Unnamed (near Salmon Bay)

The Unnamed (near Salmon Bay) 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: Unnamed (near Salmon Bay)

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: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Monazite
Ore: Parisite
Ore: Thorite
Gangue: Chert
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Commodity): Gangue = alkali feldspar

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

Comment (Production): Production Notes = None

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Warner (1989) indicates that the veins at this site and similar veins nearby on Pitcher Island (PE055) '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 (Reference): Primary Reference = Houston and others, 1958

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 elements.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Steeply-dipping, locally highly radioactive, carbonate veins occur at three localities in hematitically altered, hornfelsed Silurian graywacke. The graywacke is cut by deformed and sheared felsic dikes and undeformed basalt dikes (Brew, 1997 [OF 97-156-F]). The veins contain fluorite, monazite, and a variety of rare-earth fluocarbonate minerals, some of which are highly radioactive (Houston and others, 1953; Eakins, 1975, and Grybeck, Berg, and Karl, 1984). The veins are up to four feet thick but most are thinner and can be only traced for a few hundred feet where they disappear under vegetation or under water. The ore mineralogy of the veins varies greatly and includes red hematite, specular hematite, magnetite, pyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, thorite, monazite, zircon, parisite, and bastnaesite. Gangue minerals are mainly dolomite-ankerite, with varying amounts of alkali feldspar, chert, quartz, chalcedony, chlorite, epidote, sericite, kaolinite, fluorite, muscovite, apatite, topaz, and garnet. The maximum radioactivity of the veins as measured by the USGS is 0.095 eU; the average is 0.03 eU and the highest uranium content is 0.3% (Houston and others, 1958). The rare-earth carbonate veins contain an average of 0.79% combined rare-earth oxides; one high-grade grab sample contained about 5% rare-earth oxides. Only trace of the rare earths are present in the radioactive veins. 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, Berg, and Karl, 1984). Warner (1989) sampled several veins at this site to assess their columbium potential. A vein just south of Bay Point contains 0.2% REE across a width of 8.0 feet and a length of 1,300 feet. A vein at Bay Point contains 850 ppm Cb across a width of 3.4 feet and a length of 1,200 feet. Also see PE055 for a description of very similar if not identical veins to the south on Pitcher Island.

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

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