Unnamed (Ferndale Creek)

The Unnamed (Ferndale Creek) is a lead, zinc, and silver 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: Unnamed (Ferndale Creek)

Commodity

Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Tin

Location

State: Alaska
District: Fairhaven

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

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Iron-oxide staining and bleached discoloration are common; some clay development is probably present.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Clay

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Hudson, 1979

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Shallow hand-dug prospect pits may be present.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Sulfide veining or impregnations in hornfels and granite dike

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = A very fine-grained granite dike trends N 80 W west and intrudes hornfels in the country rocks to the Oonatut Granite Complex here (Hudson, 1979). This dike and adacent country rocks have been altered and rust-stained soils, rock fragments, and small gossan fragments are localized along the trend of the dike. The presence of slickensided rock fragments in the soils suggests that the dike was emplaced along a fault that has had recurring movement. Twelve composite grab samples of soil, altered rocks, and gossan fragments collected across the altered zone contain up to 150 ppm Ag, 10,000 ppm As, 200 ppm Cd, 500 ppm Cu, greater than 20,000 ppm Pb, greater than 10,000 ppm Zn, and 700 ppm Sn. Gold was not determined (Hudson, 1979, p. 26). The length of the altered zone that was sampled is about 1,000 feet. This altered zone is interpreted to have developed above buried parts of the Oonatut Granite Complex and to be related to its crystallization. The Oonatut Granite is part of the western Seward Peninsula tin granite suite (Hudson and Arth, 1983) and the polymetallic character of this mineralization may be reflective of the lead-zinc zone in tin deposit systems (Hudson, 1979).

Comment (Commodity): Gangue = iron oxides

Comment (Geology): Age = Probably Late Cretaceous; this occurrence is thought to be related to emplacement and crystallization of the Oonatut Granite Complex. K/Ar ages for the Oonatut Granite Complex are about 70 my (Hudson, 1979).

References

Reference (Deposit): Hudson, T.L., and Arth, J. G., 1983, Tin-granites of Seward Peninsula, Alaska: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 94, p. 768-790.

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., Hudson, T.L., Kachadoorian, Reuben, Smith, T.E., Richards, T.R., and Todd, W.C., 1970, Geology, mineral deposits, and geochemical and radiometric anomalies, Serpentine Hot Springs area, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1312-H, p. H1-H19.

Reference (Deposit): Hudson, T.L., 1979, Igneous and metamorphic rocks of the Serpentine Hot Springs area, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional paper 1079, 27 p.

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