Quadrangle map, 1:250,000-scale | YA |
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Quadrangle map, 1:63,360-scale | C-5 |
Latitude | 59.611 |
Longitude | -139.759 |
Nearby scientific data | Find additional scientific data near this location |
Location and accuracy | The auriferous Khantaak beach trends north-northeast (on the northwest shore) of a low island northwest of Yakutat. The location given is the approximate midpoint of the beach, about 0.7 mile southwest of triangulation station Arest. The placer deposit is number 4 of Cobb (1972). |
Geologic descriptionThe Khantaak Island placer is cut into and largely derived from glacial gravel that forms the island. Winnowing from wave action on very low grade glacial gravel has resulted in transient ruby-black sand layers 0.1 to 0.2 feet thick dispersed along the beach. These layers contain trace amounts of gold and subeconomic amounts of magnetite and ilmenite. Locally the heavy sand layers were rich enough to mine (Tarr, 1906; Tarr, 1909, Tarr and Butler, 1909).
Brooks (1918) reported the existence of gold, but absence of platinum in placer material from the north part of the island. In addition to the placer gold occurrences on the west facing part of island, Reimnitz and Plafker (1976) reported one sample from the Yakutat side of the island with 0.006 ppm gold. | |
Geologic map unit | (-139.760645929388, 59.6107019470362) |
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Mineral deposit model | Beach placer: concentration by winnowing of low-grade glacial gravels. |
Age of mineralization | Holocene |
Workings or exploration | Tarr and Butler (1909, p. 165, 167) reported $3000 in gold produced in 1891, and a probable total of a few hundred ounces of gold from this historic beach placer in 1892, and as late as 1905. Thomas and Berryhill (1962) collected some samples from Khantaak beach in a Bureau of Mines beach sand investigation. |
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Indication of production | Yes; small |
Production notes | Total maximum is a few hundred ounces of native gold. |
Additional commentsGlacial gravels derived from metamorphic rocks in the Chugach terrane (Hudson, Plafker, and Turner, 1977). |
MRDS Number | A013399 |
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References | |
Reporters | C. C. Hawley (Hawley Resource Group) |
Last report date | 12/7/1998 |