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Copper King

Prospect, Inactive

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Cu
Ore minerals azurite; malachite; native copper
Gangue minerals calcite; epidote; prehnite; zeolite minerals

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale MC
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale D-3
Latitude 61.7634
Longitude -142.0218
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy This prospect is at an elevation of about 6,000 feet, southwest of the terminus of Middle Fork Glacier. It is near the southwest corner of section 20, T. 1 S., R. 19 E. of the Copper River Meridian. This is locality 172 of MacKevett (1976); the location is probably accurate to within 1,000 feet. Cobb and MacKevett (1980) included this prospect under the name 'Copper King (White River)'.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

This deposit at this prospect consists of a 2-meter-thick zone in Triassic amygdaloidal basalt that contains native copper, azurite, and malachite (Capps, 1916; MacKevett, 1976). The copper is intergrown with calcite, prehnite, and other zeolite minerals. Copper mineralization is common in Triassic Nikolai Greenstone and is thought to have accompanied regional deformation and low-grade metamorphism in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (MacKevett and others, 1997).
Geologic map unit (-142.023908742814, 61.7630132173595)
Mineral deposit model Basaltic Cu (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 23)
Mineral deposit model number 23
Age of mineralization Cretaceous? Copper mineralization is common in Nikolai Greenstone and is thought to have accompanied regional deformation and low-grade metamorphism in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (MacKevett and others, 1997).
Alteration of deposit Replacement by calcite, epidote(?), prehnite, and other zeolite minerals.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration The prospect was explored by two open cuts and 2 short adits (Capps, 1916).
Indication of production None

Additional comments

The locality is in the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve.

References

MRDS Number A011758

References

Capps, S.R., 1916, The Chisana-White River district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 630, 130 p.
Cobb, E.H., and MacKevett, E.M., Jr., 1980, Summaries of data on and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the McCarthy quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-885, 156 p.
MacKevett, E.M., Jr., 1976, Mineral deposits and occurrences in the McCarthy quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-773-B, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.
MacKevett, E.M., Jr., Cox, D.P., Potter, R.W., III, and Silberman, M.L., 1997, Kennecott-type deposits in the Wrangell Mountains, Alaska--High-grade copper ores near a basalt-limestone contact, in Goldfarb, R.J., and Miller, L.D., eds., Mineral deposits of Alaska: Economic Geology Monograph 9, p. 66-89.
Reporters Travis L. Hudson (Applied Geology, Inc.)
Last report date 1/12/2003