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Nuka Bays Mining Company

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Silver
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10000410
MRDS ID A010575
Record type Site
Current site name Nuka Bays Mining Company
Alternate or previous names Nookas, Harrington
Related records 10258676

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -150.62059, 59.55338 (WGS84)
Relative position The Nuka Bay mine is on the northwest flank of Hill 1728 overlooking Beauty Bay. Beauty Bay is a northwest trending arm of Nuka Bay, about 65 miles southwest of Seward, Alaska. An overgrown trail begins near the first stream north of the mouth of the bay and climbs to an elevation of 1,100 feet where the portal and mill site are located. This is Cobb's (1972, MF-397) location 21 and Richter's (1970) location 4. Cobb summarized the relevant references under the name Nuka Bay Mines Co. This location is accurate to within 300 feet.
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) None reported although Borden and others (1991) report other veins in the Nuka Bay district show carbonization, sulfidization, sericitization, and silicification of the wall rock adjacent to the veins.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
    Rock unit name Valdez Group
    Rock description Valdez Group;Valdez Group;Valdez Group

Nearby scientific data

(1) -150.62059, 59.55338
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The mineralization is hosted by slates and graywackes of the Cretaceous Valdez Group (Richter, 1970). The quartz veins that have been mined are typical of the district and consist of white crystalline quartz with various amounts of sulfides. Arsenopyrite is the dominate sulfide with minor amounts of pyrite. Gold occurs as free gold associated with arsenopyrite. ? At the 1,480 foot workings a four-inch to three-foot vein has been drifted on for at least 35 feet. The vein is in a thin bedded graywacke and slate that strikes N85W and dips 82N. The vein is strongly iron stained and contains scattered lens and stringers of arsenopyrite and pyrite. A single channel sample of this vein assayed 8.8 ppm gold (Richter, 1970). ? the workings at 1,180 feet elevation consists of a 30-foot-deep shaft that exposed a one- to two-feet-wide quartz vein. The vein strikes N20E and dips 30NW the vein is exposed for about 20 feet on the surface and is hosted in a thin-bedded graywacke. A random channel sample of this vein assayed 304 ppm gold (Richter, 1970).? A 410 foot long exploration adit was driven at 1,120 feet elevation near the mill site. The adit was driven eastward for 270 feet where it split into two drifts to the south. All the workings are in a massive graywacke that generally strikes northward and dips 35W. About 20 feet from the portal, a 0.5 foot-wide quartz vein was followed for about 30 feet. At about 65 feet from the portal, a wider vein was followed for almost 80 feet where it appears to end in a stockwork of veins about 160 feet from the portal. This vein strikes almost east-west and dips 80S. A sample of the vein assayed 0.8 ppm gold (Richter, 1970). The original purpose of the adit was probably to intercept the veins exposed at the surface but for an unknown reason, the tunnel stopped short of this goal.
  • Age = Tertiary; Boden and others (1991) report other veins in the district are about 55 m.y. old.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Homer

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = This property has produced some gold but the exact amount is unknown.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = A 400 foot tunnel was driven prior to 1933 to test the downward extension of the veins at the 1,400 foot and 1,181 foot exposures but it failed to intercept significant veining at depth. A small Gibson mill was erected prior to 1933 (Pilgrim, 1933). Two shallow shafts were dug at 1,400 feet and 1,180 feet elevation. Twenty-four tons of ore from one of these shafts produced 27 ounces of retort (Pilgrim, 1933). Channel samples at an unknown location by Pilgrim (1933) returned up to 4.54 ounces of gold per ton. Richter (1970) sampled the 1,400 foot elevation exposure which assayed 8.8 ppm gold; a two foot channel sample at the 1,180 foot exposure contained 304 ppm gold.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A010575
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF SV012

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929, in Smith, P.S., and others, Mineral Resources of Alaska in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824, p. 83-109.

  • Deposit

    Pilgrim, E.R., 1933, Progress of lode mining in interior Alaska, 1932: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 194, 11 p.

  • Deposit

    Capps, S.R., 1938, Lode mining in the Nuka Bay district, in Smith, P.S., Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 25-32.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic minerals resources map of the Seldovia quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-397, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Borden, J.C., Goldfarb, R.J., Gent, C.A., Burruss, R.C., and Roushey, B.H., 1992 Geochemistry of lode-gold deposits, Nuka Bay district, southern Kenai Peninsula: Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1991: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2041, p. 13-21.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1979, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than minerals fuels and construction materials) in the Seldovia quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 80-87, 47 p.

  • Deposit

    Richter, D.H., 1970, Geology and lode-gold deposits of the Nuka Bay area, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 625-B, p. Bl-B16.

  • Deposit

    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.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Richter, 1970; Pilgrim, 1933

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Low-sulfide, Au-quartz vein (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a)
Deposit Other Comments = This prospect is within Kenai Fjords National Park; the area is now closed to mineral entry.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 15-FEB-99 Jeff A. Huber U.S. Geological Survey