| Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale | LG |
|---|---|
| Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale | A-1 |
| Latitude | 65.074 |
| Longitude | -147.324 |
| Nearby scientific data | Find additional scientific data near this location |
| Location and accuracy | The Too Much Gold prospect is located on the ridge between upper Too Much Gold Creek and Fairbanks Creek; NW1/4 sec. 22, T. 3 N., R. 2 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. |
Geologic descriptionThis prospect was discovered in the early 1980s when Placid Oil Company conducted soil sampling over the Wolf Creek and Too Much Gold Creek basins (Porterfield and Croff, 1986). This work outlined extensive gold and arsenic soil anomalies extending over 10,000 feet on a west-northwesterly trend from the southwest side of lower Too Much Gold Creek to near the junction of Goose Creek and Wolf Creek. The soil samples defined two parallel gold-arsenic soil anomaly zones in the Too Much Gold Creek basin with values ranging from 400 to over 1,000 ppm arsenic and 1 to over 3 ppm gold.
In 1985, Placid Oil drilled three diamond drill holes in the Wolf Creek basin in an attempt to determine the source for the gold-arsenic soil anomaly in this area. These holes intersected the lower exhalative unit of the Cleary sequence which contained disseminated sulfides and stibnite but no significant gold mineralization (Porterfield and Croff, 1986). Placid Oil also drilled two diamond drill holes on the gold-arsenic soil anomaly in the Too Much Gold Creek basin. These two holes failed to intersect significant mineralization. Placid Oil Company conducted no further work on the prospect.
A total of eight trenches covering 3,942 feet were excavated, following up on the soil anomalies (Klessig, 1988). Following the return of trench analyses, a total of 2,476 feet of reverse circulation drilling was completed in 8 holes. Trenching and drilling were concentrated on the smaller, southwestern, linear gold-arsenic soil anomaly. Significant mineralization was encountered in trenching and drilling. Based on these results, inferred reserves for the Too Much Gold zone are 1,613,885 tons that contain 0.065 ounces of gold per ton to a depth of 50 feet (P. Metz, written communication, 1988). Freeman (1992) summarized the following important characteristics of the Too Much Gold prospect. Mineralization is hosted by highly oxidized metarhyolite tuff, iron-oxide stained chloritic schist, and quartzite. Except for sporadic silver-sulfosalts, sulfide minerals are rare in the Too Much Gold prospect trenches due to intense supergene and possible hypogene oxidation. Small amounts of oxidized argentiferous tetrahedrite and jamesonite-boulangerite are present where elevated silver grades occur. Oxidation of pyrite, arsenopyrite and lead-silver-antimony sulfosalt minerals results in intense red hematite, limonite, kermesite, apple-green scorodite, and white to pale-yellow stibiconite-cervantite. Gold mineralization is accompanied by an average of less than 10 percent white to clear quartz veinlets. Anomalous gold commonly is associated with elevated silver, arsenic, antimony, lead and zinc. The trenching indicated that a poorly defined shear zone hosts significant gold and silver mineralization; it trends approximately N 80 W through the prospect from Too Much Gold Creek to the ridgeline between Goose Creek and Too Much Gold Creek. | |
| Geologic map unit | (-147.326448497892, 65.0735789197815) |
|---|---|
| Mineral deposit model | Gold mineralization hosted by low-sulfide highly oxidized metarhyolite tuff, iron-oxide-stained chloritic schist, and quartzite. |
| Alteration of deposit | Except for sporadic silver-sulfosalts, sulfide minerals are rare in the Too Much Gold trenches due to intense supergene and possible hypogene oxidation. Small amounts of oxidized argentiferous tetrahedrite and jamesonite-boulangerite are present where elevated silver grades occur. Oxidation of pyrite, arsenopyrite and lead-silver-antimony sulfosalt minerals results in intense red hematite, limonite, kermesite, apple-green scorodite, and white to pale-yellow stibiconite-cervantite (Freeman, 1991). |
| Workings or exploration | Exploration consisted of soil sampling, trenching, diamond drilling and reverse circulation drilling. A total of eight trenches covering 3,942 feet were excavated (Klessig, 1988). Following the return of trench analyses, a total of 2,476 feet of reverse circulation drilling was completed in eight holes. |
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| Indication of production | None |
| MRDS Number | 10307747 |
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ReferencesFreeman, C.J., 1991, 1991 Golden Summit project final report, volume 1; General project summary and exploration summary for the Too Much Gold, Circle Trail, Saddle and Christina prospects: Avalon Development Corp., 164 p. (Report held by Freegold Recovery Inc. USA, Vancouver, British Columbia.)
Freeman, C.J., 1992, 1991 Golden Summit project final report, volume 2: Historical summary of lode mines and prospects in the Golden Summit project area, Alaska: Avalon Development Corp., 159 p. (Report held by Freegold Recovery Inc. USA, Vancouver, British Columbia.)
Klessig, P., 1988, 1987-1988 Summary report for the Cleary Summit JV: BP Minerals America, 9 p.
Porterfield, J. and Croff, C., 1986, Summary report for the Cleary Project, Fairbanks district, Alaska - 1985: Placid Oil Company report, 36 p.
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| Reporters | C.J. Freeman, J.R. Guidetti Schaefer (Avalon Development Corporation) |
| Last report date | 5/4/1999 |