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Excelsior

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

Identification information

Deposit ID 10002961
MRDS ID A015458
Record type Site
Current site name Excelsior
Alternate or previous names Cross Vein
Related records 10184526

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -147.31795, 65.07079 (WGS84)
Relative position Cobb (1972, MF-413), loc. 49; SW1/4NE1/4 sec. 22, T. 3 N., R. 2 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. This prospect is near the head of Too Much Gold Creek, a tributary to upper Fairbanks Creek, at an elevation of 1,625 feet. Accuracy is within 1,000 feet.
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Lead Secondary
Antimony Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Limonite Ore
Silver Ore
Stibnite Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist

Nearby scientific data

(1) -147.31795, 65.07079
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = By 1911, several prospect pits were reported along a 7-foot-wide mineralized zone containing $10 to $20 gold per ton (0.5 to 0.9 ounces of gold per ton) and $15 to $30 silver per ton (30 to 60 ounces of silver per ton, Brooks, 1911). A second shear contained chiefly galena with about $5 gold per ton (0.25 ounces of gold per ton). An unspecified amount of ore from the Excelsior prospect was custom milled in Fairbanks by 1911; however, production figures are not available. ? By 1912, a southern adit 70 feet long and a northern adit 60 feet long had been driven. Both adits are located on the right-limit wall of Too Much Gold Creek. The shear averages 12 feet wide in the adits, and trends east-west with a steep south dip (Times Publishing Company, 1912; Smith, 1913; B 525). The ore in the adit contained 22 ounces of silver per ton. In the 70 foot adit, a drift had been turned off to the south on a crosscutting shear zone. The country rock in both adits consists of hard quartzite with lesser black carbonaceous schist (Smith, 1913; B 525). High silver grades in the northern adit are in carbonaceous schist that contains minor galena, arsenopyrite and stibnite. Above the Excelsior adits, exposures of fine grained quartz porphyry granite appear to be related to the mineralization in the Excelsior adits. This rock contains small cavities surrounded by limonite after sulfides. Although iron staining is pervasive in this rock, no metallic minerals were noted (Smith, 1913; B 525). ? the Excelsior prospect was examined in 1916 to determine if commercial quantities of antimony existed; however, insufficient quantities were found to warrant exploration and development (Brooks, 1916; B 649). The Excelsior prospect was again examined in 1942 to determine if commercial quantities of antimony existed, however insufficient quantities were found to warrant exploration and development (Killeen and Mertie, 1951).

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Fairbanks

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = An unspecified amount of ore from the Excelsior prospect was custom milled in Fairbanks by 1911; however, production figures are not available (Brooks, 1911).

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = By 1912, a southern adit 70 feet long and a northern adit 60 feet long had been driven. Both adits are located on the right limit wall of Too Much Gold Creek. In the 70 foot adit, a drift was driven to the south on a crosscutting shear zone (Smith, 1913; B 525).

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A015458
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF LG179

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Times Publishing Company, 1912, Tanana Magazine, Quartz Edition: Fairbanks, Alaska 76 p.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1913, Lode mining near Fairbanks, in Prindle, L.M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 153-216.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1913, Lode mining near Fairbanks: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542-F, p. 137-202.

  • Deposit

    Brooks, A.H., 1916, Antimony deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 649, 67 p.

  • Deposit

    Killeen, P.L., and Mertie, J.B., 1951, Antimony ore in the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 51-46, 43 p.

  • Deposit

    Chapman, R.M., and Foster, R.L., 1969, Lode mines and prospects in the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 625-D, 25 p., 1 plate.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-633, 72 p.

  • Deposit

    Freeman, C.J., 1992, 1991 Golden Summit project final report, volume 2: Historical summary of lode mines and prospects in the Golden Summit project area, Alaska: Avalon Development Corp., 159 p. (Report held by Freegold Recovery Inc. USA, Vancouver, British Columbia.)

  • Deposit

    Brooks, A.H., 1911, The mining industry in 1910, in Brooks, A.K., and others, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1910: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480-B p. 21-43.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-413, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-819, 241 p.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Smith, 1913 (B 525)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Polymetallic vein (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 22c).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 04-MAY-1999 C.J. Freeman Avalon Development Corporation
Reporter 04-MAY-1999 J.R. Guidetti Schaefer Avalon Development Corporation