Wheeler

The Wheeler is a copper, gold, and silver 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: Wheeler

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver

Location

State: Alaska
District: Kougarok

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

Alteration Text: Silicification (?) and oxidation; the development of silica-rich rocks at or near the the base of Paleozoic marble overlying characterizes this type of copper occurrence.

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Azurite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Malachite
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Probably inactive

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The Wheeler mine has received more work than any other similar copper-bearing deposit in the area. The deposit was explored by several propecting pits, a 200-foot long adit in barren marble, and a 90-foot-deep shaft that did not intersect the adit (Cathcart, 1922).

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Copper-bearing mineralization in silica-rich zones at or near base of marble.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = High grade malachite-azurite ore was handpicked and shipped to the Tacoma, Washington smelter in 1917 or 1918 (Wimmler, 1926, in Asher, 1969, DGGS R18). This ore was from the upper 20 feet of the shaft and assayed 0.33 ounces Ag per ton, 35.68 percent Cu, 7.60 percent Fe, and 15.40 percent silica. Another shipment, primarily from the schist zone in the shaft, assayed 1.82 ounces Au per ton, 5.16 ounces Ag per ton, and 17.18 percent Cu (Wimmler, 1926, in Asher, 1969, DGGS R18). A total of 24.5 tons of ore were shipped before 1920 (Cathcart, 1922).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The Wheeler mine has received more work than any other similar copper-bearing deposit in the area. The mine was explored by several prospecting pits, a 200-foot-long adit in barren marble, and a 90-foot-deep shaft that did not intersect the adit (Cathcart, 1922). The shaft was sunk on a 8-foot-wide exposure of malachite and encountered 30 feet of copper-bearing silica-rich rock, 5 feet of schist, and barren marble below. The copper-bearing zone conforms with layering in the host rock. Material on the shaft dump consists of seams of limonite and malachite to 3 inches wide and remnants of chalcopyrite. High grade malachite-azurite ore was handpicked and shipped to the Tacoma, Washington smelter in 1917 or 1918 (Wimmler, 1926, in Asher, 1969, DGGS R18). This ore was from the upper 20 feet of the shaft and assayed 0.33 ounces Ag per ton, 35.68 percent Cu, 7.60 percent Fe, and 15.40 percent silica. Another shipment, primarily from the schist zone in the shaft, assayed 1.82 ounces Au per ton, 5.16 ounces Ag per ton, and 17.18 percent Cu (Wimmler, 1926, in Asher, 1969, DGGS R18). A total of 24.5 tons of ore were shipped before 1920 (Cathcart, 1922). This deposit is one of many occurrences of copper mineralization in silica-rich rocks near the regional contact between marble in a lower Paleozoic metasedimentary assemblage and pelitic schist of possible Cambrian or Precambrian age (Till and others, 1986). This type of copper occurrence is present at several localities in the western Solomon quadrangle (Gamble, 1988) and has similarities to several in the Kougarok area of the northeastern Teller quadrangle. In the Teller quadrangle, the Ward mine (TE071) is an example of this type of copper mineral occurrence. The Ward mine has been described as a zone of silicification in marble above a thrust contact with underlying metapelitic schist (Sainsbury and others, 1969; Sainsbury, 1975, p. 90-94). The silica-rich rocks have been metamorphosed and commonly have a laminar fabric. Copper-bearing minerals, mostly malachite but also including azurite and in places chalcopyrite and possibly bornite, are disseminated in the silica-rich rocks. The minor sulfides tend to be along faint laminae and joints (Sainsbury and others, 1969, p. 22). Malachite and azurite also occur in small veins and veinlets in the silica-rich rocks. The summary characterization of this type of Seward Peninsula mineral deposit by Sainsbury (1975, p. 90-94) contains inconsistencies with some descriptions of these deposits. Their origin is uncertain and other possibilities should be considered. One possiblity is that the silica-rich rocks are quartzites and that there is a stratigraphic control to the Ward deposit and similar occurrences elsewhere on Seward Peininsula. Quarzite at the base of the regional carbonate assemblage is recognized elsewhere in the Kougarok Mountain area (Puchner, 1986, p. 1777).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Wimmler, 1926 (in Asher, 1969, DGGS R18)

Comment (Geology): Age = Unknown; if stratigraphic controls are important then it is probably Paleozoic in age.

References

Reference (Deposit): Wimmler, N.L., 1926, Lode deposits in Seward Peninsula: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 192-01, 10 p.

Reference (Deposit): Puchner, C.C., 1986, Geology, alteration, and mineralization of the Kougarok Sn deposit, Seward Peninsula, Alaska; Discussion reply: Economic Geology, v. 82, p. 2201-2204.

Reference (Deposit): Gamble, B.M., 1988, Non-placer mineral occurrences in the Solomon, Bendeleben, and southern part of the Kotzebue quadrangles, western Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Map MF-1838-B, 13 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic resources map of the Solomon quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-445, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Till, A.B., Dumoulin, J.A., Gamble, B. ., Kaufman, D.S., and Carroll, P.I., 1986, Preliminary geologic map and fossil data, Soloman, Bendeleben, and southern Kotzebue quadrangles, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 86-276, 10 p., 3 plates, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Solomon quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-181, 185 p.

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., 1975, Geology, ore deposits, and mineral potential of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 73-75, 108 p., 3 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., Kachadoorian, Reuban, Hudson, Travis, Smith, T.E., Richards, T.R., and Todd, W.E., 1969, Reconnaissance geologic maps and sample data, Teller A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2, B-3, C-1, and Bendeleben A-6, B-6, C-6, D-5, and D-6 quadrangles. Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 377, 49 p., 12 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Asher, R.R., 1969, Geology and geochemistry of part of the Iron Creek area, Solomon D-6 quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: Alaska Division of Mines and Geology Geochemistry Report 18, 19 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cathcart, S.H., 1922, Metalliferous lodes in southern Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 722, p. 163-261.

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