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Fern

Unknown in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Lead, Tellurium, Tungsten
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10000948
MRDS ID A011619
Record type Site
Current site name Fern
Alternate or previous names Fern Gold Mining Co., Fern Gold Leasing Co., Fern & Goodell, Bartholf-Isaacs, Marmot
Related records 10185322

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -149.24352, 61.82456 (WGS84)
Relative position SEE LOCATION COMMENTS
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • MARKED WITH ADIT SYMBOL AND LABELED 'FERN MINE' ON THE ANCHORAGE D-6 1:63,360-SCALE TOPOGRAPHIC MAP, AT HEADWATERS OF ARCHANGEL CREEK. ACCURATE WITHIN 400 FT. THIS IS LOCALITY 19 OF COBB (1972) AND LOCALITY 16 OF MACKEVETT AND HOLLOWAY (1977).

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Lead Primary
Tellurium Primary
Tungsten Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Nagyagite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Wall Rock Has Been Intensely Altered With Ankerite, Kaolinite, And Secondary Quartz (Ray, 1933). Wall-Rock Alteration Within A Few Inches Of The Veins Is Intense, But Seldom Extends More Than 10 To 12 Inches Beyond The Quartz Filling (Ray, 1954).

Nearby scientific data

(1) -149.24352, 61.82456
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Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Commodity type Metallic
Significant No

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Willow Creek

Comments on the production information

  • THE FERN MINE, UNDER MCDOUGAL (1931-1941), HAD AN ESTIMATED PRODUCTION WORTH OVER $1,000,000 (RAY, 1954). STOLL (1997) ESTIMATES THAT FROM THE FERN GOLD MINING COMPANY'S FIRST GOLD SHIPMENTS, IN 1922, INTO 1950 UNDER DODSON, THE FERN VEIN YIELDED ROUGHLY 44,000 OUNCES OF GOLD. IN AGGREGATE GOLD RECOVERY, THE FERN LODE IS THE DISTRICT'S FOURTH MOST IMPORTANT, AFTER LUCKY SHOT-WAR BABY (ARDF NUMBERS AN002 AND AN003), INDEPENDENCE (ARDF NUMBER AN001), AND GOLD BULLION (ARDF NUMBER AN004).

Comments on the workings information

  • AN ADIT WAS DRIVEN 40 FT TO VEIN AND THEN 56 FT ALONG VEIN IN ATTEMPT TO FIND THE ORE SHOOT EXPOSED AT SURFACE (CAPPS, 1919). BY 1920, THE ADIT WAS DRIVEN 300 FT (CHAPIN, 1920). A MILL WAS INSTALLED, AND BOTH MINE AND MILL OPERATED IN 1922 (BROOKS AND CAPPS, 1924). THE FIRST GOLD FROM THE MINE WAS PRODUCED IN 1922. THE FERN GOLD MINING COMPANY MILLED ITS LAST ORE IN 1928. EXPLORED BY MORE THAN 4,000 FT OF UNDERGROUND WORKINGS PLUS STOPES ON 2 LEVELS BY 1931 (RAY, 1933). WORKINGS EXTENDED BENEATH A TUNNEL OF THE ADJOINING TALKEETNA MINE (ARDF NUMBER AN025), BUT DO NOT CONNECT. IN 1931, THOMAS MCDOUGAL LEASED THE PROPERTY AND WORKED THE MINE AS THE FERN GOLD LEASING COMPANY (STOLL, 1997). MINING STOPPED IN 1941 AND MCDOUGAL GAVE UP THE LEASE IN 1945. DURING THE TIME FROM 1931 TO 1941, TWO NEW LEVELS OF ADITS WERE DRIVEN WITH OVER 3,000 FT AGGREGATE LENGTH. IN 1945, A.G. DODSON OBTAINED A LEASE FOR THE PROPERTY AND OPERATED THE MINE UNTIL HIS DEATH IN LATE 1950. A MILL AND
  • CYANIDE PLANT WERE PRESENT ON THE PROPERTY, HOWEVER THE MILL WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE IN 1946. A NEW MILL WAS COMPLETED IN 1948. ASSAY OF CHANNEL SAMPLES INDICATE A 12 FT SAMPLE OF QUARTZ STRINGERS IN ALTERED COUNTRY ROCK HAS 1.0 OZ/TON AU, 8 TO 12 INCHES OF MASSIVE QUARTZ YIELDED 0.45 OZ/TON AU, AND 2.5 FT ZONE OF QUARTZ AND ALTERED COUNTRY ROCK SHOW 2.3 OZ/TON AU (RAY, 1933).

