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Shower Gulch

Prospect, Inactive

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Alternative names

Copper King
Keystone

Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Cu
Ore minerals chalcopyrite; native copper
Gangue minerals epidote; quartz

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale MC
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale C-8
Latitude 61.7262
Longitude -143.7096
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy This prospect is on Shower Gulch at the head of the Kotsina River. It is at an elevation of about 3,800 feet, 2,500 feet north-northeast of elevation 5522 and 2,500 feet east-northeast of the center of section 2, T. 2 S., R. 9 E. of the Copper River Meridian. This is locality 164 of MacKevett (1978) and locality 7 of MacKevett and others (1978). The location is accurate to within about 100 feet. Cobb and MacKevett (1980) included this prospect under the name 'Shower Gulch'.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

The deposit at this prospect consists of native copper in the amygdaloidal upper parts of basalt flows in the Triassic Nikolai Greenstone (Moffit and Mertie, 1923; MacKevett, 1976). The flows are 5 to 25 feet thick The amygdules are mostly filled with quartz and epidote but leaves, grains, and masses of native copper are also present in them (Moffit and Mertie, 1923). A small amount of chalcopyrite was identified in greenstone replaced by quartz and epidote. The deposits were explored by open cuts. The widespread deposition of copper in Triassic greenstone and limestone of the area is thought to have accompanied regional deformation and low-grade metamorphism in the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous (MacKevett and others, 1997). Copper-bearing minerals were deposited in the underlying Nikolai Greenstone at about 112 Ma (Silberman and others, 1980).
Geologic map unit (-143.711692814069, 61.7257466735077)
Mineral deposit model Basaltic Cu (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 23)
Mineral deposit model number 23
Age of mineralization Cretaceous? The widespread deposition of copper in Triassic greenstone and limestone of the area is thought to have accompanied regional deformation and low-grade metamorphism in the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous (MacKevett and others, 1997). Copper-bearing minerals were deposited in the underlying Nikolai Greenstone at about 112 Ma (Silberman and others, 1980).
Alteration of deposit Oxidation.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration The prospect was explored by open cuts.
Indication of production None

Additional comments

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

References

MRDS Number A011752

References

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.
MacKevett, E.M., Jr., Smith, J.G., Jones, D.L., and Winkler, G.R., 1978, Geologic map of the McCarthy C-8 quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Map GQ-1418, 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.
Moffit, F.H., and Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1923, The Kotsina-Kuskulana district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 745, 149 p.
Silberman, M.L., MacKevett, E.M., Jr., Connor, C.L., and Mathews, A., 1980, Metallogenic and tectonic significance of oxygen isotope data and whole-rock potassium-argon ages of Nikolai Greenstone, McCarthy quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-2019, 31 p.
Reporters Travis L. Hudson (Applied Geology, Inc.)
Last report date 1/12/2003