First Chance

Mine, Inactive

Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Au
Ore minerals gold

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale FB
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale D-2
Latitude 64.875
Longitude -148
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy The First Chance mine is located in the NE1/4 NW1/4 sec. 32, T. 1 N., R. 2 W., Fairbanks Meridian. The mine lies just north of the Wandering Jew mine (FB042). It is at the head of Saint Patrick Creek at an elevation of 1,325 feet, about 1.6 miles east-southeast of the top of Ester Dome. The mine is included in locality 14 of Cobb (1972 [MF 410]).

Geologic setting

Geologic description

Gold occurs in a 6-inch- to 4-foot-wide quartz vein that strikes N. 10 E. and dips 44 W. as seen at the surface (Hill, 1933, p. 148). The richest ore was found where the vein was narrow. The quartz vein occurs in schist that strikes north and dips 16 to 20 degrees east. By 1931, 520 tons of ore were mined from a 120-foot shaft (Hill, 1933, p. 148). All of the ore above the 100-foot level from the portal to a fault 70 feet north of it had been stoped. South of the shaft, the ore was stoped from the surface to a depth of 70 feet. A crosscut in the gulch to the north and 100 feet below the collar of the shaft was driven S. 70 W.; by 1931, this crosscut was caved 75 feet from the mouth. The gold varies from 904 to 923 fine (Glover, 1950).
Geologic map unit (-148.002430217492, 64.8745638488938)
Mineral deposit model Schist-hosted gold-quartz vein

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration Ore was mined from crosscuts in a 120-foot shaft, and from surface workings as much as 70 feet deep (Hill, 1933, p. 148).
Indication of production Yes; small
Production notes By 1931, 520 tons of ore were mined from a 120-foot shaft (Hill, 1933, p. 148).

References