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Unnamed (southeast of Skyscraper Peak)

Prospects, Inactive

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Cu
Ore minerals native copper

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale MC
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale C-8
Latitude 61.6955
Longitude -143.7986
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy Several short adits explore deposits south and east of Skycraper Peak (MacKevett and others, 1978). These are probably on the old Skyscraper and Morning Star claims (Moffit and Mertie, 1923). The coordinates for this record is about 2,000 feet south-southeast of Skyscraper Peak. It is at an elevation of 5,400 feet, 2,000 feet southwest of the center of section 16, T. 2 S., R. 9 E. of the Copper River Meridian. This is locality 160 of MacKevett (1976) and locality 16 of MacKevett and others (1978). The location is accurate to within about 100 feet.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

At the prospects in this area, native copper unaccompanied by gangue minerals occurs in Triassic Nikolai Greenstone (Moffit and Mertie, 1923). 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 (-143.800691099688, 61.6950414975961)
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 Only limited surface examination.
Indication of production None

Additional comments

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

References

References

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