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Albion

Prospect, Undetermined

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Au
Other commodities Ag
Ore minerals gold
Gangue minerals quartz

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale NM
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale C-1
Latitude 64.6198
Longitude -165.4076
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy The Albion lode prospect is in the headwaters of Rock Creek near the mouth of Albion Creek, a south-southwest flowing tributary of Rock Creek that enters Rock Creek at an elevation of about 400 feet. The map location is in the SE1/4 section 14, T. 10 S., R. 34 W., Kateel river Meridian. It is locality 42 of Cobb (1972 [MF 463], 1978 [OFR 78-93]). The location is accurate within about 250 feet.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

The Albion deposit originally was developed by a shaft reportedly on the north side of Albion Creek (Cathcart, 1922, p. 247), possibly on a bench claim originally located in 1900. This claim was surveyed and patented by Daniel B. Camp in 1908 and called the Bench Claim No. 6 Above on Right Limit of Rock Creek Placer (U.S. Mineral Survey No. 332). Cathcart (1922) reported that the shaft was 50 feet deep and that the vein pinched out. The vein reportedly assayed about 120 dollars or about 6 ounces of gold per ton.
Exploration since 1987 suggests that the Albion vein may have more continuity or it may at least be representative of a somewhat different style of mineralization than originally thought. In contrast to typical Rock Creek quartz, which is white and not banded, the typical Albion quartz vein is bluish-gray and well banded, and contains a fairly high ratio of free gold to sulfides. Unlike the sheeted veins at Rock Creek (NM207), the Albion-type veins appear to have significant lateral and probably vertical extent. The Albion deposit or a related lode was drilled by Placer Dome and Newmont Mining Company about 2,600 feet northeast of Sophie Gulch (Kennecott section 3700NE). Three core holes (Newmont 92-005 and Placer Dome 88-35 and 88-36) indicated an almost vertical vein structure having a true thickness of at least 20 feet. All three drill holes had 5-foot intercepts that contained more than 0.3 ounce of gold per ton. The bottom sample in Placer Dome hole 88-36 contained 1.373 ounces of gold per ton. Drilling southeast of Albion Creek suggests that a similar vein may be present east of Rock Creek in the Calle Creek area (NM212).
Geologic map unit (-165.410209561911, 64.6190350603558)
Mineral deposit model Low-sulfide Au-quartz veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a).
Mineral deposit model number 36a
Age of mineralization Mid-Cretaceous; veins cross cut regionally metamorphosed schist; see NM207.
Alteration of deposit Silicification.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration The Albion deposit probably was discovered and claimed by Daniel B. Camp around 1900; the claim, called a right-limit bench, was patented in 1908 (U.S. Mineral Survey No. 332). The plat shows the location of three shafts, but it does not indicate whether the shafts were for placer or lode prospecting. They appear to be in the lode location described by Cathcart (1922). Both Newmont and Placer Dome completed drill holes on this prospect.
Indication of production None

References

MRDS Number A012831

References

Cathcart, S.H., 1922, Metalliferous lodes in southern Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 722-F, p. 163-261.
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.
Reporters C.C. Hawley and Travis L. Hudson
Last report date 7/10/2000