| Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale | AN |
|---|---|
| Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale | D-7 |
| Latitude | 61.7984 |
| Longitude | -149.3776 |
| Nearby scientific data | Find additional scientific data near this location |
| Location and accuracy | The center of the Gold Top/Gray Eagle vein is about 2.1 miles northeast of VABM Box, near the top of the ridge on the northwest side of Craigie Creek. It is about 0.4 mile north-northwest of the center of section 25, T. 20 N., R. 1 W. The location is accurate. |
Geologic descriptionThe Gray Eagle and Gold Top veins are mentioned in Ray (1954) and Stoll (1997) but the information is limited. Stevens (2010) describes the vein, which probably probably was described previously under different names, in some detail. It has about the same orientation as the veins at the Lucky Shot Mine (AN002) and geologically is probably similar. Free gold is visible in the vein. The vein can be traced in trenches for at least 2,500 feet. It trends N 80 W to S 80 W and dips 50 to 60N. It is 12 inches to 8 feet wide and averages about 4 feet. The Smith tunnel that was driven sometime before 1940, intersected the vein and the workings follow it for about 850 feet. Forty samples were taken; the assays varied from low to 0.7 ounces of gold per ton (Stevens, 2010). In 1940, open cuts exposed the vein, the older trenches were cleaned out, and 2 short adits were driven to reach the vein. The rocks in the area are tonalite to quartz diorite of the Willow Creek pluton, dated at 73-74 Ma (Madden-Mcguire and others, 1989). Before 1940, Milo Kelly of Knik, Alaska recovered about 60 ounces of gold from a few hundred pounds of ore mined from shallow workings on the Gray Eagle property (Vinal, 1940). The mine is now part of the property being explored by the Harmony Gold Corporation (Stevens, 2010) but in early 2010, there is no indication of any recent work on the Gold Top/Gray Eagle vein. | |
| Geologic map unit | (-149.379815802416, 61.7978731867815) |
|---|---|
| Mineral deposit model | Low-sulfide Au-quartz veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a). |
| Mineral deposit model number | 36a |
| Age of mineralization | Late Cretaceous or younger based on the age of the host rock. |
| Alteration of deposit | Probably similar to that at the nearby Lucky Shot Mine (AN002). There the wall rocks are intensely altered near the veins. Adjacent to the veins, the wall rock is bleached white or gray-green, with much sericite, clay, and carbonates. There is an outer zone of propylitic alteration. |
| Workings or exploration | Sometime prior to 1940, there was considerable trenching and an adit intersected the Gold Top/Gray Eagle vein. About 850 feet of drifts exposed the vein. In 1940, more trenches were dug, the old trenches were rehabilitated, and two short adits were driven to the vein. Since 2005, the property has been part of a large block of claims that is being explored by Harmony Gold Corporation, but as of early 2010, there was no evidence of work work on the Gray Eagle/Gold Top vein. |
|---|---|
| Indication of production | Yes; small |
| Production notes | Before 1940, Milo Kelly of Knik, Alaska recovered about 60 ounces of gold from a few hundred pounds of ore mined from shallow workings on the Gray Eagle property. |
| MRDS Number | A106204 |
|---|---|
References | |
| Reporters | D.P. Bickerstaff (Contractor, U.S. Geological Survey); D.J. Grybeck (Contractor, U.S. Geological Survey) |
| Last report date | 4/2/2010 |