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Steamboat Creek

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

Identification information

Deposit ID 10307723
Record type Site
Current site name Steamboat Creek

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -147.53495, 65.01667 (WGS84)
Relative position The coordinates given are for the location of numerous trenches, pits and auger holes dug on the prospect that cover an area several hundred yards in size. The prospect is approximately 1 mile from the Steese Highway along Steamboat Creek; SW1/4NW1/4 sec. 10, T. 2 N., R. 1 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian.
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

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

Nearby scientific data

(1) -147.53495, 65.01667
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = A prospect shaft revealed a 7-foot-wide shear zone that strikes north and dips vertically (Saunders, 1963; ATDM PE 49-15). A channel sample cut across four feet of the shear zone assayed 0.18 ounces of gold per ton and 3.50 ounces per ton silver. Subsequent samples revealed only trace to 0.02 ounces of gold per ton and 0.70 to 1.31 ounces of silver per ton. The shear zone is at the contact between mica schist and quartz diorite. In 1963, a trial shipment of galena ore from a vein exposed in a trench contained 106.0 ounces of silver per ton, 0.02 ounces of gold per ton, 49.0% lead and 0.04% copper (Saunders, 1963; ATDM PE 49-15).

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Fairbanks

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = In 1963, it was reported that the owners of the prospect planned to mine and ship ore from an exposed vein. It is not known whether or not mining took place (Saunder, 1963; ATDM PE 49-15).

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = In 1958, Pete Smith, a local placer miner, found some pieces of galena-bearing float in the valley of Steamboat Creek (Saunders, 1963; ATDM PE 49-15). He attempted to trace the float to its bedrock source by hand-trenching and trenching with a bulldozer. The Alaska Department of Mines investigated the area in the early 1960's by bulldozer trenching, hand-digging pits and auger hole drilling for geochemical sampling. By 1968, the owners of the lode prospect were conducting rotary drilling and intended to drill about 450 feet (Vance, 1968).

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF LG068

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Saunders, R.H., 1963, Report on the Pete Smith prospect, Steamboat Creek, Fairbanks district, Livengood quadrangle: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Prospect Evaluation 49-15, 21 p., 2 maps, scale 1:240.

  • Deposit

    Vance, T., 1968, Examination of Steamboat Creek prospect, Fairbanks district, in 1968: Alaska Division of Mines and Minerals Prospect Evaluation 49-19, 2 p.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Saunders, 1963 (ATDM PE 49-15)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Polymetallic shear zone.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 04-MAY-99 C.J. Freeman, J.R. Guidetti Schaefer Avalon Development Corporation