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Shakan

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Molybdenum, Copper, Zinc, Vanadium
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10000295
MRDS ID A010342
Record type Site
Current site name Shakan
Alternate or previous names Alaska Treadwell Mining Co.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -133.45964, 56.13445 (WGS84)
Elevation 152
Relative position SEE LOCATION COMMENTS
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • THE SHAKAN MOLYBDENUM PROSPECT (ALSO KNOWN AS THE ALASKA TREADWELL MINING CO), IS NEAR THE EAST END OF SHAKAN STRAIT ON NORTHERN KOSCIUSKO ISLAND. THIS WELL KNOWN PROSPECT IS ON THE EAST SIDE OF SHAKAN CREEK AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 600 FEET, JUST NORTH OF THE CENTER OF SECTION 23, T. 66 S., R. 77 E.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Molybdenum Primary
Copper Secondary
Zinc Secondary
Vanadium Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Albite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -133.45964, 56.13445
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Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1917

Mining district

District name Ketchikan

Comments on the production information

  • NONE

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1946
    Remarks Entry carried over from Old MRDS or added later (i.e. it did not originate in ARDF)
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Molybdenum MoS2 1.5 wt-pct Molybdenum Major 1946

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • SMITH (1942) ESTIMATED THE RESOURCES OF THE SHAKAN MOLYBDENUM PROSPECT TO BE 10,000-20,000 TONS OF ROCK CONTAINING ABOUT 1.5% MOS2.

Comments on the workings information

  • THE SHAKAN MOLYBDENUM PROSPECT WAS DISCOVERED IN 1917 AND DEVELOPED BY A 570 FOOT TUNNEL AND 14 SURFACE CUTS DURING AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER WORLD WAR I (CHAPIN, 1919). LITTLE OR NO SUBSEQUENT EXPLORATION WORK ON IT BEYOND CURSORY EXAMINATIONS BY PASSING GEOLOGISTS, ALTHOUGH IT WAS EXAMINED AT SOME LENGTH BY GOVERNMENT GEOLOGIST DURING WORLD WAR II (TWENHOFEL AND OTHERS, 1946; SMITH, 1942, THORNE, 1943).

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A010342
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF PEO48
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A010343

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Chapin, Theodore, 1919, Mining developments in the Ketchikan district: U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692, p. 85-89.

  • Deposit

    Hess, F. L., 1924, Molybdenum deposits, a short review: U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 761, 35 p.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P. S., 1942, Occurrences of molybdenum minerals in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-82.

  • Deposit

    Thorne, R.L., 1943, Shakan molybdenum deposit, Kosciusko Island, southeastern Alaska: U. S. Bureau of Mines War Mineral Report 108, 9 p.

  • Deposit

    Twenhofel, W. S., Robinson, G. D., and Gault, H. R., 1946, Molybdenite investigations in southeastern Alaska: U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 947-B, p. 7-38.

  • Deposit

    Gooch, A. E., 1964, Field trip to the Dry Pass and Shakan molybdenum deposits: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Itinerary Report 117-1, 4 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E. H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Petersburg quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-870.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E. H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Petersburg quadrangle, Alaska: U. S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-415, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Grybeck, D. J., Berg, H. C., and Karl, S. M., 1984, Map and description of the mineral deposits in the Petersburg and eastern Port Alexander quadrangles: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 84-837, 86 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Brew, D. A., Ovenshine, A. T., Karl, S. M., and Hunt, S. J., 1984, Preliminary reconnaissance geologic map of the Petersburg and parts of the Port Alexander and Sumdum 1:250,000 quadrangles, southeastern Alaska: U. S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 84-405, 43 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Coldwell, J. R., 1990, Northwest Canada Mining leads to road proposal: Southeast Alaska Business Journal, December 1990, p. 4.

  • Deposit

    Maas, K. M., Bittenbender, P. E., and Still, J. C., 1995, Mineral investigations in the Ketchikan mining district, southeastern Alaska: U. S. Bureau of Mines Open-File

  • Deposit

    Karl, S. M., Berg, H. C., Grybeck, D., and Abramson, B. S., 1980, Tables describing metalliferous and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Petersburg and eastern Port Alexander quadrangles, Alaska: U. S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-793, 14 p., 4 sheets, scale, 1:250,000

  • Deposit

    Brooks, A. H., 1921, The future of Alaska mining: U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714, p. 5-57

  • Deposit

    Smith, P. S., 1942, Occurrences of molybdenum minerals in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-C, p. 161-210.

  • Production

    USGS BULLETIN 947-0, P.30

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE COUNTRY ROCKS IN THE VICINITY CONSIST OF CRETACEOUS BIOTITE-QUARTZ HORNFELS ALTERED FROM SILURIAN GRAYWACKE TURBIDITE OF THE BAY OF PILLARS FORMATION AND A LARGE CRETACEOUS DIORITE PLUTON THAT INTRUDES THE BEDDED ROCKS (BREW AND OTHERS, 1984). THE SHAKAN MOLYBDENUM DEPOSIT IS AT OR NEAR THE CONTACT BETWEEN THE PLUTON AND THE HORNFELS AND PROBABLY IS GENETICALLY RELATED TO THE EMPLACEMENT OF THIS PLUTON. THE DEPOSIT IS A SULFIDE-BEARING FAULT-BRECCIA ZONE 1-10 FEET THICK ASSOCIATED WITH HORNBLENDE DIORITE PEGMATITE; THE ZONE CONTAINS ABUNDANT PYRRHOTITE, MOLYBDENITE, AND CHALCOPYRITE, WITH MINOR SPHALERITE AND PYRITE, IN QUARTZ-ALBITE GANGUE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-83 Hirschmann, M. M. (Elliott, R. L.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-NOV-98 Berg, H. C. (Grybeck, D. J.) U.S. Geological Survey