Wyoming

Site Name

Primary: Wyoming

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Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Antimony
Secondary: Tungsten

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Location

State: Alaska
County: Livengood
District: Fairbanks

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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

Not available

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Alteration Text: The rocks in the old placer cut on lower Bedrock Creek are heavily jointed and appear to have undergone minor dip-slip deformation along sericite rich bedding planes. Sulfide mineralization is concentrated along stratiform horizons which vary from one inch to over six inches in thickness.

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Stibnite
Ore: Scheelite

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Comments

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = ming shear zone (Pilgrim, 1931; Stewart, 1933). In 1931, the Wyoming adit was caved and inaccessible. The Lower adit followed the Wyoming shear zone for 300 feet at which point the shear was faulted about 100 feet south (Hill, 1933). A raise connected the Lower and Wyoming adits. A stope about 70 feet along strike was extended from the Lower to the Wyoming adit and appears to rake about 45 degrees to the west (Hill, 1933). Development work in the Crawford adit followed a north-dipping shear zone which is separate from the Wyoming shear. Reed (1939) reported that in 1938 Fred and Ernest Wackwitz completed 30 feet of drifting, 20 feet of cross-cuts, 125 feet of adit and milled 56 tons of ore with an average grade of $47 per ton in gold (1.34 ounces of gold per ton). The ore was milled on site in a 20 ton Herman ball mill. By 1943, the Wyoming adit consisted of 350 feet of drift west of the north-south fault, a 100 foot crosscut to the south on the east side of the north-sout h fault, and 200 feet of drift along the Wyoming shear from the end of the 100-foot crosscut (Byers, 1957). In 1987, Fairbanks Exploration Inc. conducted eleven man-days of field work on the Wyoming prospect. Nineteen rock samples were collected and an alteration map prepared. Several samples were collected from bedrock exposures and dumps in and around the Wyoming mine site (Fairbanks Exploration Inc., unpublished report, 1987). In 1989, Fairbanks Exploration Inc. conducted ten man-days of field work on the prospect and collected eighteen rock samples (Fairbanks Exploration Inc., unpublished report, 1989). Alteration and geologic mapping was also conducted in the old placer cut on lower Bedrock Creek

Comment (Production): Production Notes = Smith (1913, B 525) reported that production began by 1913 with an unknown amount of material being custom milled from the Wyoming adit. In 1913, surface mining was conducted on the Wyoming prospect. Four tons of ore were custom milled at the Blue Moon Mazeppa mine on Chatham Creek and another 4.5 tons was stockpiled by August, 1913 (Chapin, 1914). No production records are available for these two shipments. By 1915, development activities continued on the Wyoming shear and were expanded to the Colorado shear located about 500 feet north of and parallel to the Wyoming shear (Stewart, 1915). Thirty-nine tons of ore from these two shear zones were custom milled at the Blue Moon Mazeppa mill on Chatham Creek but no production figures are available. By 1923, the Wackwitz brothers erected a small, ball mill and mined a limited amount of high grade ore from the Wyoming adit. Ore grades averaged $10-20 per ton in gold (0.5 to 1.0 ounces of gold per ton) with recovery est imated at 85% (Loftus, 1927). Production continued in 1927, and ore was milled at the nearby Cleary Hill mill (Smith, 1930; B 810). Minor production from the prospect continued in 1929 and 1930 (Smith, 1932; Smith, 1933, B 836). Reed (1939) reported that 56 tons of ore were milled with an average grade of $47 per ton in gold (1.34 ounces of gold per ton).

