Unnamed (on western Rootok Island)

The Unnamed (on western Rootok Island) is a copper, silver, and gold 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: Unnamed (on western Rootok Island)

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Molybdenum

Location

State: Alaska
District: Aleutian Islands

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: Porphyry Cu

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: The rocks exhibit pervasive propylitic alteration consisting of chlorite, epidote, and pyrite. The breccia bodies in the northern area are altered to quartz-sericite-pyrite. Wall rock adjoining the breccias varies from pyritized volcanics to malachite-chalcopyrite-chalcopyrite-bearing porphyritic diorite, whose feldspar phenocrysts are altered to clay.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Chalcocite
Gangue: Tourmaline
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = This site is on land patented by or conveyed to the Aleut Native Corporation.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = At this site the rocks consist of amygdoidal and porphyritic andesites of probable Tertiary or later age. They are cut by diorite dikes or plugs (Christie, 1974). All of the intrusive rocks examined contained pyrite as disseminations and fracture fillings. This occurrence consists of a northern and a southern color anomaly separated by a covered area approximately 1000 feet wide. In the northern area copper minerals occur along a north-facing sea cliff irregularly for 800 feet. The minerals are mainly malachite and minor chalcopyrite and chalcocite, and are sporadically distributed throughout the area. The minerals are mainly in breccia bodies, up to 60 feet in width, consisting of angular and rotated fragments of quartz-sericite-pyrite in a matrix of comminuted fragments and iron oxides. Malachite is present both in the fragments and matrix. One breccia contains 1 to 2 percent tourmaline. Wall rock around the breccias varies from pyritiferous volcanics to malachite-chalcopyrite-chalcocite-bearing diorite. The quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration grades outward to pervasive propylitization marked by epidote and pyrite. The southern color anomaly exhibits pervasive propylitic alteration which grades southward to unaltered volcanics over distance of approximately 3000 feet. . Seventeen rock samples collected by the Aleut-Quintana-Duval JV contained up to 159 ppm copper, 0.46 ppm gold, 6 ppm molybdenum, 2.2 ppm silver, and 120 ppm zinc (Christie, 1974). In 1975 Christie (1976) returned to this site and collected soils and silts and conducted a magnetometer survey of the covered area. This examination revealed strongly altered, biotite-bearing rock containing widely-spaced quartz veins. This material contained up to 790 ppm copper and 0.04 ppm gold.

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Porphyry copper (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 17)

Comment (Geology): Age = Probably Tertiary.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Christie, 1974

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Christie (1974) conducted reconnaissance geologic mapping and limited sampling. That sampling generally indicated low values of copper and molybdenum and gold values as high as 0.46 ppm and silver values as high 2.2 ppm. Zinc values were moderately anomalous: a number of samples yielded values in the range of 90 to 120 ppm. Although Christie (1974) mentions copper values up to 0.25 percent, his sample data does not support this. Christie (1976) did some additional work in the covered area in 1975, but concluded the area was not worth drilling.

References

Reference (Deposit): Christie, J.S., 1974, Aleut-Quintana-Duval 1974 joint venture, final report: Unpublished Quintana Minerals Corporation report, 24 p., 3 appendices, 2 maps. (Report held by the Aleut Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska.)

Reference (Deposit): Christie, J.S., 1976, Aleut-Quintana-Duval joint venture, final report, 1975, 20 p. (Report held by the Aleut Native Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska.)

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