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Young Creek

Mine, Inactive

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Alternative names

Calamity Gulch

Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Au
Other commodities Cu
Ore minerals copper; gold

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale MC
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale A-5
Latitude 61.2266
Longitude -142.5289
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy Young Creek is an east tributary to the Nizina River and the main drainage on the north side of MacColl Ridge. Placer gold has been recovered from the creek from an elevation of 2,400 feet (McCarthy A-5 quadrangle) to 3,000 feet (McCarthy A-4 quadrangle). Small tributaries, especially Calamity Gulch, have also produced gold. The location used here is the confluence of Young Creek and Calamity Gulch in the northwest corner of section 34, T. 7 S., R. 16 E. of the Copper River Meridian. This is locality 37 of MacKevett (1976). Cobb and MacKevett (1980) included this mine under the name 'Young Cr.'. It is accurately located.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

Placer gold and some native copper nuggets have been recovered locally along Young Creek from an elevation of 2,400 feet in the McCarthy A-5 quadrangle to an elevation of 3,000 feet in the McCarthy A-4 quadrangle (MacKevett, 1976). Small tributaries, especially Calamity Gulch, also produced gold. Young Creek reworks glaciofluvial deposits and is incised into Cretaceous mudstone and siltstone (MacKevett, 1973). Prospecting occurred as early as 1909 and and there was intermittent small-scale surface mining or several years in the early 1900s (Moffit and Capps, 1911; Cobb and MacKevett, 1980).
Geologic map unit (-142.530934888596, 61.2261650578607)
Mineral deposit model Placer Cu-Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)
Mineral deposit model number 39a
Age of mineralization Quaternary.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration Prospecting occurred as early as 1909 and and there was intermittent small-scale surface mining or several years in the early 1900s (Moffit and Capps, 1911; Cobb and MacKevett, 1980).
Indication of production Yes; small

Additional comments

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

References

MRDS Number A011690

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., 1973, Reconnaissance geologic map of the McCarthy A-5 quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-536, 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.
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.
Moffit, F.H., and Capps, S.R., 1911, Geology and mineral resources of the Nizina district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 448, 111 p.
Reporters Travis L. Hudson (Applied Geology, Inc.)
Last report date 1/12/2003