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The Wyoming shear zone consists of quartz veins up to 2 feet thick containing gold, stibnite and scheelite. Scheelite was particularly abundant in the wall rocks and on shear margins (Moffit, 1927). The shear zone strikes N 80 E and dips 50 S (Hill, 1933). Ore in the main stope averaged about $6.00 of gold per ton (0.3 ounces of gold per ton) and consisted of 12 to 14 inches of hard white quartz and brecciated schist with minor iron-oxide stains (Hill, 1933). The Wyoming prospect was investigated in 1943 as a possible souce of tungsten (Byers, 1957). Scheelite is present in limestone lenses found east of the north-south fault in both the Wyoming and Lower adits. By 1943, the Wyoming adit consisted of 350 feet of drift west of the north-south fault, a 100 foot crosscut drift to the south on the east side of the north-south fault, and 200 feet of drift along the Wyoming shear from the end of the 100-foot crosscut (Byers, 1957). A 70-foot section of the 200-foot drift east of t he fault averaged 0.3% tungsten oxide over 6 inches. In a sublevel stope above the same zone, a 1-foot by 3-foot area averaged 20% tungsten oxide in a limestone replacement body (Byers, 1957). Samples found on the Lower adit dump, and samples collected in place from the Wyoming shear in the Lower adit, varied from 0.28% to 1.64% tungsten oxide with trace molybdenum, manganese, antimony and arsenic. Fairbanks Exploration Inc. conducted 11 man-days of field work on the Wyoming prospect in 1987. Nineteen rock samples were collected and the alteration zones were mapped. Several samples were collected from bedrock exposures and dumps in and around the Wyoming mine site (Fairbanks Exploration Inc., unpublished report, 1987). These samples returned low Au, Sb and Ag values and elevated As values. Gold values were higher where jamesonite and/or boulangerite are visible in the shear zone. Most of the dump material on the Wyoming dump is sulfide-free, white quartz, attesting to close grade control during mining. Stratiform arsenopyrite lenses up to 4 inches thick were discovered on bedrock exposures in a placer cut below the Lower adit dump. These occurrences were associated with rhyolitic tuff beds and returned unexpectedly low gold values (Fairbanks Exploration Inc., unpublished report, 1987). In 1989, Fairbanks Exploration Inc. conducted 10 man-days of field work on the prospect and collected eighteen rock samples (Fairbanks Exploration Inc., unpublished report, 1989). Exposures in the old placer cut on lower Bedrock Creek consist of pale-yellow to gray, thinly bedded, felsic volcanic tuff and siliceous exhalite containing quartz, sericite, minor chlorite and disseminated pyrite and lesser arsenopyrite. These units are correlative with the upper third of the Cleary Sequence. Foliation in this area trends N 60-80 E and dips 10 to 20 SE. The rocks are heavily jointed and appear to have undergone minor dip-slip deformation along sericite-rich bedding plan es. Sulfide mineralization is concentrated along stratiform horizons which vary from one inch to over six inches in thickness. Visible gold was found in one of these horizons early in 1989 after heavy rains exposed new outcrops in this area. Sulfide contents in the exhalite beds range from 5% to 25% of the rock; the ground mass consists of fine-grained quartz, and clay after feldspar. . Sample results from the 1989 program indicate that highly anomalous gold and arsenic, weakly anomalous antimony, lead and zinc are associated with felsic tuff and exhalite over the entire area exposed along the creek bottom and side walls of lower Bedrock Creek (Fairbanks Exploration Inc., unpublished report, 1989). The extent of this mineralization on the prospect is unknown.

