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Worcester

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodity Copper
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10308433
Record type Site
Current site name Worcester

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -165.1354, 65.61432 (WGS84)
Relative position This locality is at 2,500 to 2,600 feet on a ridgecrest between headwater tributaries of Henry Creek, a west tributary to the Kougarok River. It is in the east-central Teller C-1 quadrangle, 1 mile south of the Henry Creek occurrence (TE074) and 5.4 miles southeast of the summit of Kougarok Mountain. This is locality 18 of Cobb and Sainsbury (1972) although they referred to it as an unnamed occurrence and called their locality 17 the Worcester prospect. The description by Sainsbury and others (1969, p. 22) suggests that this locality is actually the Worcester prospect. Cobb (1975) summarized references to this prospect under the name 'Worcester'.
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Azurite Ore
Malachite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) The development of silica-rich rocks at the base of marble overlying metapelitic rocks, by whatever process, characterizes the deposit.

Nearby scientific data

(1) -165.1354, 65.61432
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Silica-rich rocks are present at the base of a marble assemblage overlying schist. Small amounts of copper-bearing sulfide minerals are present in vertical joints and secondary copper staining is present. The occurrence has been explored by two short adits. Because of the presence of observed mineralization and early exploration workings here, this location rather than the locality 1 mile to the north (Cobb and Sainsbury, 1972) is considered the Worcester prospect of Mertie (1918). .Sainsbury and others (1969, p. 37) report spectrographic analyses for four samples from this locality. A selected high-grade sample contained 7.1% copper and 7,000 ppm zinc. Traces of gold and mercury were also reported in these analyses. This occurrence is similar in setting and character to the Ward mine (TE071) north of Kougarok Mountain. The summary characterization of this type of Seward Peninsula mineral deposit by Sainsbury (1975, p. 90-94) contains inconsistencies with some descriptions of these deposits. Their origin is uncertain and other possibilities should be considered. One possiblity is that the silica-rich rocks are quartzites and that there is a stratigraphic control to the Ward deposit and similar occurrences elsewhere on Seward Peininsula. Quarzite at the base of the regional carbonate assemblage is recognized elsewhere in the Kougarok Mountain area (Puchner, 1986, p. 1777).
  • Ore Material = some copper-bearing sulfides
  • Age = Paleozoic ; the silica-rich rocks are apparently metamorphosed and would therefore predate mid-Mesozoic deformation and metamorphism in the region. The associated marbles are probably Paleozoic in age. However, the relation of copper metallization to the genesis of the silica-rich rocks is not clear.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Kougarok

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Reserves = Not defined

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Two short adits and surface pits are present.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF TE075

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Sainsbury, C.L., Kachadoorian, Reuban, Hudson, Travis, Smith, T.E., Richards, T.R., and Todd, W.E., 1969, Reconnaissance geologic maps and sample data, Teller A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2, B-3, C-1, and Bendeleben A-6, B-6, C-6, D-5, and D-6 quadrangles. Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 377, 49 p., 12 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., and Sainsbury, C.L., 1972, Metallic mineral resource map of the Teller quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-426, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Sainsbury, C.L., 1975, Geology, ore deposits, and mineral potential of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 73-75, 108 p., 3 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Puchner, C.C., 1986, Geology, alteration, and mineralization of the Kougarok Sn deposit, Seward Peninsula, Alaska; Discussion reply: Economic Geology, v. 82, p. 2201-2204.

  • Deposit

    Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1918, Lode mining and prospecting on Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662-H, p. 425-449.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Teller quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-587, 130 p.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Sainsbury and others, 1969

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Silica-rich rock with minor copper-bearing mineralization at the base of a marble assemblage overlying schist

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 10-MAY-98 Travis L. Hudson Applied Geology