| Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale | FB |
|---|---|
| Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale | D-2 |
| Latitude | 64.85 |
| Longitude | -147.95 |
| Nearby scientific data | Find additional scientific data near this location |
| Location and accuracy | Gold Hill is a prominent area of dredged ground about 1.5 miles long that extends to both sides of the Parks Highway about 2.5 miles east of the town of Ester. It is centered at about the intersection of section 3, 4, 9 and 10, T. 1 S., R. 2. W., Fairbanks Meridian, and the dredge tailings are prominent on the Fairbanks D-2 topographic map. |
Geologic descriptionEarly workers, notably Prindle and Katz in 1913 indicated the presence of a gold placer on their map here but without details in their text. The discovery of gold here and the early mining was certainly carried out by drift mining because here, as most of the of the placer ground in the Ester area, the auriferous gravel was capped by a thick deposit of barren gravel and frozen reworked wind-blown silt or loess (called muck by miners) that had washed down into the Cripple Creek valley. Later after the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company consolidated ground in the Ester area and began dredging on Ester Creek (FB034), they washed the muck off the auriferous gravel in this area, thawed the gravel, and prepared the ground for dredging. In 1950, they moved Dredge 6 from near the mouth of Eva Creek via a canal to this area which by then was well known as the Gold Hill area. Dredge 6 worked here until the spring of 1958, when it was moved overland to Sheep Creek (FB052) (Boswell, 1979; R.L. Chapman, USGS, unpublished memorandum, 1978). The paleodrainage here is obscured by the thick muck that originally blanketed the gravel in the valley, and it is unclear whether the Gold Hill placer represents a continuation of the Ester Creek (FB034) or Cripple Creek (FB070) channels, or both. And it is not impossible that some of the gold here was contributed from the drainages and lode deposits on the east side of Ester Dome. | |
| Geologic map unit | (-147.952427622754, 64.8495644808343) |
|---|---|
| Mineral deposit model | Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a) |
| Mineral deposit model number | 39a |
| Age of mineralization | Quaternary placer. |
| Workings or exploration | Early workers, notably Prindle and Katz in 1913, indicated the presence of a gold placer on their map here but without details in their text. The discovery of gold here and the early mining must certainly have been carried out by deep drift mining because here, as on most of the placer ground in the Ester area, the auriferous gravel was capped by a thick deposit of barren gravel and frozen reworked wind-blown silt or loess (called muck by miners) that had washed down into the Cripple Creek valley. Later after the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company consolidated ground in the Ester area and began dredging on Ester Creek (FB034), they washed the muck off the auriferous gravel in this area, thawed the gravel, and prepared the ground for dredging. In 1950, they moved Dredge 6 from near the mouth of Eva Creek via a canal to this area which by then was well known as the Gold Hill area. Dredge 6 worked here until the spring of 1958, when it was moved overland to Sheep Creek (FB052) (Boswell, 1979; R.L. Chapman, USGS, unpublished memorandum, 1978). |
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| Indication of production | Yes; medium |
| Production notes | Production figures are not available, but considerable gold must have produced during dredge operations from 1950 to 1957. |
ReferencesBoswell, J.C., 1979, History of Alaskan operations of United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company: Mineral Industry Research Laboratory, University of Alaska, 126 p.
Martin, G.C., 1919, Alaska Mining Industry in 1917: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-A, p. 11-42.
Smith, S.S., 1917, The mining industry in the Territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1915: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 142, 65 p.
Smith, S.S., 1917, The mining industry in the Territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1916: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 153, 89 p.
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| Reporters | J.R. Guidetti Schaefer and C.J. Freeman (Avalon Development Corporation) |
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| Last report date | 7/31/2001 |