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Hopeful Gulch

Prospect, Probably inactive

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Au; Bi; W
Ore minerals amalgam; bismuthinite; gold; pyrite; scheelite; wolframite

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale NR
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale C-4
Latitude 64.5501
Longitude -160.759
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy Hopeful Gulch is a short, west tributary to the Ungalik River that is not named on U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps. It is opposite the mouth of Bonanza Creek (NR008). The coordinates are for the abandoned mine camp marked on the Norton River C-4 topographic map (1950). Hopeful Gulch is locality 2 of Cobb (1972 [MF 381]). The location is accurate within 500 feet.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

The country rocks in the vicinity of Hopeful Gulch consist of Cretaceous, medium to fine-grained, mottled, dark gray diorite composed mostly of quartz, feldspar, and biotite. Disseminated pyrite is also present (Anderson, 1944). Anderson (1944) lists the following minerals in concentrates from Hopeful Gulch (in order of abundance): magnetite, epidote, apatite, scheelite, bismuthinite, wolframite, garnet, hornblende, zircon, feldspars, chlorite, augite, gold, amalgam, and calcite.
Gold was discovered nearby on Bonanza Creek (NR008) in 1889 and that area was mined until at least 1918. The Ungalik River (NR008) was mined intermittently until 1987 or 1988 (Bundtzen and others, 1992). Although there is no record of mining at Hopeful Gulch, some probably took place in the early 1900s.
Geologic map unit (-160.761538776985, 64.5494107477553)
Mineral deposit model Placer Bi-W-Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)
Mineral deposit model number 39a
Age of mineralization Quaternary. The source of the gold, bismuthinite, scheelite, and wolframite in the concentrates may be the contact zone of the diorite (Cobb, 1973 [B 1374]).

Production and reserves

Indication of production Undetermined
Production notes Although there is no record of mining at Hopeful Gulch, some probably took place in the early 1900s.

References

MRDS Number A015702; D002615

References

Anderson, Eskil, 1945, Petrographic descriptions of rocks collected during 1944 field investigation in north-west Alaska, and lists of ore and rock samples and placer concentrates collected in northwestern and interior Alaska during 1945 field season: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-28, 76 p.
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., Swainbank, R.C., Wood, J.E., Clough, A.H., 1991 (1992), Alaska's Mineral Industry 1991: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Special Report 46, 89 p.
Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Norton Bay quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-381, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.
Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Candle, Holy Cross, Norton Bay, Nulato, and Unalakleet quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-866, 102 p.
Reporters C.E. Cameron
Last report date 8/7/2001