Bettles River Canyon

The Bettles River Canyon 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: Bettles River Canyon

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: Alaska
District: Koyukuk

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 (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Some drift mining and a few prospect shafts, mostly in the early in the 1900s.

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Reed, 1938

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

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Whereas most of the placer mining along the Bettles River has been on its tributaries, Reed (1938) documented drift mining along the Bettles River from just below Garnet Creek to the mouth of Mule Creek. The depth to bedrock was 14 to 16 feet and the ground apparently ran about $0.50 per square foot of bedrock (1937). The U.S. Bureau of Mines (1973) also showed that there is evidence of placer mining along the Bettles River as far up as the mouth of Mule Creek.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Not determined

References

Reference (Deposit): U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1973, Alaska 1:250,000-scale quadrangle map overlays showing mineral deposit locations, principal minerals, and number and type of claims: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 20-73, 95 overlays (updated in 1986, 1987).

Reference (Deposit): Dillon, J.T., 1987, Upper Koyukuk District land and mining claim status current to 1985: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Public-Data File 87-11, 1 sheet, scale 1:125,000.

Reference (Deposit): Reed, I.M., 1938, Upper Koyukuk region, Alaska (Wiseman, Chandalar, and Bettles): Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 194-7, 201 p.

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