The Cirque is a zinc, lead, copper, 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
Elevation:
Commodity: Zinc, Lead, Copper, Silver
Lat, Long: 63.78, -147.60000
Map: View on Google Maps
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Cirque MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Cirque
Commodity
Primary: Zinc
Primary: Lead
Primary: Copper
Primary: Silver
Location
State: Alaska
District: Bonnifield
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: Massive sulfide, kuroko
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Not available
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Pyrite and sericite.
Rocks
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Devonian
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Quartz
Comments
Comment (Exploration): Status = Active
Comment (Geology): Age = Mineralization was probably syngenetic with the Upper Devonian host rocks.
Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = the Northern Miner, 1999, v.85, no. 24
Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Surface exploration mostly includes soil grids, rock-chip sampling and trenching. In 1994, a ground geophysical survey delineated a 670-meter-long electromagnetic anomaly coincident with the Dol zone. There was unknown amount of drilling in 1999. Surface samples over a 2.4 meter width at the Discovery zone contain an average value of 3.84% zinc, 2.76% lead, and 0.49% copper, plus 3.73 grams gold and 98.5 grams silver per tonne. The Dol zone highlights include a 1-meter chip sample that assayed 5.57% zinc, 2.24% lead, and 0.31% copper, and 0.41 gram gold and 33 grams silver per tonne (The Northern Miner, v. 85, no. 24).
Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The country rocks at the Cirque prospect are Upper Devonian? felsic metavolcanic rocks, chiefly dark- to medium-gray, fine- to medium-grained schist and phyllite, that locally contain relict phenocrysts of quartz, orthoclase, and plagioclase (Wilson and others, 1998). The deposit generally consists of stratiform layers of massive sulfides, chiefly pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite. Two ore bearing zones have been identified: the Discovery and Dol zones. The Discovery zone is hosted in carbonaceous shale and appears to follow a contact with rhyolite schist. The sulfide layer is massive to banded and can be traced in outcrop for about 20 meters with widths up to 2.8 meters. The zone remains open in both directions but is covered by talus and scree. Surface samples over a 2.4 meter width at the Discovery zone contain an average value of 3.84% zinc, 2.76% lead, and 0.49% copper, plus 3.73 grams gold and 98.5 grams silver per tonne. The Dol zone is in dolomite interbedded with shale. The zone has been traced in scattered outcrops for about 200 meters. All outcrops sampled returned anomalous base and precious metal values. Highlights include a 1-meter chip sample that assayed 5.57% zinc, 2.24% lead, and 0.31% copper, and 0.41 gram gold and 33 grams silver per tonne (The Northern Miner, v. 85, no. 24).
Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Kuroko massive sulfide (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 28a)
References
Reference (Deposit): Anonymous, 1999, Cirque: The Northern Miner, v. 85, no. 24, p. 4.
Reference (Deposit): Wilson, F.H., Dover, J.H., Bradley, D.C., Weber, F.R., Bundtzen, T.K., and Haeussler, P.J., 1998, Geologic map of central (interior) Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-133, 17 p., 2 sheetsm, scale 1:500,000.
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