Shakan

The Shakan is a molybdenum 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: Shakan
Secondary: Alaska Treadwell Mining Co.

Commodity

Primary: Molybdenum
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Copper

Location

State: Alaska
District: Ketchikan

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

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Pyrrhotite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Albite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Molybdenite associated with pegmatite dike along fault zone.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Smith (1942) estimated the resources of the Shakan molybdenum prospect to be 10,000-20,000 tons of rock containing about 1.5% MoS2.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = None

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = The Shakan molybdenum prospect was discovered in 1917 and developed by a 570 foot tunnel and 14 surface cuts during and immediately after World War I (Chapin, 1919). Little or no subsequent exploration work on it beyond cursory examinations by passing geologists, although it was examined at some length by government geologist during World War II (Twenhofel and others, 1946; Smith, 1942, Thorne, 1943).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Smith, 1942; Twenhofel and others, 1946

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The country rocks in the vicinity consist of Cretaceous biotite-quartz hornfels altered from Silurian graywacke turbidite of the Bay of Pillars Formation and a large Cretaceous diorite pluton that intrudes the bedded rocks (Brew and others, 1984). The Shakan molybdenum deposit is at or near the contact between the pluton and the hornfels and probably is genetically related to the emplacement of this pluton. The deposit is a sulfide-bearing fault-breccia zone 1-10 feet thick associated with hornblende diorite pegmatite; the zone contains abundant pyrrhotite, molybdenite, and chalcopyrite, with minor sphalerite and pyrite, in quartz-albite gangue.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Probably inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Probably Cretaceous based on age of associated pluton.

References

Reference (Deposit): Chapin, Theodore, 1919, Mining in the Fairbanks district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-F, p. 321-327.

Reference (Deposit): Hess, F.L., 1924, Molybdenum deposits, a short review: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 761, 35 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Petersburg quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-870, 53 p.

Reference (Deposit): Coldwell, J.R., 1990, Northwest Canada Mining leads to road proposal: Southeast Alaska Business Journal, December 1990, p. 4.

Reference (Deposit): Maas, K.M., Bittenbender, P E., and Still, J.C., 1995, Mineral investigations in the Ketchikan mining district, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 11-95, 606 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brew, D. A., Ovenshine, A. T., Karl, S. M., and Hunt, S. J., 1984, Preliminary reconnaissance geologic map of the Petersburg and parts of the Port Alexander and Sumdum 1:250,000 quadrangles, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 84-405, 43 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Grybeck, D.J., Berg, H.C., and Karl, S.M., 1984, Map and description of the mineral deposits in the Petersburg and eastern Port Alexander quadrangles: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 84-837, 86 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Petersburg quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-415, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Twenhofel, W.S., Robinson, G.D., and Gault, H.R., 1946, Molybdenite investigations in southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 947-B, p. 7-38.

Reference (Deposit): Gooch, A.E., 1964, Field trip to the Dry Pass and Shakan molybdenum deposits: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Itinerary Report 117-1, 4 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Thorne, R.L., 1943, Shakan molybdenum deposit, Kosciusko Island, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines War Mineral Report 108, 9 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1942, Occurrences of molybdenum in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-C, p. 161-210.

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