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A011619
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF AN005
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS AN10712
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS D002732

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CAPPS, S.R., 1914, GOLD LODES AND PLACERS OF THE WILLOW CREEK DISTRICT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 592, P. 245-272.

  • Deposit

    CAPPS, S.R., 1915, THE WILLOW CREEK DISTRICT, ALASKA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 607, 86 P.

  • Deposit

    CAPPS, S.R., 1916, GOLD MINING IN THE WILLOW CREEK DISTRICT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 642-G, P. 147-194, 195-200.

  • Deposit

    CAPPS, S.R., 1919, GOLD LODE MINING IN THE WILLOW CREEK DISTRICT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 692-D, P. 177-205.

  • Deposit

    CHAPIN, THEODORE, 1920, LODE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WILLOW CREEK DISTRICT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 712-F, P. 169-176.

  • Deposit

    CHAPIN, THEODORE, 1921, LODE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WILLOW CREEK DISTRICT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 714-E, P. 201-206.

  • Deposit

    BROOKS, A.H., AND CAPPS, S.R., 1924, THE ALASKAN MINING INDUSTRY IN 1922: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 755, P. 3-49.

  • Deposit

    BROOKS, A.H., 1925, ALASKA'S MINERAL RESOURCES AND PRODUCTION IN 1923: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 773-A, P. 1-52.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1926, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1924 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 783-A, P. 1-39.

  • Deposit

    MOFFIT, F.H., 1927, MINERAL INDUSTRY IN ALASKA IN 1925 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 792-A, P. 41-49.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1929, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1926 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 797-A, P. 1-66.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1930, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1927 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 810-A, P. 1-64.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1930, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1927 AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 813-A, P. 1-96.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1933, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1930: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 836, P. 1-83.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1933, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1930: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 844, P. 1-81.

  • Deposit

    RAY, J.C., 1933, THE WILLOW CREEK GOLD-LODE DISTRICT, ALASKA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 849-C, P. 165-229.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1934, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1932: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 857-A, P. 1-91.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1934, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1932: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 864-A, P. 1-94.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1936, MINERAL INDUSTRY IN ALASKA IN 1934: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 868-A, P. 1-91.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1937, MINERAL INDUSTRY IN ALASKA IN 1935: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 880-A, P. 1-95.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1938, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1936: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 897-A, P. 1-107.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1939, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1937: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 910-A, P. 1-113.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1939, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1937: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 917-A, P. 1-113.

  • Deposit

    CAPPS, S.R., 1940, GEOLOGY OF THE ALASKA RAILROAD REGION: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 907, 201 P.

  • Deposit

    SMITH, P.S., 1942, MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1940: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 933-A, P. 1-102.

  • Deposit

    THORNE R.L., MUIR, N.M., ERICKSON, A.W., THOMAS, B.I., HEIDE, H.E., AND WRIGHT, W.S., 1948, TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS IN ALASKA: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 4174, 22 P.

  • Deposit

    MOXHAM, R.M., AND NELSON, A.E., 1952, RECONNAISSANCE FOR RADIO-ACTIVE DEPOSITS IN SOUTH-CENTRAL ALASKA, 1947-1949: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 184, 14 P.

  • Deposit

    RAY, R.G., 1954, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE WILLOW CREEK MINING DISTRICT, ALASKA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1004, 86 P.

  • Deposit

    MACKEVETT, E.M., 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.

