons, Uldis, 1982, Zinc-lead occurrences in and near the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report MLA 121-82, 55 p.

Reference (Deposit): Nokleberg, W.J., and Winkler, G.R., 1982, Stratiform zinc-lead deposits in the Drenchwater Creek area, Howard Pass quadrangle, northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska; U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1209, 22 p., 2 over-size plates, scale 1:19,800

Reference (Deposit): Jansons, Uldis, and Baggs, D.W., 1980, Mineral investigations of the Misheguk Mountains and Howard Pass quadrangles, National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 38-80, 76 p.

Reference (Deposit): Churkin, M. Jr., Mayfield, C.F., Theobald, P.K., Barton, H., Nodleberg, W.J., Winkler, G.R., and Huie, C., 1978, Geological and geochemical appraisal of metallic mineral resources, southern National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-70A, 82 p.

The Top Ten Gold Producing States

These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.