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Fourth of July Creek

Prospect, Inactive

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Alternative names

Sellick Creek

Commodities and mineralogy

Main commodities Au; Pt
Other commodities Ag; Pd
Ore minerals gold

Geographic location

Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale TK
Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale B-1
Latitude 62.3104
Longitude -147.2759
Nearby scientific data Find additional scientific data near this location
Location and accuracy Placer claims extend for the length of Fourth of July Creek, a tributary of Sanona Creek; the claims include those on Sellick Creek. This site is plotted on Fourth of July Creek about 0.5 mile below the mouth of Sanona Creek. The location is accurate. The prospect is also known as the 'Lucky Shot claims' (Kurtak and others, 1992).

Geologic setting

Geologic description

Fourth of July Creek drains an area of Jurassic volcanic rocks of the Talkeetna Formation, and by boulder and cobble conglomerate, sandstone and siltstone of the Naknek Formation (Csejtey and others, 1978). Gold- and platinum-bearing alluvial gravels in the creek valley are 50 to 150 feet wide and 10 to 40 feet thick. The gradient of the creek is 100 to 180 feet per mile (Kurtak and others, 1992). Samples collected by the U.S. Bureau of Mines contain up to 0.0001 ounce of gold per cubic yard, 2,500 parts per billion platinum, and 22 parts per billion palladium (Kurtak and others, 1992). A representative chip sample of the Jurassic conglomerate contains 5 ppb gold, 5 parts per million silver, and 8 ppb palladium.
The prospect has been staked and explored intermittently since 1900 (Kurtak and others, 1992). In 1976, 21 claims were staked.
Geologic map unit (-147.278111272334, 62.3099122470879)
Mineral deposit model Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)
Mineral deposit model number 39a
Age of mineralization Quaternary placer; Jurassic conglomerate with gold, silver, and palladium values.

Production and reserves

Workings or exploration The prospect has been staked and explored intermittently since 1900 (Kurtak and others, 1992). In 1976, 21 claims were staked. Extensive sampling by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (Kurtak and others, 1992).
Indication of production Undetermined
Reserve estimates Fourth of July Creek contains an estimated 2.5 million cubic yards of potentially auriferous gravel with platinum-group-element values; no grade estimate is given (Kurtak and others, 1992).

Additional comments

MAS/MILS number 20760023.

References

MRDS Number A012194

References

Chapin, Theodore, 1915, Auriferous gravels of the Nelchina-Susitna region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622-D, p. 118-130.
Chapin, Theodore, 1918, The Nelchina-Susitna region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 668, 67 p.
Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Talkeetna Mountains quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-370, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Cobb, E.H., and Csejtey, Bela, Jr., 1980, Summaries of data on and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Talkeetna Mountains quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-716, 63 p.
Csejtey, Bela, Jr., and Miller, R.J., 1978, Map and table describing metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral deposits in the Talkeetna Mountains quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-558-B, 22 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Csejtey, Bela, Jr., Nelson, W.H., Jones, D.L., Silberling, N.J., Dean, R.M., Morris, M.S., Lanphere, M.A., Smith, J.G., and Silberman, M.L, 1978, Reconnaissance geologic map and geochronology, Talkeetna Mountains quadrangle, northern part of Anchorage quadrangle, and southwest part of Healy quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-558-A, 60 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Kurtak, J.M., Southworth, D.D., Balen, M.D., and Clautice, K.H., 1991, Mineral investigations in the Valdez Creek Mining District, south-central Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 1-92, 658 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.
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.
Singer, D.A., Csejtey, Bela, Jr., and Miller, R.J., 1978, Map and discussion of the metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous mineral resources of the Talkeetna Mountains quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 78-558-Q, 33 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Reporters R.K. Rogers (U. S. Geological Survey contractor)
Last report date 10/2/2002