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Kern Creek

Prospect, Inactive

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Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Au; Cu
Ore minerals chalcopyrite; gold

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale SR
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale D-6
Latitude 60.9124
Longitude -149.0795
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy The placer prospect is in the S1/2 section 34, T. 10 N., R. 2 E., of the Seward Meridian. Kern Creek flows southwest into Turnagain Arm about 6 miles south of Girdwood (which is misspelled on the 1994 edition of the D-6 map). This is locations 135 and 136 of Cobb and Richter (1972), location 162 of MacKevett and Holloway (1977), locations 135 and 136 of Cobb and Tysdal (1980), and location P-95 of Jansons and others (1984). The location is accurate to within 300 feet.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

Kern Creek drains an area underlain by sedimentary rocks of the Valdez Group of Late Cretaceous age (Nelson and others, 1985). A trace amount of gold occurs in the stream gravels (Capps, 1916), and a pan concentrate contained chalcopyrite (Jasper, 1967). Kern Creek occupies a steep, narrow, avalanche- and debris-filled valley with numerous falls and cascades. There is little accumulation of alluvial gravel until its junction with Turnagain Arm (Jansons and others, 1984).
Geologic map unit (-149.08166972268, 60.9118261039361)
Mineral deposit model Placer Au (alluvial) (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Mineral deposit model number 39a
Age of mineralization Quaternary.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration
Capps (1916) reported that Kern Creek was prospected in 1898 and 1903. Some gold was recovered but not enough to warrant mining. A pan concentrate sample contained chalcopyrite (Jasper, 1967).
The U.S. Bureau of Mines collected samples that contained only trace amounts of gold. Kern Creek is believed to have low commercial potential for mechanized operations and suction dredging (Jansons and others, 1984).
Indication of production Undetermined
Production notes It is unknown if there was any production.

References

References

Capps, S.R., 1916, The Turnagain-Knik region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 642-E, p. 147-194.
Cobb, E.H., and Richter, D.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Seward quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-466, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.
Cobb, E.H., and Tysdal, R.G., 1980, Summaries of data on and list of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Blying Sound and Seward quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-621, 276 p.
Hoekzema, R.P., and Sherman, G.E., 1983, Mineral investigations in the Chugach National Forest, Alaska (Peninsula study area): U.S. Bureau of Mines in-house report; held at U.S. Bureau of Land Management Alaska State Office, Anchorage, 524 p.
Jansons, Uldis, Hoekzema, R.B., Kurtak, J.M., and Fechner, S.A., 1984, Mineral occurrences in the Chugach National Forest, southcentral Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Mineral Land Assessment 5-84, 218 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.
Jasper, M.W., 1957, Gold Quartz prospect mile 54 Seward-Anchorage Highway, Seward Quadrangle, Alaska: Territory of Alaska Department of Mines Property Examination 95-20, 8 p., 2 sheets.
MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous mineral deposits in the eastern part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-A, 99 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.
Nelson, S.W., Dumoulin, J. A., and Miller, M.L., 1985, Geologic map of the Chugach National Forest, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1645-B, 16 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Reporters Jeff A. Huber (Anchorage)
Last report date 4/9/2000