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Houghton Alaska

Prospect, Inactive

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Cu
Ore minerals azurite; malachite

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale MC
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale B-4
Latitude 61.4878
Longitude -142.3384
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy Several small prospects are near an unnamed small tributary on the north valley wall of the Chitistone River. The prospect is in the tributary at an elevation of about 3,700 feet, 5,000 feet east-southeast of elevation 6360. It is in the NE1/4 of section 32, T. 4 S., R. 17 E. of the Copper River Meridian. This is locality 81 of MacKevett (1976); the location is accurate within a few hundred feet. Cobb and MacKevett (1980) included this prospect under the name 'Houghton Alaska Exploration Co.'.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

The deposit at this prospect consists of secondary copper minerals, probably malachite and azurite, that coat fractures along small faults in Triassic Nikolai Greenstone near its contact with overlying Triassic Chitistone Limestone (Miller, 1946; MacKevett and Smith, 1972; MacKevett, 1976). Surface pits and trenches probably explored these deposits. 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).
Geologic map unit (-142.340466008851, 61.4873824585843)
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 Oxidation.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration Surface pits and trenches probably explored these deposits.
Indication of production None

Additional comments

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

References

MRDS Number A011714

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., and Smith, J.G., 1972, Geologic map of the McCarthy B-4 quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Map GQ-943, 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.
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.
Miller, D.J., 1946, Copper deposits of the Nizina district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 947-F, p. 93-120.
Reporters Travis L. Hudson (Applied Geology, Inc.)
Last report date 1/12/2003