Surprise

The Surprise is a 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: Surprise

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Arsenic
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Mercury

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 Text: The host rocks exhibit propylitic and argillic alteration.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Eocene of younger.

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Trujillo and others, 1981

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = In 1981, Resource Associates of Alaska explored this prospect by a 255-foot drill hole and several trenches. The best drill intercept was 3.7 feet grading 0.05 ounce of gold and 0.04 ounce of silver per ton (Trujillo and others, 1981).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The Surprise vein is approximately 10 feet in width and is composed of massive and comb quartz containing 0.5 to 3.0 percent pyrite. It strikes northeast and can be followed for 1,000 feet as a magnetic low (Trujillo and others, 1981). This previously unknown vein was penetrated in the upper part of a drill hole positioned to test another vein at depth. Host rocks are propylitized and argillized andesite flows of the late Eocene to early Oligocene Popof volcanic rocks (Wilson and others, 1995). The drill hole cut an upper 7.9 feet grading 0.012 ounce of gold and 0.07 ounce of silver per ton. A lower 3.7-foot intercept graded 0.05 ounce of gold and 0.04 ounce of silver per ton. These core intervals also assayed as much as 160 ppm copper, 90 ppm lead, 625 ppm zinc, 100 ppm arsenic, and 0.27 ppm mercury (Trujillo and others, 1981).

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Epithermal gold vein

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = This prospect is located on land patented by, or interim-conveyed to, the Aleut Corporation.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

References

Reference (Deposit): Trujillo, R.S., Anderson, G., MacLeod, T., Hendrick, K., Farnham, S., Peterson, J., 1981. Exploration and evaluation of the Unga-Popof-Korovan Islands portion of lands leased from Aleut Native Corporation: Resource Associates of Alaska report, 70 p., 38 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.

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