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Smith prospect

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

Identification information

Deposit ID 10002276
MRDS ID A013180
Record type Site
Current site name Smith prospect
Alternate or previous names Treadwell Yukon Co., Willoughby Island
Related records 10137019

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -136.14319, 58.59167 (WGS84)
Relative position The deposit is on the west side of Willoughby Island at an elevation near 450 feet and about 1.5 miles south of the north tip of the island. Accuracy is uncertain. The prospect was not located by MacKevett and others (1971) in 1966. The map site is about the same as location number 96 (Kimball and others, 1978). It is probably correct within 0.1 to 0.2 mile. The site is also about the same as location number 48 of Cobb (1972). Rossman (1963, p. K51) was also uncertain of the location of the deposit, but the prospect was found by Reed (1938).
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Jamesonite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Calcite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Extensive pyritic and ankeritic alteration of lamprophyre.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Porphyry > Lamprophyre
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Marble

Nearby scientific data

(1) -136.14319, 58.59167
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Mineral deposits on Willoughby Island occur in a reefoid marble of Devonian or Silurian age that is part of a large carbonate package that underlies much of central Glacier Bay (Brew and others, 1978). At the mine, sulfide-rich replacement veins, as much as 1 foot thick, occur in marble at and near the intersection of lamprophyre dikes (Reed, 1938, p. 70-71). The lamprophyre dikes are relatively young, probably Tertiary in age. One vein was traced for about 100 feet. Sulfide minerals also occur as joint-fillings in the marble host rock.? Buddington (1924) reported very high grade ore from the property, which was optioned by Treadwell Yukon Co. in 1925. Assays of as much as 1.74 ounces of gold and 42 ounces of silver were reported, in addition to 25 percent each of lead and antimony, suggesting the presence of jamesonite or a similar sulfantimonide at the property. Buddington reported jamesonite at another occurrence on western Willoughby Island. Chalcopyrite and tetrahedrite have also been reported from the prospect site.
  • Age = Tertiary.

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 Juneau

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = Probable small production of high-grade ore.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The deposit was located in 1907 and leased to Treadwell Yukon Co. in 1925 (Shephard, 1926). Probably about that time, a forty-four foot long adit was driven, but it failed to hit the dike intersection that appeared to localize the ore on the surface. Buddington (1924) reported that a high-grade sample contained 1.74 ounces of gold and 42 ounces of silver per ton, and 25 percent each of lead and antimony, suggesting the possibility of jamesonite, which Buddington reported at another site on western Willoughby Island. Shephard (1926) sampled a 1-foot-thick massive sulfide vein at the property; the sample contained 0.12 ounce per ton gold, 11.9 ounces of silver per ton, 13.4 percent antimony, and 29.75 percent lead.? the U.S. Geological Survey failed to find the prospect in 1966 (MacKevett and others, 1971), but the party mostly searched south of this location and the country is steep and overgrown with vegetation.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A013180
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF MF068

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Shephard, J.G., 1926, Smith Prospect, Willoughby Island: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Prospect Evaluation 111-4, 1 p.

  • Deposit

    Rossman, Darwin, 1963, Geology of the eastern part of the Mount Fairweather quadrangle, Glacier Bay, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1121-K, p. K1-K57.

  • Deposit

    MacKevett, E.M., Jr., Brew, D.A., Hawley, C.C., Huff, L.C., and Smith, J.G., 1971, Mineral resources of Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 632, 90 p., 12 plates, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources of the Mount Fairweather quadrangle, AK: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Study Map MF-436, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Brew, D.A., Johnson, B.R., Grybeck, D., Griscom, A., Barnes, D.F., Kimball, A.L., Still, J.C., and Rataj, J.L., 1978, Mineral resources of the Glacier Bay National Monument Wilderness Study Area, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-494, 670 p.

  • Deposit

    Kimball, A.L., Still, J.C., and Rataj, J.L., 1978, Mineral resources, in Brew, D. A., and others, Mineral resources of the Glacier Bay National Monument wilderness study area, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-494, p. C1-C375.

  • Deposit

    Buddington, 1924 (written communication cited by MacKevett and others, 1971)

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Reed, 1938; Kimball and others, 1978

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Replacement sulfide veins.
Deposit Other Comments = Dike-associated replacement mineralization in Paleozoic carbonate terrane. The site is in Glacier Bay Park and Preserve.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 14-APR-99 Hawley, C.C. Hawley Resource Group