Paystreak Vein

The Paystreak Vein is a thorium, ree, and uranium 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: Paystreak Vein
Secondary: Marker Vein

Commodity

Primary: Thorium
Primary: REE
Primary: Uranium
Secondary: Molybdenum

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

Alteration Text: The Silurian host rock adjacent to both the radioactive carbonate and the REE-carbonate veins are commonly marked by alteration zones a few inches thick adjacent to them marked by dark red by hematititc alteration. The alteration is somewhat more intense adjacent to the radioactive veins.

Rocks

Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Silurian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Bastnaesite
Ore: Zircon
Ore: Thorite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Parisite
Ore: Monazite
Ore: Marcasite
Ore: Magnetite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Muscovite
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Fluorite
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Chert
Gangue: Chalcedony
Gangue: Apatite
Gangue: Topaz

Comments

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = At least 34 claims were staked on the veins in 1951 and 1952 and some were restaked in 1977 (U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1980). There has been little interest or work on these occurrences in recent years because of the relatively depressed market for radioactive commodities.

Comment (Geology): Age = Unknown other than host rock is Silurian.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Probably inactive

Comment (Commodity): Gangue = alkali feldspar

Comment (Production): Production Notes = None

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Two steeply dipping, radioactive carbonate-hematite veins--the Paystreak and Marker veins--are exposed along the shoreline on the northeast end of Pitcher Island (Houston and others, 1958). They each are exposed for about 100 feet, and the largest, the Pitcher vein, is about 2-4 feet thick. The veins consist dominantly of a carbonate of the dolomite-ankerite series, with up to 10% alkalic feldspar, and hematite. The radioactive mineral have not fully been defined but the veins contain small to rare amounts of pyrite magnetite, quartz and chalcedony, chlorite, parisite, bastnaesite, muscovite, fluorite, radioactive apatite, monazite, thorite, zircon, and minute amounts of several other minerals. The only uranium bearing minerals that have been identified are thorite, monazite, zircon, and apatite in trace amounts. Only traces of REE are present in the radioactive veins. The maximum radioactivity of the veins as measured by the USGS is 0.095 eU; the average for the Paystreak vein is 0.03 eU and the highest uranium content is 0.3%. There are also three (relatively) non-radioactive, REE-carbonate veins that can be traced along the shoreline on either side of Pitcher Island for up to 300 feet (Houston and others, 1958). They range in size from several inches to as thick as 10 feet. They consistently strike northeast and have steep dips to the southeast. They carry many of the same minerals as the radioactive veins but contain parisite as the main REE-bearing mineral. These rare-earth carbonate veins contain an average of 0.79% combined rare-earth oxides; one high-grade grab sample from a similar vein nearby (PE056) contains about 5% rare-earth oxides. The radioactive carbonate veins and the REE-carbonate veins are probably genetically related and share much of the same mineralogy. Grab samples of veins and felsic dikes taken during USGS work in the early 1980's commonly contain more than 1000 ppm La, and several contain 1000 ppm Mo (Grybeck, Karl, and Berg, 1984). Recent work by Warner (1989) to define the columbium potential of the deposit indicates the Paystreak vein contains a weighted average of 1670 ppm Th and 0.13% REE across a width of 2.6 feet over a length of 180 feet. The host rock for both types of veins is a Silurian sedimentary sequence mainly of volcaniclastic graywacke,argillitic turbides, and minor limestone that is widespread on the northeast corner of Prince of Wales Island (Brew, 1997 [OF 97-156-F]).

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = red

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Houston and others (1958) calculated that the Paystreak vein contained 'about 70 pounds of thorium or 80 pounds of thorium dioxide per foot of depth for the 100-foot section of the vein sampled'. (They considered that most of the radioactivity was due to thorium). Warner (1989) indicates that the veins at this site and similar veins nearby at Salmon Bay (PE056) 'contain combined indicated reserves of approximately 340,000 lb Cb, 2.2 MMlb REE, minimal estimate, and 11,700 lb Th within approximately 763,000 st of rock.'

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Radioactive carbonate veins and REE-carbonate veins

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Houston and others, 1958

References

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E. H., 1972, 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): Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., 1953, Preliminary summary of reconnaissance for uranium and thorium in Alaska, 1952: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 248, 15 p.

Reference (Deposit): Warner, J.D., 1989, Columbium-, rare-earth element-, and thorium- bearing veins near Salmon Bay, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 6-89, 25 p.

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): U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1980, Claim map, Petersburg quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Map 117, 1 sheet, 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., 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): Eakins, G.R., 1975, Uranium investigations in southeastern Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geologic Report 44, 62 p.

Reference (Deposit): Houston, J.R., Bates, R.G., Velikanje, R.S., and Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., 1958, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in southeastern Alaska, 1952: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1058-A, p. 1-31.

Reference (Deposit): Overstreet, W.C., 1967, The geologic occurrence of monazite: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 530, 327 p.

Reference (Deposit): White, M.G., West, W.S., Tolbert, G.E., Nelson, A.E. and Houston, J.R., 1952, Preliminary summary of reconnaissance for uranium in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular, 196, 17 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brew, D.A., 1997, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Petersburg B-4 quadrangle, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-156-F, 23 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Glover, A.E., 1951, Salmon Bay - Red Bay reconnaissance, Prince of Wales Island: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Mineral Investigation 117-1, 6 p.

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