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Christophosen

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Zinc, Silver, Gold, Lead, Antimony
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10001949
MRDS ID A012786
Record type Site
Current site name Christophosen
Related records 10257797

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -165.58468, 64.69817 (WGS84)
Relative position The Christophosen prospect is on the ridge between the headwaters of Oregon Creek and Penny River; it is at an elevation of 1,620 feet at the ridge crest. Better mineralization occurs on the east slopes of the ridge, and the location shown is the approximate center of an area of zinc-bearing mineralization located within about 500 feet. The Christophosen prospect is on strike with and related to the Aurora prospect (NM140). This location is about 1.25 miles west-southwest of the location given by Cobb (locality 10; 1972 [MF 463], 1978 [OFR78-93]).
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Zinc Primary
Silver Secondary
Gold Secondary
Lead Secondary
Antimony Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stibnite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Dolomitization?

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 184
USGS model code 28a
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, kuroko
Mark3 model number 93

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -165.58468, 64.69817
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Christophosen prospect was discovered before 1916. When Mertie (1918 [B 662-I, p. 447]) visited the prospect in 1916, he found one caved shaft and reported sphalerite and pyrite with quartz. The locality was visited by Herreid (1968), who reported dolomite with sparsely disseminated galena, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite in an old prospect area. Approximately 500 feet south-southeast of the Christophosen pits is a rubble crop of sphalerite-bearing schist, similar to that found at the Aurora Creek prospect (NM140). It apparently lies stratigraphically above a graphitic quartz schist, as does the Aurora deposit. The zinc content of soils near the rubble crop exceeds 2,000 ppm; the soil also is strongly anomalous in lead and silver. The rubble crop is contained within a broader, north-northwest trending soil anomaly about 1,200 feet long and 400 feet wide where samples contain 1,000 ppm or more zinc. A lens of fine-grained cherty rock, possibly an exhalite layer, with disseminated galena, sphalerite, and stibnite appears to be stratigraphically above the sphalerite-bearing schist (Cindy Buxton and C.C. Hawley, written communication 1992). Country rock in the area of the prospect has been interpreted as a tightly folded complex of felsic metavolcanic schist and complexly mixed chloritic, calcareous, and felsic schist (Bundtzen and others, 1994).
  • Age = Syngenetic in early Paleozoic (Devonian) sedimentary and marine volcanic rocks.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Nome

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Several prospect pits are present; a shallow shaft was caved by 1916. Surface examination and sampling by Kennecott Exploration Company in 1991 and 1992.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A012786
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF NM141

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-463, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File report 78-93, 213 p.

  • Deposit

    Bundtzen, T.K., Reger, R.D., Laird, G.M., Pinney, D.S., Clautice, K.H., Liss, S.A., and Cruse, G.R., 1994, Progress report on the geology and mineral resources of the Nome mining district: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Public Data-File 94-39, 21 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Bundtzen and others, 1994, and this report

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Metamorphosed volcanogenic massive sulfide (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 28a [Kuroko massive sulfide]).
Deposit Other Comments = See Aurora prospect (NM140).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 12-MAR-00 Hawley, C.C. Hawley Resource Group
Reporter 12-MAR-00 Travis L. Hudson Hawley Resource Group