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Prospect Creek

Mine, Inactive

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Au; Bi; Cu; Pb; W
Ore minerals galena; gold; scheelite
Gangue minerals quartz

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale NM
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale C-1
Latitude 64.6305
Longitude -165.4516
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy This small alluvial placer gold mine is on Prospect Creek, a small east tributary to Snake River. This placer is upstream of the Snake River road crossing of Prospect Creek and 1.5 miles west-southwest of Mount Byrnteson. The map site is in the south-central part of section 10, T. 10 S., R. 34 W., Kateel River Meridian and includes localities 41 and 96 of Cobb (1972 [MF 463], 1978 [OFR 78-93]). The location is accurate to within 500 feet.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

Small amounts of placer gold and scheelite occur in Prospect Creek gravels (Anderson, 1947; Thorne and others, 1948). One claim (the Terri) was surveyed for patent in 1976, and patent was granted in 1977 (U.S. Mineral Survey No. 2270. The Terri claim and an unpatented adjacent claim were mined for about 300 feet, probably by the claim owner, William Ullrich. Bedrock in the area is graphitic schist that probably of early Paleozoic protolith age (Hummel, 1962 [MF 247]; Sainsbury, Hummel, and Hudson, 1972 [OFR 72-326]; Till and Dumoulin, 1994; Bundtzen and others, 1994). Anderson (1947) reported a galena- and bismuth-bearing quartz vein on Prospect Creek, but the exact location of the vein is unknown.
Geologic map unit (-165.454208275911, 64.6297337743724)
Mineral deposit model Polymetallic vein?; alluvial placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; models 22c? and 39a).
Mineral deposit model number 22c? and 39a
Age of mineralization The placer deposit is Quaternary. The vein cuts schist metamorphosed during the mid-Cretaceous.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration One pit was mined on the upper Terri claim, possibly in the 1960s or 1970s. The claim was patented in 1977.
Indication of production Yes; small

References

MRDS Number A012829; A012895; D002588

References

Anderson, Eskil, 1947, Mineral occurrences other than gold deposits in northwestern Alaska: Alaska Territorial Division of Mines Pamphlet 5-R, 48 p.
Bundtzen, T.K., Reger, R.D., Laird, G.M., Pinney, D.S., Clautice, K.H., Liss, S.A., and Cruse, G.R., 1994, Progress report on the geology and mineral resources of the Nome mining district: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Public Data-File 94-39, 21 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:63,360.
Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-463, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.
Cobb, E.H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File report 78-93, 213 p.
Hummel, C.L., 1962, Preliminary geologic map of the Nome C-1 quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-247, 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.
Sainsbury, C.L., Hummel, C.L., and Hudson, Travis, 1972, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Nome quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 72-326, 28 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Thorne, B.L., Muir, N.M., Erickson, A.W., Thomas, B.I., Heide, H.E., and Wright, W.S., 1948, Tungsten deposits of Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations 4174, 51 p.
Till, A.B., and Dumoulin, J.A, 1994, Geology of Seward Peninsula and St. Lawrence Island, in Plafker, G., and Berg, H.C., eds., The Geology of Alaska: Geological Society of America, DNAG, The Geology of North America, v. G-1, p. 141-152.
Reporters C.C. Hawley and Travis L. Hudson
Last report date 7/10/2000