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French Creek

Occurrence, Inactive

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Cu
Ore minerals chalcopyrite

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale BN
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale B-2
Latitude 65.48
Longitude -162.54
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy French Creek is a south tributary to Holtz Creek, a west tribuary to Independence Creek. Sainsbury (1975, p. 85) originally described the location as a chalcopyrite vein in a limestone cliff on the north side of the headwaters to Independence Creek. The bedrock geology (Till and others, 1986) that best matches this location description is used here. This location is very approximate, probably within 1 to 2 miles. It is locality 33 of Gamble (1988).

Geologic setting

Geologic description

Sainsbury (1975, p. 85) describes this occurrence as a 4 inch-wide chalcopyrite vein in a limestone (marble) cliff. This exposure is supposed to be on the north side of the headwaters to Independence Creek and near to a large magnetic anomaly. Till and others (1986) show exposures of Paleozoic marble on both sides of French Creek at this location. This is the only place in the headwaters of Independence Creek that the bedrock geology appears to match Sainsbury's (1975, p. 85) original description.
Geologic map unit (-162.542658596563, 65.4793049564952)
Mineral deposit model Sulfide vein in marble
Age of mineralization Cretaceous ?; Epigenetic mineralization in metamorphic rocks of Seward Peninsula is primarily of Cretaceous age.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration No workings are known at this location.
Indication of production None

References

MRDS Number A012776

References

Gamble, B.M., 1988, Non-placer mineral occurrences in the Solomon, Bendeleben, and southern part of the Kotzebue quadrangles, western Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1838-B, 13 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Sainsbury, C.L., 1975, Geology, ore deposits, and mineral potential of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 73-75, 108 p., 3 sheets, scale 1:250,000.
Till, A.B., Dumoulin, J.A., Gamble, B. ., Kaufman, D.S., and Carroll, P.I., 1986, Preliminary geologic map and fossil data, Soloman, Bendeleben, and southern Kotzebue quadrangles, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 86-276, 10 p., 3 plates, scale 1:250,000.
Reporters Travis L. Hudson (Applied Geology)
Last report date 3/15/1999