Sunset Creek

The Sunset Creek is a gold and tungsten 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: Sunset Creek

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Tungsten

Location

State: Alaska
District: Port Clarence

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: Gold
Ore: Scheelite

Comments

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Not known

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Placer mining operations took place 1.4 to 2.1 miles upstream from the mouth at surface elevations of about 40 to 110 feet (Sainsbury and others, 1969). This included mining by several different methods including dredging and hydraulicking.

Comment (Exploration): Status = Probably inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Cobb, 1975

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Bedrock in the Sunset Creek drainage is a chlorite and mica schist assemblage that is locally intruded by small greenstone bodies (Sainsbury, 1972); the age of this assemblage is uncertain but it is probably Paleozoic. Quaternary basalt flows are present at higher elevations in some headwater areas. Small quartz veins are common in the schist bedrock. The placer gold deposit , at least locally high grade, is in a few to several feet of fine gravel on schist and greenstone bedrock that also contains gold in the upper three feet. Scheelite was abundant enough to have been saved during some operations. Mining took place at several different times between 1901 and 1946 and employed several different methods, including dredging and hydraulicking (Cobb, 1975).The deposit is at elevations where Quaternary marine transgressions may have modified the alluvial placer (Sainsbury and others, 1969).

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Not defined

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Alluvial Au placer (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

References

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Teller quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-587, 130 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., and Sainsbury, C.L., 1972, Metallic mineral resource map of the Teller quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-426, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., Kachadoorian, Reuban, Hudson, Travis, Smith, T.E., Richards, T.R., and Todd, W.E., 1969, Reconnaissance geologic maps and sample data, Teller A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2, B-3, C-1, and Bendeleben A-6, B-6, C-6, D-5, and D-6 quadrangles. Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 377, 49 p., 12 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

Reference (Deposit): Sainsbury, C.L., 1972, Geologic map of the Teller quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Map I-685, 4 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

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