Snipe

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Thorium, Uranium

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10307487
Record type Site
Current site name Snipe

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -144.20264, 62.85968 (WGS84)
Relative position The Snipe uranium-thorium prospect is at an elevation of 4,300 feet in an unnamed west-flowing tributary to the upper East Fork of Indian Creek. It is about 3.4 miles north of the west end of Long Lake in the SW1/4SW1/4, section 36, T. 13 N., R. 6 E., Copper River Meridian. The prospect is limited to a 30 foot by 50 feet outcrop in a stream cut. (WGM 1979).
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Thorium Primary
Uranium Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Opal Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Marked by pyrite, quartz, tourmaline, and sericitized plagioclase.

Nearby scientific data

(1) -144.20264, 62.85968

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Snipe prospect is in a coarse-grained potassic-diorite phase of the Pennsylvanian to Permian, Ahtell pluton, possibly near a contact with the Grubstake quartz monzonite phase (Richter, 1966). The prospect consists of vuggy quartz-tourmaline vein material bordered by bleached, clay-rich alteration zones in Indian Creek quartz monzonite, a phase of the Ahtell pluton defined by WGM Inc. (1979). Scintillometer readings vary up to 3,500 cps (over 8 times background) and grab samples contain up to 730 ppm uranium and 8,650 ppm thorium (WGM Inc.,1979). The prospect is limited to a 30 foot by 50 feet outcrop in a stream cut. (WGM Inc., 1979).
  • Ore Material = Uranium
  • Ore Material = thorium are concentrated in iron oxides
  • Age = Probably associated with emplacement of Richter's (1966) Permian or possibly Jurassic, diorite to quartz-diorite complex.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Chistochina

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Shallow hand trenching in three areas.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF GU033

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Richter, D.H., 1966, Geology of the Slana district on south-central Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geological Report 2l, 36b p., 3 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

  • Deposit

    WGM Inc., 1979, 1978 Annual Progress Report, Uranium Exploration, Ahtell Creek Area, Volume I: WGM Inc., 39 p., appendices and 4 maps. (Report available, Ahtna Mineral Co., Anchorage, Alaska).

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = WGM Inc.,1979

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Vein-type uranium (?)
Deposit Other Comments = Additional information can be obtained from Ahtna Minerals in Anchorage, Alaska.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 06-DEC-00 W.T. Ellis Alaska Earth Sciences
Reporter 06-DEC-00 Hawley, C.C. Hawley Resource Group
Reporter 06-DEC-00 W.J. Nokleberg U.S. Geological Survey