Kaiyah

The Kaiyah is a gold 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: Kaiyah

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver

Location

State: Alaska
District: Kaiyuh

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: Epithermal vein, Comstock

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification and argillization.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The country rocks in the area of the Kaiyah prospect consist of deltaic sandstone, shale, and conglomerate adjacent to the Poison Creek caldera. The caldera is expressed topographically as a curvilinear fault contact between the volcanic rocks inside the caldera and Koyukuk sedimentary rocks around it. Landsat and magnetic data suggest that the caldera system may be over 20 kilometers in diameter. The volcanic rocks include intermediate to felsic ash flow tuffs, massive basaltic andesite, and a small area of siliceous sinter (North Star Exploration, Inc., 2001). Anomalous values of gold and silver occur in surface samples of silicified sedimentary rocks east of the caldera rim, in an area of radial faulting. The silicified rocks are cut by chalcedonic quartz veinlets, vuggy druse coatings, and blue-gray quartz veinlets. In addition to the silicification, the hostrocks locally are argillized (clay altered). Core holes drilled in 2000 intersected extensive zones of polyphase quartz veining, advanced argillic alteration, polymetallic sulfides, and mineralized dikes. Drill holes were targeted at two east-west-trending vein systems, the Main and South veins, which are approximately 250 feet apart (Avalon Development newsletter, Jan., 2001). Bundtzen and Miller (1997) first reported gold in epithermal quartz veins at the prospect in 1997. Subsequent fieldwork by North Star Exploration Inc. in 1999 resulted in the definition of more widespread mineralization. In 250 rock samples, gold averages 110 ppb, and silver averages 20 ppm. Gold ranges up to 10.4 ppm and silver up to 13.6 ounces per ton. Samples also contain anomalous values of arsenic, bismuth, and mercury (North Star Exploration, Inc., 2001).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Active

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = North Star Exploration, Inc., 2001

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Epithermal Au-Ag (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 25c)

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = During 1999 and 2000, North Star Exploration Ltd. explored the Kaiyah prospect with geologic mapping, geophysics, and Landsat image analysis. In 2000, 2,776 feet of core drilling were completed.

References

Reference (Deposit): North Star Exploration, Inc., 2001, Kaiyah epithermal Au-Ag prospect, 2000, promotional pamphlet, 4 p.

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., and Miller, M.L., 1997, Precious metals associated with Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary igneous rocks of southwestern Alaska, in Goldfarb, R.J., and Miller, L.D., eds., Economic Geology Monograph #9, Mineral Deposits of Alaska, p. 242-286.

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