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Ben Creek

Mine, Inactive

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Au
Other commodities REE; Th
Ore minerals allanite; gold; monazite

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale EA
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale C-4
Latitude 64.6799
Longitude -142.7217
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy Ben Creek is a small northeast tributary of Slate Creek . Wedow and others (1954) found monazite and allanite in samples of panned concentrate at the mouth of Ben Creek, in section 4, T. 3 S., R. 25 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The location of placer gold mining on Ben Creek is not reported. Ben Creek is locality 40 of Cobb (1972 [MF-393]), locality 4 of Eberlein and others (1977), and locality 24 of Burleigh and Lear (1994).

Geologic setting

Geologic description

The rocks along Ben Creek are granitic rocks of probable Mesozoic age and Paleozoic amphibolite-facies schist, quartzite, and marble (Foster, 1976). Monazite and allanite were found in heavy mineral concentrates from Ben Creek, but no anomalous radiation was detected in 1949 during 6- to 7-mile-long radioactivity traverses in the drainage (Wedow and others, 1954). The source of the monazite and allanite presumably is granitic rocks (Wedow and others, 1954). Biotite from the Ruby Creek granite gave a 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of 102.1 +/- 0.4 Ma (Newberry and others, 1996). Small-scale placer gold mining on Ben Creek occurred in 1967 (Alaska Division of Mines and Minerals, 1967).
Geologic map unit (-142.724017446674, 64.6795583944383)
Mineral deposit model Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Mineral deposit model number 39a
Age of mineralization Quaternary.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration Monazite and allanite were found in heavy mineral concentrates from Ben Creek, but no anomalous radiation was detected in 1949 during 6- to 7-mile-long radioactivity traverses in the drainage (Wedow and others, 1954). Small-scale placer gold mining on Ben Creek occurred in 1967 (Alaska Division of Mines and Minerals, 1967).
Indication of production Yes; small

References

MRDS Number A015141

References

Williams, J.A., 1967, Report of the Division of Mines and Minerals for the year 1966: Alaska Division of Mines and Minerals Annual Report 1966, 115 p.
Burleigh, R.E., and Lear, K.G., 1994, Compilation of data for Phase I of the mineral resource evaluation of the Bureau of Land Management Black River and Fortymile subunits: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 48-94, 116 p.
Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Eagle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-393, 1:250,000 scale, 1 sheet.
Cobb, E.H., 1977, Summary of references to mineral occurrences in the Eagle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-845, 122 p.
Eberlein, G.D., Chapman, R.M., Foster, H.L., and Gassaway, J.S., 1977, Map and table describing known metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral deposits in central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-168-D, 132 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.
Foster, H.L., 1976, Geologic map of the Eagle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series, Map 922, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Newberry, R.J., Layer, P.W., Burleigh, R.E., and Solie, D.N., 1996, New 40Ar/39Ar dates for intrusions and mineral prospects in the eastern Yukon-Tanana terrane, Alaska - Regional patterns and significance, in Gray, J.E., and Riehle, J.R., eds., Geological Studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1996: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1595, p. 131-159.
Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., 1954, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in the Eagle-Nation area, east-central Alaska, 1948: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 316, 9 p.
Reporters M.B. Werdon; R.L. Flynn
Last report date 5/1/2002