Orange Mountain

The Orange Mountain 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: Orange Mountain

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver

Location

State: Alaska
District: Alaska Peninsula

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: The alteration consists of as pervasive argillization and pyritization of andesite tuffs and silicification of felsic tuffs.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Barite

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Eocene or younger.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Peterson and others, 1983

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Epithermal gold veins

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = This prospect, marked by a 2.7-square-mile color anomaly, is the largest single area of alteration on Unga Island. It is in rocks mapped as the late Eocene to early Oligocene Popof volcanic rocks (Wilson and others, 1995). From 1979 to 1983, it was explored first by Resource Associates of Alaska and then by UNC Teton Exploration Drilling Company (Peterson and others, 1983). The prospect consists of a gently-dipping, interbedded sequence of silica-replaced felsic tuffs and argillically altered andesite tuffs and flows. The alteration extends over a vertical range of at least 500 feet (Ellis and Apel, 1990). Numerous shears, faults, fracture zones, and breccias result in structural complexities (Peterson and others, 1983). The silica-replaced tuffs contain 5 percent disseminated pyrite. They also contain veins, disseminations, and pods of barite, and veinlets and pods of quartz. In brecciated areas, the quartz and barite veins locally occur together, and some of the quartz is replaced by barite. The argillically altered andesite contains 25 percent pyrite as veinlets and disseminations. Tetrahedrite has also been reported. There is a positive correlation between precious metal values and the silicified rock; the highest values are associated with shears and breccias. The highest precious metal values obtained from surface samples were 2.85 ppm gold and 26 ppm silver; their mean value was 0.045 ppm gold and 0.4 ppm silver (Peterson and others, 1983). Detectable and weakly anomalous gold values occur in drill holes in sections 100 or more feet thick (115 feet in OM-2 and 370 feet in OM-3). The highest subsurface precious metal values were 0.41 ppm gold and 3.4 ppm silver. Mean values of base metals were at 40 ppm copper, 20 ppm lead, 20 ppm zinc, and 50 ppm arsenic. The entire area is enriched in mercury, and values of as much as 107 ppm of mercury occur in silicified tuffs. The mean mercury value is 1.6 ppm. Thallium, tellurium, antimony, and bismuth were also detected. In 1990 Battle Mountain Exploration Company mapped the site and collected approximately 117 rock chip samples. Their mapping indicated that the silicified rock forms a cap overlying argillically altered tuffs containing as much as 70 percent pyrite (Ellis and Apel, 1990). Gold values in quartz veins cutting the silicified tuffs ranged from 0.05 to 0.25 ppm.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = During the period 1979 to 1983 Resource Associates of Alaska and UNC Teton Exploration Drilling Company conducted 8.5 miles of grid mapping, collected and analyzed 750 rock and soil samples, conducted 1.4 miles of VLF-EM survey, and drilled 3 core holes for a total of 2,453 feet. The highest metal values of surface samples were 2.85 ppm gold and 26 ppm silver. The mean values were 0.045 ppm gold and 0.4 ppm silver. The highest subsurface values were 0.41 ppm gold and 3.4 ppm silver. In 1990 Battle Mountain Exploration mapped the site in detail and collected approximately 150 rock samples. A cluster of low-level gold anomalies was outlined at the top of Orange Mountain. Individual quartz veinlets assayed 0.05 to 0.25 ppm gold.

References

Reference (Deposit): Peterson, R.J., Lemmers, J., Handverger, P., Gallagher, J., Pilcher, R., East, J., Macleod, T., Bartels. E., 1982, Geology and precious metals potential Unga, Popof, and Korovin Islands, Shumagin Group, Aleutian Chain, Alaska: UNC Teton Exploration Drilling Company report, 127 p., 5 map sheets, various scales. (Report held by the Aleut Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska.)

Reference (Deposit): Wilson, F.H., Detterman, R.L., Miller, J. W., and Case, J.E., 1995, Geologic map of the Port Moller, Stepovak Bay, and Simeonof Island quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigation Series Map I-2272, 1 map sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Ellis, W.T., and Randolph, D., 1991, Unga project 1991 final report: Battle Mountain Exploration Company report, 36 p. 13 map sheets at various scales. (Report held by the Aleut Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska.)

Reference (Deposit): Ellis, W.T., and Apel, R.A., 1990, Unga/Alaska Peninsula 1990 final report, Battle Mountain Exploration Company report, 49 p., 29 map sheets at various scales. (Report held by the Aleut Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska.)

Reference (Deposit): Peterson, R.J., Handverger, P., Rosenkrans, D., Bartels, E, and Woolston, D., 1983, Shumagin Islands precious metal exploration program southwest Alaska: UNC Teton Exploration Drilling Company report, 61 p. (Report held by the Aleut Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska.)

Reference (Deposit): Wilson, F.H., White, W.H., and DuBois, G.D., 1988, Brief descriptions of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Port Moller and Stepovak Bay quadrangles, Alaska Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 88-666, 128 p., scale 1:250,000.

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