Wolf Creek (ARDF #LG136) Au

Wolf Creek

Mine, Inactive

Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities	Au
Other commodities	Bi; Te
Ore minerals	arsenopyrite; gold
Gangue minerals	sericite

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale	LG
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale	A-1
Latitude	65.085
Longitude	-147.396
Nearby scientific data	Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy	Cobb (1972, MF-413), loc. 88; SW1/4 sec. 17, T. 3 N., R. 2 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The coordinates given are for the center of mine tailings along Wolf Creek, a tributary of Cleary Creek.

Geologic setting

Geologic description Gold is found at the base of bench gravels and top 2 feet of bedrock (Prindle, 1904, p. 68). The depth to bedrock on the upper part of the creek is 4 to 10 feet; the ground deepens downstream to 60 feet (Prindle, 1904; Eakin, 1915). Mining was sporadic from 1903 to 1915 and 1937 to 1940 (Cobb, 1976; OFR 76-633, p. 213). Production in 1903 and from 1908 to 1910 was worth $33,000 with gold valued at $17.85 per ounce (Prindle and Katz, 1913). Placer mining began again in 1997 and 1998 in upper Wolf Creek; it should be completed in 1999 or 2000 (A. Miscovich, oral communication, 1999).
Geologic map unit	(-147.398450131813, 65.0845776885554)
Mineral deposit model	Placer gold deposit (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Mineral deposit model number	39a

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration	Mining was sporadic from 1903 to 1915 and 1937 to 1940 (Cobb, 1976; OFR 76-633, p. 213). Placer mining began again in 1997 and 1998 in upper Wolf Creek; it should be completed in 1999 or 2000 (A. Miscovich, oral communication, 1999).
Indication of production	Yes; small
Production notes	Production in 1903 and from 1908 to 1910 was worth $33,000 with gold valued at $17.85 per ounce (Prindle and Katz, 1913). Current production figures are not available.

References

MRDS Number	A015506
References Brooks, A.H., 1916, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1915: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 642, 279 p. Brooks, A.H., 1918, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1916: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, 469 p. Chapin, Theodore, 1914, Lode mining near Fairbanks, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592-J, p. 321-355. Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-413, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000. Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-819, 241 p. Eakin, H.M., 1915, Mining in the Fairbanks district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622-G, p. 229-238. Ellsworth, C.E., 1910, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442-F, p. 230-245. Ellsworth, C.E., and Davenport, R.W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542-F, p. 203-222. Prindle, L.M., 1904, Gold placers of the Fairbanks district, Alaska, in Emmons, S.F., and Hayes, C.W., Contributions to economic geology, 1903: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 225, p. 64-73. Prindle, L.M., 1905, The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 251, 89 p. Prindle, L.M., 1906, Yukon placer fields, in Brooks, A.H., 1906, Report on Progress of Investigations of Mineral Resources of Alaska in 1905: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 284, p. 109-127. Prindle, L.M., 1908, The Fairbanks and Rampart quadrangles, Yukon-Tanana region, Alaska, with a section on the Rampart placers, by F.L. Hess, and a paper on the water supply of the Fairbanks region, by C.C. Covert: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 337, 102 p. Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1913, Detailed description of the Fairbanks district, in Prindle, L.M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 59-152. Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113. Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106. Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102. Smith, S.S., 1917, The mining industry in the territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1915: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 142, 66 p.
Reporters	C.J. Freeman, J.R. Guidetti Schaefer (Avalon Development Corporation)
Last report date	5/4/1999