Bluestone River

The Bluestone River is a gold 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: Bluestone River

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: PGE
Secondary: Mercury

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: Cinnabar
Ore: Gold

Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Probably inactive

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Sainsbury and others (1969) mapped placer mining operations along 1.25 miles of the main drainage at surface elevations between 95 and 145 feet. Cobb and Sainsbury (1972) show another area of operations 0.5 miles north (downstream) of those mapped by Sainsbury and others (1969). Other locations of placer mining further upstream on Bluestone River are parts of tributary mining locations (Gold Run and Skookum Creeks; Sainsbury and others, 1969).

Comment (Geology): Age = Quaternary

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Not known

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Collier and others, 1908; Sainsbury and others, 1969; Cobb, 1975

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = Bedrock in the Bluestone River drainage is mostly a metapelitic sequence with local metamorphosed mafic intrusive bodies (Sainsbury, 1972). South and east tributaries to the Bluestone River, such as Gold Run Creek, have bedrock assemblages that include chlorite schist, some amphibolite, and metamorphosed mafic intrusive bodies. In places, the retrograded greenschist facies mafic bodies preserve remnant blueschist facies minerals. The ages of these assemblages are not known but they are probably Paleozoic. Sainsbury and others (1969) mapped placer mining operations along 1.25 miles of the main drainage at surface elevations between 95 and 145 feet. Cobb and Sainsbury (1972) show another area of operations 0.5 miles north (downstream) of those mapped by Sainsbury and others (1969). Other locations of placer mining further upstream on Bluestone River are parts of tributary mining locations (Gold Run and Skookum Creeks; Sainsbury and others, 1969). The placer deposits below elevations of 145 feet are low enough to have potentially been affected by shoreline marine trangressions at times of Quaternary high sea level stands. Gold occurs on benches as well as the main drainage. Most of the gold is fine but some nuggets were present (Collier and others, 1908). Smith (1909) reports that one nugget worth $72 (1908) was recovered. The upper one foot of bedrock contributed to pay. Sainsbury (1972, p. 3) reports that cinnabar and some platinum-group metals are present in auriferous gravels of the Bluestone River.

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

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserves = Not defined

References

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., 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.

Reference (Deposit): Collier, A. J., Hess, F.L., Smith, P.S., and Brooks, A.H., 1908, The gold placers of parts of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, including the Nome, Council, Kougarok, Port Clarence, and Goodhope precincts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 328, 343 p.

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): Smith, P.S., 1909, Recent developments in southern Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379-F, p. 267-301.

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.

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