| Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale | FB |
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| Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale | D-3 |
| Latitude | 64.892 |
| Longitude | -148.01 |
| Nearby scientific data | Find additional scientific data near this location |
| Location and accuracy | The Sanford mine is located in the NW1/4 sec. 29, T. 1 N., R. 2 W., Fairbanks Meridian, at an elevation of 1,550 feet on the summit of the ridge between Sheep Creek and Happy Creek. The location is marked on the Fairbanks D-3 topographic map; it is about 1.3 miles northeast of the top of Ester Dome. The mine is locality 12 of Cobb (1972 [MF 410]). |
Geologic descriptionThe Sanford mine is on a ridge near the contact of biotite schist of the Muskox sequence with bleached feldspathic, quartzose schist and quartz-muscovite schist, quartzite, and chlorite-quartz schist of the Fairbanks Schist (Newberry and others, 1996). Gold was mined from a quartz vein that strikes N. 40 E. and dips 45 SE. By 1931, about 150 tons of ore that yielded $6,700 in gold (about 324 ounces of gold) was milled from the property (Hill, 1933, p. 149). Part of this ore was said to have had an average grade of $52 in gold per ton (2.42 ounces of gold per ton) (Hill, 1933, p. 149). The shaft on the vein was 150 feet deep in 1931. About 30 feet east of the main shaft, some high-grade ore in a vertical vein was explored by several surface pits. | |
| Geologic map unit | (-148.012432389837, 64.8915638098787) |
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| Mineral deposit model | Schist-hosted gold-quartz vein |
| Workings or exploration | James Hill (1933, p. 149) made a visit to the property in 1931, and the following is a summary of his observations. A 105-foot shaft was sunk on the dip of a vein oriented N 40 E, 45 SE. From the surface to a depth of 20 feet, the vein had been stoped both north and south of the shaft. There was a 65-foot drift to the south at the 20-foot level of the shaft and a 60-foot drift to the south on the 65-foot level. All the ore above the 65-foot level had been stoped. Some high-grade ore in a vertical vein striking N. 20 E. was explored by several surface pits about 30 feet east of the main shaft. |
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| Indication of production | Yes; small |
| Production notes | By 1931, about 150 tons of ore that yielded $6,700 in gold (about 324 ounces) was milled from the property (Hill, 1933, p. 149). |
| MRDS Number | A015262 |
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References | |
| Reporters | J.R. Guidetti Schaefer and C.J. Freeman (Avalon Development Corporation) |
| Last report date | 7/31/2001 |