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Farewell Mineral Licks

Occurrence in Alaska, United States with commodities Copper, Iron, Manganese, Potassium, Sodium
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10307850
Record type Site
Current site name Farewell Mineral Licks

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -153.60885, 62.49449 (WGS84)
Relative position The Farewell Mineral Licks are located just east of a low saddle about 6 kilometers due south of Farewell Lake Lodge at an elevation of 960 feet (293 m) in the NE1/4 sec. 30, T. 28 N., R. 23 W., of the Seward Meridian. The reporter investigated the site in 1980 and 1981.
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Iron Primary
Manganese Primary
Potassium Secondary
Sodium Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Dolomite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicrete and ferricrete.

Nearby scientific data

(1) -153.60885, 62.49449
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Farewell Mineral Licks are a series of three subcircular areas of dark yellow-brown soils frequently utilized as mineral licks and roll areas by buffalo (Bison bison), moose (Alces alces), and other ungulates. Each 'lick' is approximately 40 meters in diameter, and composed of distinctive yellow-brown residual soils in Quaternary drift directly overlying the active strand of the Denali-Farewell fault, a major transcurrent fault that forms an arc across central Alaska and Yukon (Bundtzen, Harris, and Gilbert, 1997). A distinct silicrete rind covers soil at the site. Dolomite fragments were recognized in one soil sample. . One soil sample taken at the Farewell Mineral licks was anomalous in copper (250 ppm), manganese (8,500 ppm), potassium (6.50 percent), and sodium (12.00 percent). The manganese may be the result of decomposed dolomite. The remaining elements may be the result of a hydrothermal plumbing system within the Denali fault system.
  • Ore Material = Iron oxides
  • Age = Quaternary, based on C14 age data summarized by Kline and Bundtzen (1986).

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name McGrath

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = One soil sample taken at the Farewell Mineral Licks was anomalous in copper (250 ppm), manganese (8,500 ppm), potassium (6.50 percent) and sodium (12.00 percent).

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF MG039

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Bundtzen, T.K., Kline, J.T., and Clough, J.G., 1982, Preliminary geologic map of the McGrath B-2 quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Open-File report 149, 22 pages, one sheet, scale 1:63,360.

  • Deposit

    Kline, J.T., and Bundtzen, T.K., 1986, Two glacial records from west-central Alaska, in Hamilton, T.D., Reed, K.M., and Thorson, Robert, eds., Glaciation in Alaska: Alaska Geological Society Special Volume, p. 123-150.

  • Deposit

    Bundtzen, T.K., Harris, E.E., and Gilbert, W.G., 1997, Geologic Map of the eastern McGrath quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Report of Investigations 97-14, 34 pages, one sheet, scale 1:125,000.

  • Deposit

    Kline, J.T., and Pinney, D.S., 1997, Derivative map of geological materials and hazards in the eastern half, McGrath quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Report of Investigations 97-14b, one sheet, scale, 1:125,000.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Bundtzen and others, 1997

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Unknown; possibly hot springs related.
Deposit Other Comments = See White Mountain Mercury Mine (MG025) and the Peggy Barbara (MG026) and Mary Margaret (MG027) prospects.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 04-DEC-98 T.K. Bundtzen Pacific Rim Geological Consulting