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Fox Gulch Platinum Placer

Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities PGE, Gold, Chromium
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10002306
MRDS ID A013213
Record type Site
Current site name Fox Gulch Platinum Placer
Alternate or previous names Claims: 1a, Discovery

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -161.74907, 58.92119 (WGS84)
Relative position 0.7 MI. SW OF GOODNEWS MINING CAMP
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • USGS MF-362, LOC. 12 (APPROXIMATE LOCATION). LOCATION IS AT MOUTH OF FOX GULCH ON PLATINUM CREEK. PLACER EXTENDS 0.8 MI. UPSTREAM TO HEAD OF FOX GULCH. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Commodities

Commodity Importance
PGE Primary
Gold Secondary
Chromium Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • PGM OFTEN FOUND INTERGROWN WITH CHROMITE

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Gangue
Ilmenite Gangue
Chromite Unknown

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel

Nearby scientific data

(1) -161.74907, 58.92119
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Comments on the geologic information

  • BOULDERS UP TO 3 FT. IN DIA. ALSO PRESENT. ; MAJOR.UNITS: BEDROCK CONSISTS OF ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS OF THE TERT-MES GOODNEWS BAY ULTRAMAFIC COMPLEX. ; REG.COM: SOURCE OF PLATINUM METALS IS ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS OF GOODNEWS BAY ULTRAMAFIC COMPLEX AT HEAD OF FOX GULCH ON RED MTN.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1926
Discoverer Walter Smith
Year of first production 1927

Mining district

District name Goodnews Bay

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN CUTS MADE BY DRAGLINE.

Comments on development

  • TWO PLACER CLAIMS. WORKED BY SMALL-SCALE METHODS FROM 1927-34. WORKED BY GOODNEWS BAY MINING CO. FROM 1934-41 WITH DRAGLINE EXCAVATOR. POSSIBLY WORKED BY DRAGLINE EXCAVATOR FROM 1968 ONWARD.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A013213

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    USGS MF-362, LOC. 12 (1972)

  • Deposit

    USGS P 938 P. 4, 5, 23-24 (1976)

  • Deposit

    USGS OF 80-909, P. 19 (1980)

  • Deposit

    USGS B 918, P. 57-62 (1940)

  • Deposit

    USBM OFR 51-86, P. 2, 6-7 (1986)

  • Other Database

    BAG-MF-362-12

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PLACER DEPOSIT CONSISTS OF LARGE, SUBANGULAR GRAVELS AVERAGING 8-12 IN. IN DIAMETER, MADE UP OF ULTRABASIC ROCKS. PLATINUM METALS OCCUR MAINLY ON SURFACE AND IN CREVICES ON BEDROCK, BUT ALSO WITHIN LOWER 2-3 FT. OF GRAVELS. UPPER 1/2-2/3 OF ALLUVIUM IS REMOVED AND DUMPED ASIDE DURING MINING. LENGTH OF PAYSTREAK IS 2,600 FT., AVERAGE WIDTH IS 75 FT.. DEPTH OF OVERBURDEN NOT RECORDED. BOULDERS UP TO 3 FT. DIA. ALSO PRESENT.
Deposit STREAM GRADIENT IS 625 FT/MI. TRIBUTARY OF PLATINUM CREEK. SINCE PLATINUM METALS DO NOT OCCUR IN PLATINUM CREEK ABOVE FOX GULCH, SO FOX GULCH CAN BE SAID TO CONSTITUTE HEADWATER OF PLATINUM CREEK PAYSTREAK. FIRST PLATINUM DISCOVERY IN GOODNEWS BAY DISTRICT. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit THIS SITE NAME WAS CREATED BY THE REPORTER OR OTHER USGS EMPLOYEE BASED ON PROXIMITY TO SOME MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC FEATURE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1987 Leonard, Kenneth R. (Huber, Donald F.) U.S. Geological Survey