1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Fern

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Lead, Tellurium, Tungsten
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10308765
MRDS ID A011619
Record type Site
Current site name Fern
Alternate or previous names Fern Gold Mining Co., Fern Gold Leasing Co., Fern & Goodell, Bartholf-Isaacs, Marmot
Related records 10000948, 10185322

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -149.24369, 61.82456 (WGS84)
Relative position Marked with adit symbol and labeled 'Fern Mine' on the Anchorage D-6 1:63,360-scale topographic map, at headwaters of Archangel Creek. Accurate within 400 ft. This is locality 19 of Cobb (1972) and locality 16 of MacKevett and Holloway (1977).
(click for info)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Lead Secondary
Tellurium Secondary
Tungsten Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Nagyagite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • Wall rock has been intensely altered with ankerite, kaolinite, and secondary quartz (Ray, 1933). Wall-rock alteration within a few inches of the veins is intense, but seldom extends more than 10 to 12 inches beyond the quartz filling (Ray, 1954).

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Nearby scientific data

(1) -149.24369, 61.82456
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Quartz veins and stringers in shear zone cutting comminuted and kaolinized tonalite of the Late Cretaceous Willow Creek Pluton, a zoned pluton: the outer part consists of hornblende quartz diorite and lesser hornblende tonalite; the core consists of hornblende-biotite granodiorite, and lesser hornblende-biotite quartz monzodiorite and biotite quartz monzonite. The main vein is as wide as 18 ft and is made up of quartz, gouge, and altered tonalite (Ray, 1954). Ore concentrated at intersections of main vein and smaller cross veins. The stringer veins are displaced and broken up into distinct blocks by major post-minerization faults. Wall-rock alteration within a few inches of the veins is intense, but seldom extends more than 10 to 12 inches beyond the quartz filling (Ray, 1954). The wall rock has been intensely altered with ankerite, kaolinite, and secondary quartz (Ray, 1933). Metallic minerals include pyrite, arsenopyrite, tetrahedrite, galena, nagyagite, gold, and sparse scheelite (Ray, 1933). Assay of channel samples indicate a 12 ft sample of quartz stringers in altered country rock has 1.0 oz/ton Au, 8 to 12 inches of massive quartz yielded 0.45 oz/ton Au, and 2.5 ft zone of quartz and altered country rock show 2.3 oz/ton Au (Ray, 1933).
  • Age = Late Cretaceous or younger; veins cut the Late Cretaceous Willow Creek Pluton.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Willow Creek

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = The Fern mine, under McDougal (1931-1941), had an estimated production worth over $1,000,000 (Ray, 1954). Stoll (1997) estimates that from the Fern Gold Mining Company's first gold shipments, in 1922, into 1950 under Dodson, the Fern vein yielded roughly 44,000 ounces of gold. In aggregate gold recovery, the Fern lode is the district's fourth most important, after Lucky Shot-War Baby (ARDF numbers AN002 and AN003), Independence (ARDF number AN001), and Gold Bullion (ARDF number AN004).

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = An adit was driven 40 ft to vein and then 56 ft along vein in attempt to find the ore shoot exposed at surface (Capps, 1919). By 1920, the adit was driven 300 ft (Chapin, 1920). A mill was installed, and both mine and mill operated in 1922 (Brooks and Capps, 1924). The first gold from the mine was produced in 1922. The Fern Gold Mining Company milled its last ore in 1928. Explored by more than 4,000 ft of underground workings plus stopes on 2 levels by 1931 (Ray, 1933). Workings extended beneath a tunnel of the adjoining Talkeetna mine (ARDF number AN025), but do not connect. In 1931, Thomas McDougal leased the property and worked the mine as the Fern Gold Leasing Company (Stoll, 1997). Mining stopped in 1941 and McDougal gave up the lease in 1945. During the time from 1931 to 1941, two new levels of adits were driven with over 3,000 ft aggregate length. In 1945, A.G. Dodson obtained a lease for the property and operated the mine until his death in late 1950. A mill and cyanide plant were present on the property, however the mill was destroyed by fire in 1946. A new mill was completed in 1948. Assay of channel samples indicate a 12 ft sample of quartz stringers in altered country rock has 1.0 oz/ton Au, 8 to 12 inches of massive quartz yielded 0.45 oz/ton Au, and 2.5 ft zone of quartz and altered country rock show 2.3 oz/ton Au (Ray, 1933).

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF AN005
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A011619
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS AN10712
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS D002732

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Capps, S.R., 1914, Gold lodes and placers of the Willow Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592, p. 245-272.

  • Deposit

    Capps, S.R., 1915, The Willow Creek District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 607, 86 p.

  • Deposit

    Chapin, Theodore, 1920, Lode developments in the Willow Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-F, p. 169-176.

  • Deposit

    Chapin, Theodore, 1921, Lode developments in the Willow Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714-E, p. 201-206.

  • Deposit

    Brooks, A.H. and Capps, S.R., 1924, Mineral industry in Alaska, 1922: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755, p. 1-56.

  • Deposit

    Brooks, A.H., 1925, Alaska's mineral resources and production, 1923: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 773, p. 3-52.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1926, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1924: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 783-A, p. 1-39.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1929, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1926: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 797, p. 1-50.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813-A, p. 1-72.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836, p. 1-83.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-82.

  • Deposit

    Ray, J.C., 1933, The Willow Creek gold-lode district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 849-C, p. 165-229.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-91.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-94.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1936, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1937, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-95.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S. 1939, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113.

  • Deposit

    Capps, S.R., 1940, Geology of the Alaska Railroad region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 907, 201 p.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1942, Occurrences of molybdenum in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-C, p. 161-210.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral Industry of Alaska in 1940: U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.

  • Deposit

    Ray, R.G., 1954, Geology and ore deposits of the Willow Creek Mining district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1004, 86 p.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1975, Tungsten occurrences in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Investigations Resource Map MR-66, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous mineral deposits in the eastern part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-A, 99 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

  • Deposit

    Stoll, W.M., 1997, Hunting for gold in Alaska's Talkeetna Mountains 1897-1951: Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Henry Printing, 301 p.

  • Deposit

    Capps, S.R., 1916, Gold mining in the Willow Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 642-E, p. 147-200.

  • Deposit

    Capps, S.R., 1916, Gold mining in the Willow Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 642-G, p. 147-194, 195-200.

  • Deposit

    Capps, S.R., 1919, Gold lode mining in the Willow Creek district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-D, p. 177-186.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Anchorage quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-409, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1979, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials in the Anchorage quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 79-1095, 184 p.

  • Deposit

    MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous mineral deposits in the western part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-F, 38 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

  • Deposit

    Moffit, F.H., 1927, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1925: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 792-A, p. 1-39.

  • Deposit

    Moxham, R.M., and Nelson, A.E., 1952, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in south-central Alaska, 1947-1949: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 184, 14 p.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-81.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.

  • Deposit

    Thorne, R.L., Muir, N.M., Erickson, A.W., Thomas, B. I., Hedie, H. E., and Wright, W. S., 1948, Tungsten deposits of Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigation 4174, 51 p.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Ray, 1954

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Low-sulfide Au-quartz veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a)
Deposit Other Comments = Marmot and Bartholf-Isaacs prospects probably all became part of Fern property. Capps (1915) reports assessment work at Bartholf-Issacs prospect in 1914 and Chapin (1921) reports work during the winter of 1919-1920 at Marmot prospect. This is the last references to these two prospects in the literature.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 30-JUL-1998 D.P. Bickerstaff; S.W. Huss U.S. Geological Survey