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = By 1909, development work had begun on the Wyoming shear zone (Prindle, 1910). By the end of 1910, 300 feet of adit had been driven on the Wyoming shear and 50 feet of shaft had been sunk on the Carlisle Fraction claim which was adjacent to the Cleary Hill mine on the west (Brooks, 1911). At the 80-foot station of the Wyoming adit, a 50-foot winze was sunk at an angle of 60 degrees south, but was flattened to 49 degrees south near the bottom of the winze (Smith, 1913; B 525). An unknown amount of material from the winze was custom milled and reportedly returned high values in gold. In 1913, surface mining was conducted on the Wyoming prospect. Four tons of ore were custom milled at the Blue Moon Mazeppa mine on Chatham Creek and another 4.5 tons was stockpiled (Chapin, 1914). No production records are available for these two shipments. Limited development was carried out at the Wyoming prospect in 1914. In 1915, development activities continued on the Wyoming shear and we re expanded to the Colorado shear located about 500 feet north of and parallel to the Wyoming shear (Stewart, 1915). Thirty-nine tons of ore from these two shear zones were custom milled at the Blue Moon Mazeppa mill on Chatham Creek but no production figures are available. Development of the Wyoming prospect was discontinued by 1916 (Brooks, 1918) but limited mining was conducted on the prospect in 1917 (Martin, 1919). Development work on the Wyoming adit began again in 1921 when the adit was lengthened and a 60-foot winze sunk from the adit level (Brooks, 1921). The Wyoming shear was traced onto the adjacent Alabama claim in 1922 (Davis, 1922; Stewart, 1922). By 1923, the Wackwitz brothers erected a small, ball mill and mined a limited amount of high grade ore from the Wyoming adit. Ore grades averaged $10-20 per ton in gold (0.5 to 1.0 ounces of gold per ton) with recovery estimated at 85% (Loftus, 1927). The prospect was operated by the Gustafson brothers in 1924 and prod uced a small amount of gold (Smith, 1926). A new ball mill was installed in 1925 and operated for one month. By 1927, the Wyoming shear was intercepted by three adits, the Lower, Wyoming (upper) and Crawford adits, for a total of 500 feet of workings over 150 vertical feet of shear zone (Loftus, 1927). Production continued in 1927, and ore was milled at the nearby Cleary Hill mill (Smith, 1930; B 810). Development work increased and surface facilities were improved in 1928 (Smith, 1930; B 810). Minor production from the prospect continued in 1929 and 1930 (Smith, 1932; Smith, 1933, B 836). By 1930, developments at the Wyoming mine consisted of the 165 foot long Wyoming adit and a Lower adit 1000 feet long situated approximately 100 feet lower than the Wyoming adit (Pilgrim, 1931; Stewart, 1931). The Crawford adit was 75 feet long and approximately 40 feet above the Wyoming adit. By 1931, the fourth adit had been driven 60 feet on a gold-quartz shear zone parallel to the Wyo

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Freeman, 1992

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References

Reference (Deposit): Chapman, R.M., and Foster, R.L., 1969, Lode mines and prospects in the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 625-D, 25 p., 1 plate.

Reference (Deposit): Byers, F.M., Jr., 1957, Tungsten deposits in the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1024-I, p. 179-216.

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): Killeen, P.L., and Mertie, J.B., 1951, Antimony ore in the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 51-46, 43 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1917, The mining industry in the territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1915: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 142, 66 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1929, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1926: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 797, p. 1-50.

Reference (Deposit): Loftus, T.A., 1927, Gold quartz veins occurring on the north flank of Pedro Dome, Fairbanks District, Alaska: University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Bachelor of Science thesis , 26 p.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1926, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1924: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 783-A, p. 1-39.

Reference (Deposit): Brooks, A.H., 1923, The Alaska mining industry in 1921: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 739, p. 1-50.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1936, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1937, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-95.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836, p. 1-83.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929, in Smith, P.S., and others Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824-A, p. 1-81.

Reference (Deposit): Maloney, W., 1915, Annual report of the Mine Inspector to the Governor of Alaska for 1915: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Annual Report 1915, 35 p.

Reference (Deposit): Reed, I.M., 1939, Report on lode mining and development in the year 1938 in the Fairbanks mining district, Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Internal Report 26 p.

Reference (Deposit): Eakin, H.M., 1915, Placer mining in Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622-I, p. 366-373.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1913, Lode mining near Fairbanks: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542-F, p. 137-202.

Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1913, Lode mining near Fairbanks, in Prindle, L.M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 153-216.

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

Reference (Deposit): Martin, G.C., 1919, Alaska Mining Industry in 1917: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692, p. 11-42

Reference (Deposit): Chapin, Theodore, 1919, Mining in the Fairbanks district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-F, p. 321-327.

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): Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map 413, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1975, Mineral resources of Alaska, in Yount, M.E., ed., U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Program, 1975: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 722, 37 p.

Reference (Deposit): Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-633, 72 p.

Reference (Deposit): Freeman, C.J., 1992, 1991 Golden Summit project final report, volume 2: Historical summary of lode mines and prospects in the Golden Summit project area, Alaska: Avalon Development Corp., 159 p. (Report held by Freegold Recovery Inc. USA, Vancouver, British Columbia.)

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