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Unnamed (east of Clear Creek)

Prospect, Inactive

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Cu
Ore minerals malachite

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale MC
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale C-8
Latitude 61.6111
Longitude -143.8245
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy This prospect is on the east valley wall of Clear Creek. It is at an elevation of about 5,000 feet, 3,000 feet west of elevation 6437, and 2,500 feet northwest of the center of section 17, T. 3 S., R. 9 E. of the Copper River Meridian. This is locality 133 of MacKevett (1976) and locality 25 of MacKevett and others (1978). It is accurate to within about 100 feet.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

This is one of several prospects in the Clear Creek area explored by the Great Northern Development Company during the early 1900s (Moffit and Mertie, 1923). At this prospect, an adit explored a malachite-stained zone that probably is along a fault in Triassic Nikolai Greenstone (MacKevett, 1976). 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 (-143.826587041183, 61.6106377813439)
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 This is one of several prospects in the Clear Creek area (also see MC040, MC043, and MC044) explored by the Great Northern Development Company during the early 1900s (Moffit and Mertie, 1923). An adit explored the deposit at this prospect.
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