  • Deposit

    COBB, E.H., 1979, SUMMARY OF REFERENCES TO MINERAL OCCURRENCES (OTHER THAN MINERAL FUELS AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IN ANCHORAGE QUADRANGLE, ALASKA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 79-1095, 184 P.

  • Deposit

    STOLL, W.M., 1997, HUNTING FOR GOLD IN ALASKA'S TALKEETNA MOUNTAINS 1897-1951: GREENSBURG, PA, HENRY PRINTING, 301 P.

  • Other Database

    BAG-MF-409-19

  • Deposit

    Moffit, F.H., 1927, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1925: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 792-A, p. 1-39.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.

  • Deposit

    MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous mineral deposits in the western part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-F, 38 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

  • Deposit

    Capps, S.R., 1916, Gold mining in the Willow Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 642-E, p. 147-200.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1975, Tungsten occurrences in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Investigations Resource Map MR-66, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Anchorage quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-409, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit QUARTZ VEINS AND STRINGERS IN SHEAR ZONE CUTTING COMMINUTED AND KAOLINIZED TONALITE OF THE LATE CRETACEOUS WILLOW CREEK PLUTON, A ZONED PLUTON: THE OUTER PART CONSISTS OF HORNBLENDE QUARTZ DIORITE AND LESSER HORNBLENDE TONALITE; THE CORE CONSISTS OF HORNBLENDE-BIOTITE GRANODIORITE, AND LESSER HORNBLENDE-BIOTITE QUARTZ MONZODIORITE AND BIOTITE QUARTZ MONZONITE. THE MAIN VEIN IS AS WIDE AS 18 FT AND IS MADE UP OF QUARTZ, GOUGE, AND ALTERED TONALITE (RAY, 1954). ORE CONCENTRATED AT INTERSECTIONS OF MAIN VEIN AND SMALLER CROSS VEINS. THE STRINGER VEINS ARE DISPLACED AND BROKEN UP INTO DISTINCT BLOCKS BY MAJOR POST-MINERIZATION FAULTS. WALL-ROCK ALTERATION WITHIN A FEW INCHES OF THE VEINS IS INTENSE, BUT SELDOM EXTENDS MORE THAN 10 TO 12 INCHES BEYOND THE QUARTZ FILLING (RAY, 1954). THE WALL ROCK HAS BEEN INTENSELY ALTERED WITH ANKERITE, KAOLINITE, AND SECONDARY QUARTZ (RAY, 1933). METALLIC MINERALS INCLUDE PYRITE, ARSENOPYRITE, TETRAHEDRITE, GALENA, NAGYAGITE, GOLD, AND SPARSE
Deposit MARMOT AND BARTHOLF-ISAACS PROSPECTS PROBABLY ALL BECAME PART OF FERN PROPERTY. CAPPS (1915) REPORTS ASSESSMENT WORK AT BARTHOLF-ISSACS PROSPECT IN 1914 AND CHAPIN (1921) REPORTS WORK DURING THE WINTER OF 1919-1920 AT MARMOT PROSPECT. THIS IS THE LAST REFERENCES TO THESE TWO PROSPECTS IN THE LITERATURE.
Deposit SCHEELITE (RAY, 1933). ASSAY OF CHANNEL SAMPLES INDICATE A 12 FT SAMPLE OF QUARTZ STRINGERS IN ALTERED COUNTRY ROCK HAS 1.0 OZ/TON AU, 8 TO 12 INCHES OF MASSIVE QUARTZ YIELDED 0.45 OZ/TON AU, AND 2.5 FT ZONE OF QUARTZ AND ALTERED COUNTRY ROCK SHOW 2.3 OZ/TON AU (RAY, 1933).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1985 Leonard, Kenneth R. (Elliott, R. L.) U.S. Geological Survey ADRF AND MRDS MERGED RECORD
Updater 01-JUL-1998 Bickerstaff, Damon P. (Huss, S. W.) U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 21-JAN-2000 Mason, George U.S. Geological Survey