Potato Creek

The Potato Creek is a tin 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: Potato Creek

Commodity

Primary: Tin

Location

State: Alaska
District: Port Clarence

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: Alluvial placer Sn

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Cassiterite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Magnetite
Gangue: Hematite

Comments

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Heide and Rutledge, 1949

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Bedrock in the headwaters of Potato Creek is thermally metamorposed thin-bedded metapelite, metasandstone, and minor impure metacarbonate rocks of unknown but probable Paleozoic age. These rocks makeup the relatively resistant upland of Potato Mountain that is interpreted to be underlain at depth by biotite granite (Hudson and Reed, 1997, p. 454). The creek has 0 to 24 feet of overburden on top of 2 to 10 feet of gravel over bedrock. Tin concentrations of 0.05 to 0.54 pounds per cubic yard were identified in churn-drill holes from an elevation of 250 feet downstream to an elevation of about 150 feet. Tin was not found at higher elevations along the creek. The downstream limits of this placer concentration were not defined by the USBM churn-drilling. The 150 to 200 foot elevation area along this drainage is the approximate location of a Pleistocene strandline that is inferred from the general geomorphic character of the area (Hudson and Reed, 1997, p. 454).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Alluvial tin placer (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39e)

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The USBM completed 30 churn-drill holes along 8 lines spread out over about 1.5 miles of the creek (Heide and Rutledge, 1949).

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary

References

Reference (Deposit): Hudson, T.L., and Reed, B.L., 1997, Tin deposits of Alaska, in Goldfarb, R.J., and Miller, L.D., eds., Mineral Deposits of Alaska: Economic Geology Monograph 9, p. 450-465.

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., 1972, Geologic map of the Teller quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Map I-685, 4 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Heide, H.E. and Rutledge, F.A., 1949, Investigations of Potato Mountain tin placer deposits, Seward Peninsula, northwestern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations 4418, 21 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., and Sainsbury, C.L., 1972, Metallic mineral resource map of the Teller quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-426, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Teller quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-587, 130 p.

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