Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Antimony

Location

State: Alaska
District: Fairbanks

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

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Stibnite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = The Pennsylvania claim was staked in October 1911 by Lawrence J. McCarty and soon became part of the McCarty group of claims which included the Pennsylvania, Willie, Dorothy, Marie, Kentucky and Freegold claims (Times Publishing Company, 1912).

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Gold- and antimony-oxides in quartz veins.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = By late 1912, the Pennsylvania shaft had been sunk to a depth of 140 feet. Drifting had proceeded 20 feet to the northwest and southeast on the 140 foot level. At the 50 foot level, drifts extended 50 feet northwest and 50 feet southeast with a raise connected to the surface on the southeast drift (Times Publishing Company, 1912). The ore was hoisted using a Little Giant steam hoist and was shipped to the company mill constructed on upper Fairbanks Creek by L.J. McCarty and Emil C. Fursteneau. This mill began operation on September 28, 1912 and consisted of a Little Giant #3 roll mill which fed minus 40 mesh pulp over amalgamation plates (Times Publishing Company, 1912). The tailings were not impounded at this mill. The mill has a capacity of 8 to 20 tons of ore per day (Smith, 1913; B 525). The Pennsylvania shaft had been deepened to 146 feet by mid-1913 (Chapin, 1914). At some point between 1922 and 1931, the western drift on the 50-foot-level was extended to a length of 70 feet and stoped through to the surface. This work yielded approximately $10,000 worth of gold (484 ounces) (Hill, 1933). The shaft and workings were flooded in 1931.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Smith, 1913 (B 525)

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Free gold occurs associated with antimony oxides in white quartz in a shear zone that strikes N 76 W and dips 56 SW (Smith, 1913; B 525). The high grade portion of the shear zone averaged 12 to 15 inches thick. In late 1911, an 8.5 ton sample of material from the claim averaged $100 gold per ton (4.8 ounces of gold per ton). A second lot of Pennsylvania mine ore was custom milled in early 1912 and averaged $52 gold per ton (2.5 ounces of gold per ton). By 1913, the Pennsylvania shaft was deepened to 146 feet and between 1922 and 1931; the west drift on the 50 foot level was extended to a length of 70 feet and stoped through to the surface. This work yielded approximately $10,000 worth of gold (484 ounces) (Hill, 1933). The Pennsylvania mine was examined in 1942 as a possible source of antimony. A one-half ton stockpile of oxidized stibnite near the shaft contained an average grade of 57.01% antimony but the mine did not posses sufficient quantity of this material to warrant additional exploration or development (Killeen and Mertie, 1951).

Comment (Production): Production Notes = In late 1911, an 8.5 ton sample of material from the claim averaged $100 per ton in gold (4.8 ounces of gold per ton). A second lot of Pennsylvania mine ore was custom milled in early 1912 and averaged $52 per ton (2.5 ounces of gold per ton). The mine was not in production in 1913. The mine was examined in 1922 by Stewart (1922) and Davis (1922) but was not in production at that time. At some point between 1922 and 1931, the western drift on the 50-foot level was extended to a length of 70 feet and stoped through to the surface. This work yielded approximately $10,000 worth of gold (484 ounces, Hill, 1933).

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

References

Reference (Deposit): Freeman, C.J., 1992, 1991 Golden Summit project final report, volume 2: Historical summary of lode mines and prospects in the Golden Summit project area, Alaska: Avalon Development Corp., 159 p. (Report held by Freegold Recovery Inc. USA, Vancouver, British Columbia.)

Reference (Deposit): Times Publishing Company, 1912, Tanana Magazine, Quartz Edition: Fairbanks, Alaska 76 p.

Reference (Deposit): Hill, J.M., 1933, Lode deposits of the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 849-B, p. 29-163.

Reference (Deposit): Killeen, P.L., and Mertie, J.B., 1951, Antimony ore in the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 51-46, 43 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1913, Lode mining near Fairbanks, in Prindle, L.M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 153-216.

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