Apollo

Site Name

Primary: Apollo

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Zinc
Secondary: Silver
Secondary: Copper

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Location

State: Alaska
District: Alaska Peninsula

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Land Status

Not available

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Not available

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Ownership

Not available

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Production

Not available

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Epithermal vein, Sado

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Alteration Text: The wall rock exhibits extensive propylitization. According to Butherus and others (1979), some silicification is also present.

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Gold
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Adularia
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Quartz

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Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Eocene or younger.

Comment (Production): Production Notes = From 1892 to the early 1900's the mine produced between 242,000 and 500,000 tons grading between 0.22 and 0.4 ounce of gold per ton.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Reserves are estimated at 748,000 tons grading 0.76 ounce gold and 2.16 ounces silver per ton.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Workings consist of two tunnels, one 1,200 feet and the other 3,200 feet in length; two shafts, 460 and 820 feet deep; and numerous subsidiary crosscuts. A 60-stamp mill was operated at the mine in the 1890's and early 1900's. The mine was reopened in 1983 and was partly accessible in 1988. In 1983, Alaska-Apollo Gold Mines did extensive trenching and drilled nine holes totalling 9,483 feet of core. Inferred reserves from this recent work were 748,000 tons grading 0.76 ounce of gold and 2.16 ounces of silver per ton, plus base metal values (Bundtzen and others, 1991).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = This mine occurs in rocks mapped as the Eocene to Oligocene Popof volcanic rocks, which are equivalent to the Meshik Volcanics (Wilson and others, 1995). The deposit was discovered in 1891. It was first described by Becker (1898) as a steeply-dipping, reticulated vein zone at the northeast end of the northeast-striking 'Apollo trend', which is a system of faults and linears that cuts across the Unga Island. Three subparallel veins were mined. The veins cut altered andesite, strike N 20 E and dip steeply to the south. Riehle (1999), however, reports that they strike N 43 E. The veins are generally less than 60 feet apart. They tend to be vuggy and contain euhedral quartz crystals, indicating open growth. Other minerals in the veins include gold, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, pyrite, native copper, calcite, chlorite, and rare adularia. Singer (1999) suggests that this is a Sado-type gold deposit. An anonymous review written in 1935 and included in Brown (1947) suggested that there were four ore shoots 400 to 800 feet long between the surface and a depth of 1,400 feet distributed over 5,000 feet of strike. Most of the ore mined apparently came from two shoots, the largest of which was 800 feet long and 8 to 16 feet wide and extended down dip for 500 feet (Wilson and others, 1996). The shoots plunged 60 to 70 degrees to the northeast (Butherus and others, 1979). The mine was in production from 1892 to 1904 and from 1908 to 1913. Small amounts of ore were mined in 1916 and 1922. Most of the ore mined was free milling; however, at depth most of the gold was apparently in the sulfides and could not be recovered. Some of this ore was concentrated and sent to the Tacoma smelter in Washington. A small cyanide plant was installed at the mine in 1916 to work on tailings. Estimates of the total production are as follows: 500,000 tons at 0.25 ounce of gold per ton (Wilson and others, 1996); 490,000 tons at 0.22 ounce of gold per ton (Bundtzen and others, 1987); and 242,000 tons at 0.4 ounce of gold per ton (Berg and Cobb, 1967). In 1983 extensive trenching was done on the property, and nine core holes were drilled by Alaska-Apollo Gold Mines for a total of 9,483 feet. Inferred reserves were estimated at 748,000 tons grading 0.76 ounce of gold and 2.16 ounces of silver per ton (Bundtzen and others, 1991).

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Sado epithermal gold veins, Polymetallic veins (Cox and singer, 1986; model 25d; 22c)

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Wilson and others, 1988

Comment (Deposit): Model Number = 25d; 22c

Comment (Deposit): Other Comments = This mine is located on private land.

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References

Reference (Deposit): Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., White, M.G., and Moxham, R.M., 1952, Interim report on an appraisal of the uranium possibilities of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 52-165, 124 p.

Reference (Deposit): MacKevett, E.M., Jr., Singer, D.A., and Holloway, C.D., 1978, Maps and tables describing metalliferous mineral resource potential of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-1-E, 12 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous mineral deposits in the western part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-F, 38 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1941, Past lode gold production from Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-C, p. 159-212.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1913, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1912: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, 308 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1915, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1914: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622, 238 p.

