California Creek

The California 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: California Creek

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Mercury
Secondary: Platinum

Location

State: Alaska
District: Bonnifield

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: Cinnabar
Ore: Gold

Comments

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary placer.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Prior to 1918, prospecting for placer gold was carried on throughout the 20-mile-long length of California Creek (Maddren, 1918, p. 380). Mining in 1910 was 5 miles above Rex Creek, where gravels are 6 feet deep (Capps, 1912, p. 44). Mining has also taken place at scattered localities in sections 9 and 10, 3 and 4, and 33 and 34, T. 10 S., R. 6 W., at irregular intervals through at least the 1980's (Donald Grybeck, field observations, 1994, and oral commun. from Boyd Blair, 1994). An undisclosed amount of gold was produced from California Creek in 1989 from placer mines operated by Jack Lacross and Jack Zupan (Bundtzen and others, 1990, p. 37).

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Small-scale placer mining.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Prior to 1918, prospecting for placer gold was carried on throughout the 20 miles of California Creek (Maddren, 1918, p. 380). Mining in 1910 was 5 miles above Rex Creek, where gravels are 6 feet deep (Capps, 1912, p. 44). Mining has also taken place at scattered localities in sections 9 and 10, 3 and 4, and 33 and 34, T. 10 S., R. 6 W., at irregular intervals through at least the 1980's (Donald Grybeck, field observations, 1994, and oral commun. from Boyd Blair, 1994). The gold occurs in stream gravels on schist bedrock. Platinum and scarce cinnabar have been found in the placers (Joesting, 1942 [ATDM Pamph. 1]).

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

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Cobb, 1976 (OFR 76-662)

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

References

Reference (Deposit): Capps, S.R., 1912, The Bonnifield region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 501, 64 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-410, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-662, 174 p.

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., Swainbank, R.C., Deagen, J.R. and Moore, J.L., 1990, Alaska's mineral industry 1989: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 44, 100 p.

Reference (Deposit): Maddren, A.G., 1918, Gold placers near the Nenana coal field: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, p. 363-402.

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

Reference (Deposit): Malone, Kevin, 1965, Mercury in Alaska, in Mercury potential of the United States: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8252, p. 31-59.

Reference (Deposit): Malone, Kevin, 1962, Mercury occurrences in Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Circular 8131, 57 p.

Reference (Deposit): Capps, S.R., 1911, Mineral resources of the Bonnifield region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480-H, p. 218-235.

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