Ben Creek

The Ben Creek is a 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: Ben Creek

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver

Location

State: Alaska
District: Circle

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Placer Au-PGE

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Silver

Comments

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Mertie, 1942

Comment (Geology): Age = Tertiary-Quaternary

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).

Comment (Production): Production Notes = In 1965, production was reported as 26 troy ounces of gold and 2 troy ounces of silver (National Park Service, 1990).

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = See also Sam Creek (CY027). This site is within the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The bedrock in the Ben Creek drainage is composed of the Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Glen Shale (Dover and Miyaoka, 1988). Small placer gold deposits have been found along Ben Creek (Mertie, 1942). One assay of the gold from Ben Creek had values of 896 parts Au per thousand and 100 parts Ag per thousand (Mertie, 1938). Mining on the creek began as early as 1921 and continued intermittently until at least 1965. A boomer dam was constructed along Ben Creek to store and control water for sluicing. In 1965, production was reported as 26 troy ounces of gold and 2 troy ounces of silver (National Park Service, 1990).

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Small placer gold deposits have been found in Ben Creek (Mertie, 1942). Mining on the creek began as early as 1921 and continued intermittently until at least 1965. A boomer dam was constructed to control and store water for sluicing (National Park Service, 1990).

References

Reference (Deposit): National Park Service, 1990, Final environmental impact statement, volume 1, Mining in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska: National Park Service, Anchorage, Alaska, p. 36-44.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1938, Gold placers of the Fortymile, Eagle, and Circle districts, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-C, p. 133-261.

Reference (Deposit): Dover, J.A., and Miyaoka, R.T., 1988, Reinterpreted geologic map and fossil data, Charley River quadrangle, east-central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2004, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1942, Tertiary deposits of the Eagle-Circle district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-D, p. 213-264.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Charley River and Coleen quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-632, 45 p.

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