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Prospect, Inactive

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Alternative names

Christopher

Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Ag; Au
Other commodities Pb; Zn
Ore minerals arsenopyrite; galena; gold; sphalerite
Gangue minerals quartz

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale SR
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale D-4
Latitude 60.9333
Longitude -148.2952
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy This prospect is at an elevation of about 150 feet on the west side Bettles Bay. It consists of a single 400-foot adit located in the NE1/4 section 25, T. 10 N., R. 6 E., of the Seward Meridian. This is location 125a of Condon and Cass (1958), location 64 of Cobb and Richter (1972), location 83 of MacKevett and Holloway (1977), location 131 of Cobb and Tysdal (1980) and location 158 of Jansons and others (1984). This location is accurate to within a quarter of a mile.

Geologic setting

Geologic description

The host rock at this prospect is slate and graywacke of the Valdez Group of Late Cretaceous age intruded by an Oligocene felsic dike (Tysdal, 1978 [MF-880-A]). The dike, which ranges from 1 to 8 feet wide and averages 3 feet wide, is cemented with numerous quartz stringers that contain arsenopyrite, sphalerite, galena, and gold. The dike is traceable across the ridge from Bettles Bay to Hummer Bay, where it crops out about 2,000 feet above the head of the bay.
A 400-foot-long adit was driven between 1914 and 1919 along the mineralized dike, but, except for a test shipment, there is no reported production (Johnson, 1919 [B 692-C, p. 143-151]). Jansons and others (1984) visited the site around 1979 but did not find the adit. Samples collected near this location assayed traces of gold and silver (Jansons and others, 1984).
Geologic map unit (-148.297283868482, 60.9327194175672)
Mineral deposit model Low-sulfide Au-quartz veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a)
Mineral deposit model number 36a
Age of mineralization Oligocene or younger; veins cut an Oligocene dike.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration A single adit was driven from 1914 to 1919 (Johnson, 1919 [B 692-C, p. 143-151]). A test shipment of selected ore was shipped in 1916, but no results are known (Johnson, 1918 [B 662-C, p. 183-192]).
Indication of production Undetermined
Production notes Test shipment of ore was made in 1916. No further information is reported.

References

MRDS Number A010350

References

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.
Condon, W.H., and Cass, J.T., 1958, Map of a part of the Prince William Sound area, Alaska, showing linear geologic features as shown on aerial photographs: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-273, 1 sheet, scale 1:125,000.
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.
Johnson, B.L., 1918, Mining on Prince William Sound: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662-C, p. 183-192.
Johnson, B.L., 1919, Mining on Prince William Sound: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-C.
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.
Tysdal, R.G., 1978, Mines, prospects, and occurrences map of the Seward and Blying Sound quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-880-A, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.
Reporters Jeff A. Huber (Anchorage)
Last report date 8/31/2000