Rick's

The Rick's is a copper and chromium 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: Rick's
Secondary: Rick's Creek
Secondary: Rick's Nickel
Secondary: Rick's Prospect
Secondary: Nickel Creek
Secondary: Nail Allochthon
Secondary: Nail Ridge

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Chromium
Secondary: Nickel
Secondary: Magnesite
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Arsenic

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: 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 peridotite contains areas of serpentinite. The underlying siliceous carbonate rocks also contain areas of serpentinite; interpreted to have been altered to serpentinite by a CO2-rich fluid (Southworth, 1985).

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Azurite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Chromite
Ore: Magnesite
Ore: Magnetite
Ore: Malachite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Disseminated sulfides and chromite in serpentinite allochthon

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Southworth, 1985

Comment (Production): Production Notes = There has only been prospecting on Nail Ridge and on some placer claims nearby on Rick's Creek and Black Bear Creek, which drain Nail Ridge to the northwest (Menzie and Foster,1979).

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The first published geologic description of the prospect was by Prindle (1905). Saunders (1965) performed a limited geochemical investigation of the prospect at the invitation of the claim holder. Large-scale mapping of the area was completed by Weber and others (1978). The most recent detailed work on the ridge was by a joint effort in 1983 by the Alaskan Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the U.S. Geological Survey published by Southworth (1985). Menzie and Foster (1979) reported some placer claim staking nearby on Rick's Creek and Black Bear Creek, which drain Nail Ridge to the northwest.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Rick's Prospect is approximately 12 km long and 2 km wide (Southworth, 1984). Foster and others (1979) describe the bedrock as greenschist to amphibolite facies rocks that have been intruded by Mesozoic and Tertiary igneous bodies. Locally, the area is overlain by Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The stratigraphy of the ridge consists of metamorphic rocks overlain by siliceous carbonate rock with localized areas of intense Fe-staining and alteration. This is overlain by peridotite with localized phases of harzburgite, dunite, and serpentinite, and capped by gabbro and diorite rubble (Southworth, 1985). The underlying metamorphic rocks contain cherts that have radiolaria and conodonts of Permian age. The gabbro and diorite contain disseminated magnetite with trace chalcopyrite. Both the peridotite and the underlying siliceous carbonate rock contain 0.25 to 4% disseminated chromite. Rare pods and schlieren of chromite have also been found. Cobb and Eberlein (1980) reported pods of high-grade chromite 1 foot in thickness and 3 feet in length. Chromian spinel is common in the weathered area of the siliceous carbonate rock. The chromian spinel is high in Al and Mg, and probably of no economic or industrial use. The underlying siliceous carbonate rocks contain areas of serpentinite that are interpreted to have been altered to serpentinite by a CO2-rich fluid. Unweathered sections of the siliceous carbonate rock contain significant amounts of magnesite. Assays have revealed up to 17% MgO; a possible resource of magnesium (Southworth, 1985). Throughout the ridge, numerous assay results revealed no significant amounts of Ni, Co, Au or PGE. One occurrence of small pods of azurite and malachite, less than 0.5 cm in diameter, was observed in Fe-stained siliceous carbonate. A sample of this material contained relict chromite and minor veinlets of serpentinite, and assayed 1.14% Cu, 6,800 ppm Sb, 174 ppm As, and 24.6 ppm Ag (Southworth, 1985). The first published geologic description of the region was by Prindle (1905). Saunders (1965) performed a limited geochemical investigation of the prospect at the invitation of the then claim holder. Large-scale mapping of the area was completed by Weber and others (1979). The most recent detailed work on the ridge was completed in a joint effort by the Alaska Division of Geologica l & Geophysical Surveys, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the U.S. Geological Survey in 1983 (Southworth, 1985). Menzie and Foster (1979) reported some placer claim staking nearby on Rick's Creek and Black Bear Creek, which drain Nail Ridge to the northwest. No production has been reported for the area.

References

Reference (Deposit): Joesting, H.R., 1942, Strategic mineral occurences in interior Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 1, 46 p.

Reference (Deposit): Saunders, R.H., 1954, Report on the examination of the Ricks prospect, Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Prospect Evaluation 59-1, 15 p.

Reference (Deposit): Weber, F.R., Foster, H.L., Keith, T.E.C., Dusel-Bacon, C., 1978, Preliminary geologic map of the Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-529A, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Foster, H.L., Albert, N.R.D., Griscom, Andrew, Hessin, T.D., Menzie, W.D., Turner, D.L, and Wilson, F.H., 1979, The Alaskan Mineral Resource Assessment Program: Background information to accompany folio of geologic and mineral resource maps of the Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 783, 19 p.

Reference (Deposit): Southworth, D.D., 1985, Geologic and geochemical investigation of the 'Nail' allochthon, east-central Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 176-84, 19 p.

Reference (Deposit): Prindle, L.M., 1905, The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 251, 89 p.

Reference (Deposit): Berg, H.C., and Cobb, E.H., 1967, Metalliferous Lode Deposits of Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1246, 254 p.

Reference (Deposit): Eberlein, G.D., Chapman, R.M., Foster, H.L., and Gassaway, J.S., 1977, Map and table describing known metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral deposits in central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-168-D, 132 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Menzie, W.D., and Foster, H.L., 1979, Metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral resource potential in the Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-529D, 61 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., and Eberlein, G.D., 1980, Summaries of data on and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Big Delta and Tanacross quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-1086, 77 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-388, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

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