Unnamed (Don Miller Hills area) (ARDF #CV070) Zn

Unnamed (Don Miller Hills area)

Occurrences, Inactive

Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities	Zn
Other commodities	Ag; Ba; Cu; Fe; Mo; Pb
Ore minerals	barite; pyrite; sphalerite

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale	CV
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale	A-1
Latitude	60.24
Longitude	-144.33
Nearby scientific data	Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy	This site represents several occurrences in an approximately 30 square mile area in the Don Miller Hills. The roughly arcuate area is bounded on the east by the Bering River, on the west by the Katalla River, on the north by Bering Lake, and on the south by Redwood and Burls Creeks. The map site is about at the center of this area, on Peak 2067 in the pass between Rope Creek and Split Creek drainages. It is in the N1/2 sec. 10, T 19 S, R 6 E, of the Copper River Meridian.

Geologic setting

Geologic description These occurrences consist of anomalous metal values in geochemical samples from drainages in the area. The metals are thought to come from organic-rich shales in continental clastic rocks of Eocene to Miocene age (Goldfarb and others, 1992), intercalated with marine mafic volcanic rocks in the Poule Creek Formation (Winkler and Plafker, 1991). Heavy mineral concentrates contain abundant barite, pyrite, and sphalerite. Analyses of concentrates yielded values of up to 5000 ppm Ba, >2% Zn, and 10%-30% Fe. Anomalous values of Ag, Cu, Mo, and Pb were also detected (Goldfarb and others, 1992).
Geologic map unit	(-144.331976656916, 60.2394586308564)
Mineral deposit model	Possibly sedimentary-exhalative Pb-Zn (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 31a)
Mineral deposit model number	31a ?
Age of mineralization	The occurrences are considered to be Eocene to Miocene based on the age of the host rocks.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration	None, however, investigations of similar geochemical anomalies to the south on Kayak Island (Pickthorn and others, 1985) failed to find any outcrops containing minerals that could be the source of the anomalous metal values in the geochemical samples (Goldfarb and others, 1992). Heavy mineral concentrates contain abundant barite, pyrite, and sphalerite. Analyses of concentrates yielded values of up to 5000 ppm Ba, >2% Zn, and 10%-30% Fe. Anomalous values of Ag, Cu, Mo, and Pb were also detected (Goldfarb and others, 1992).
Indication of production	None
Additional comments This and other geologically similar areas in the Cordova quadrangle warrant further investigation (Nelson and others, 1994). Chugach Alaska Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska has control of these lands.

References

MRDS Number	10307397
References Goldfarb, R.J., Case, J.E., Plafker, George, and Winkler, G.R., 1992, Maps showing areas of potential for mineral resources in the Cordova and northern Middleton Island 1-degree x 3-degree quadrangles, southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2190, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Nelson, S.W., Miller, M.L., Goldfarb, R.J., Snee, L.W., Sherman, G.E., Roe, C.H., and Balen, M.D., 1994, Mineral resource assessment of the Chugach National Forest Special Study Area in northern Prince William Sound, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-272, 18 p. Pickthorn, W.J., Goldfarb, R.J., O'Leary, R.M., Sutley, S.J., and Weaver, S.C., 1985, Kayak Island--Analysis of a geochemical anomaly, in Bartsch-Winkler, Susan, and Reed, K.M., eds., The U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska--Accomplishments during 1983: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 945, p. 82-83. Winkler, G.R., and Plafker, George, (1991) 1993, Geologic map of the Cordova and Middleton Island quadrangles, southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-1984, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Reporters	S.W. Nelson, Anchorage, AK
Last report date	6/10/2000