The Unnamed (north of mouth of Castle River) is a lead, silver, barium-barite, and zinc 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: Lead, Silver, Barium-Barite, Zinc
Lat, Long: 56.666, -133.25700
Map: View on Google Maps
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.
Unnamed (north of mouth of Castle River) MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Unnamed (north of mouth of Castle River)
Commodity
Primary: Lead
Primary: Silver
Primary: Barium-Barite
Primary: Zinc
Location
State: Alaska
District: Kupreanof
Land Status
Not available
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Not available
Ownership
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:
Physiography
Not available
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: Massive sulfide, kuroko
Model Name: Massive sulfide, Sierran kuroko
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Not available
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Pyrite
Comments
Comment (Geology): Age = Late Triassic.
Comment (Production): Production Notes = None
Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Grybeck, Berg, and Karl, 1984; this description
Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = None
Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Outcrops of phyllitic, light greenish gray to cream, felsic metatuff intercalated with muscovite-rich siliceous phyllite occur discontinuously just above the high tide line for about a mile along the edge of a large shallow bay. The metatuff locally contains massive-sulfide layers up to several meters thick with abundant pyrite and sparse sphalerite(?) (Grybeck, Karl, and Berg, 1984). Grab samples of massive sulfide layers and felsic metatuff show up to 700 ppm Pb, 350 ppm Zn, 10 ppm Ag, and 2000 ppm Ba. Probably continuation of the mineralized unit at PE025 just to the northeast and thus Late Triassic in age. This is probably the locality noted by Buddington (1923) that he described as a pyrite layer about 4 feet wide exposed for 50 feet. . Brew (1997 [OF 97-156-J]) shows the deposit as part of a large unit of Mesozoic phyllite and slate with minor conglomerate, limestone, and quartzite. This unit is largely covered by vegetation and probably includes substantial additional Triassic Hyd Group rocks that host the volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of the Duncan-Zarembo mineral belt (Berg, and Grybeck, 1980; Berg, 1981). Recent mapping by Sue Karl (oral communication, 1998) indicates that the rocks at this site are almost certainly Hyd Group strata that are in contact to the south toward the mouth of the Castle River with Mississippian and Permian argillite and volcanic graywacke of the Cannery Formation.
Comment (Exploration): Status = Active
Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Kuroko massive-sulfide deposit model (Cox and Singer, 1986, model 28a); alternately a Sierran Kuroko deposit (Bliss, 1992; 28a1)
Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = First identified by the USGS in 1979. Nine lode claims staked in the area in 1979 that probably covered this deposit. By 1995, a considerable block of ground several square miles in area was staked on and northwest of this site and PE025 (Department of Natural Resources unpublished Kardex mining claim information system). Informal discussions with industry geologists who worked in the area indicate that they found several to numerous additional occurrences of similar deposits on these claims. An aerial examination of the area in 1996 indicated no obvious signs of surface exploration in the vicinity. In 1998, there was renewed interest in the area encouraged by the geophysical surveys the State of Alaska had flown over the area.
References
Reference (Deposit): Berg, H.C., 1981, Upper Triassic volcanogenic massive sulfide metallogenic province identified in southeastern Alaska, in Albert, N.R.D., and Hudson, T.L., eds., The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: accomplishments during 1979: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 823-B, p. B104-B108.
Reference (Deposit): Berg, H. C., and Grybeck, Donald, 1980, Upper Triassic volcanogenic Zn-Pb-Ag (-Cu-Au) mineral deposits near Petersburg, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-527, 11 p., 1 oversize sheet.
Reference (Deposit): Brew, D.A., 1997, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Petersburg C-4 quadrangle, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-156-J, 21 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.
Reference (Deposit): Buddington, A.F., 1923, Mineral deposits of the Wrangell district; U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 739, p. 51-75.
Reference (Deposit): Grybeck, D.J., Berg, H.C., and Karl, S.M., 1984, Map and description of the mineral deposits in the Petersburg and eastern Port Alexander quadrangles: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 84-837, 86 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
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.