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., Swainbank, R.C., Wood, J.E., and Clough, A.H., 1991, Alaska's mineral industry, 1991: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Special Report 46, 89 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1912, The Alaska mining industry in 1911, in Brooks, A.H., and others, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1911: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520, p. 17-44.

Reference (Deposit): Martin, G.C., 1905, Gold deposits of the Shumagin Islands, in Brooks A.H., Mineral resources of Alaska in 1904: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 259, p. 100-101.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1906, The mining industry in 1905: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 284, p. 4-9.

Reference (Deposit): Becker, G.F., 1898, Reconnaissance of some gold fields of southern Alaska with some notes on general geology: U.S. Geological Survey 18th annual report, p. 7-86.

Reference (Deposit): Brown, F.R., 1947, Report on the Apollo Consolidated Gold Mining Company, with an analysis by an anonymous reviewer (1935):Territorial Department of Mines Report MR 138-1, 13 p.

Reference (Deposit): Wilson, F.H., Detterman, R.L., Miller, J. W., and Case, J.E., 1995, Geologic map of the Port Moller, Stepovak Bay, and Simeonof Island quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigation Series Map I-2272, 1 map sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Wilson, F.H., White, W.H., Detterman, R.L., and Case, J.E., (1991) 1996, Maps showing the resource assessment of the Port Moller, Stepovak Bay, and Simeonof Island quadrangles, Alaska Peninsula, with a section on Geology of the Pyramid porphyry copper deposit, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska, by W.H. White, J.S. Christie, M.R. Wolfhard, and F.H.Wilson, and a section on Description of the Shumagin epithermal gold vein deposit, by W.H. White and L.D. Queen: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2155-F, 46 p., 2 sheets, scales 1:500,000 and 1:250,000...

Reference (Deposit): Singer, D.A., 1999, Classifying the Shumagin and Alaska Apollo deposits, in Geological and geophysical setting of the gold-silver vein system of Unga Island, southwestern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-136, 6 p., CD-ROM.

Reference (Deposit): Alaska Construction and Oil, 1984, Alaska mining ? Gold Production could redouble, v. 25, no. 3, p. 31.

Reference (Deposit): Wilson, F.H., White, W.H., and DuBois, G.D., 1988, Brief descriptions of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences in the Port Moller and Stepovak Bay quadrangles, Alaska Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 88-666, 128 p., scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Webber, B.S., Moss, J.M., Rutledge, F.A., and Sanford, R.S., 1946, Reconnaissance examinations of parts of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands southwestern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines, unpublished report of investigations, 40 p. (Unpublished report held by the U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage.)

Reference (Deposit): Riehle, J.R., editor, 1999, Introduction to the present study, previous studies, and a descriptive summary of the vein systems and their production history, 10 p., in A Geological and geophysical study of the gold-silver vein system of Unga Island, southwestern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-136, CD-ROM.

Reference (Deposit): Nokleberg, W.J., Bundtzen, T.K., Berg, H.C., Brew, D.A., Grybeck, D.J., Robinson, M.S., Smith, T.E., and Yeend, W., 1987, Significant metalliferous lode deposits and placer districts of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1786, 104 p.

Reference (Deposit): Bundtzen, T.K., Green, C.B., Deagen, J., and Daniels, C.L., 1987, Alaska's mineral industry, 1986: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Special Report 40, 68 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H. and Capps, S.R., 1924, Mineral industry in Alaska, 1922: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755, p. 1-56.

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): Butherus, D.L, Gressitt, E.E., Pray, J., Corner, N.G., Lindberg, P.H., and Fankhauser, R.E., 1979, Exploration and evaluation of the Aleut Native Corporation lands; Volume III: Resource Associates of Alaska, 69 p. 90 sheets, various sacales. (Report held by the Aleut Native Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska.)

Reference (Deposit): Atwood, W.W., 1911, Geology and mineral resources of parts of the Alaska Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 467, 137 p.

Reference (Deposit): Atwood, W.W., 1909, Mineral resources of southwest Alaska, in Brooks, A.H., and others, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1908: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379, 411 p.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1918, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1916: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, 469 p.

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