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Humboldt Creek

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Tin
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10308789
MRDS ID A012729
Record type Site
Current site name Humboldt Creek
Related records 10001901

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -164.42342, 65.83934 (WGS84)
Relative position About 5,000 feet of placer gold mine workings are present along the main channel of upper Humbolt Creek. Humbolt Creek is a northeast-flowing tributary to Goodhope River. The placer mine workings begin about 6 miles upstream of the mouth of Ballard Creek, a southeast tributary to Humbolt Creek. This is locality 20 of Cobb (1972; MF 417; 1975; OFR 75-429).
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Tin Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Gangue = pyrite (abundant)

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cassiterite Ore
Gold Ore
Hematite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 119
USGS model code 39a
BC deposit profile C01. C02
Deposit model name Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number 54

Nearby scientific data

(1) -164.42342, 65.83934
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The headwaters of Humbolt Creek are in an area southeast of the Oonatut Granite Complex (Hudson, 1979; Hudson and Arth, 1983). This area, consists of a Lower Paleozoic metasedimentary assemblage and a polydeformed, metapelitic schist of possible Precambrian age (Till and others, 1986); it is interpreted to be over buried extensions of the Oonatut Granite (Barnes and Hudson, 1977; Hudson, 1979). Cassiterite-rich mineralized zones have not been identified in the headwater bedrock but several high angle fault zones with polymetallic veins (BN048, BN 049, BN050, BN051, BN052) are probably part of tin metallizing systems. The alluvial gravels of Humbolt Creek carry significant gold, for which they have been placer mined, and abundant cassiterite. As early as 1908, gold-bearing concentrate with abundant pyrite and cassiterite was reported (Knopf, 1908). Hydraulic mining and dozer/sluice operations along 5,000 feet of the stream channel took place primarily before WW II (Cobb, 1975). The abundance of cassiterite was a handicap to gold mining; as much as 30 tons of tin concentrate (containing 36,000 pounds of metallic tin) were produced in 1919 (Brooks and Martin, 1921). Most of the cassiterite that was recovered by placer mining was not marketed; oil drums containing cassiterite-rich concentrate (60 % tin) were still stored at this location in the 1960's (Sainsbury and others, 1968). The recovered cassiterite included nuggets up to 4 inches across, some show crystal faces, some are brecciated, and some iare ntergrown with quartz (Sainsbury and others, 1968). Gold and cassiterite can be panned from the surface down through several feet of unmined gravel near the headwater fork of the creek. The gravels here are not mined out (Cobb, 1975, OFR 75-429). The cassiterite-bearing placer deposits are the best indication that significant tin metallization has occurred in the headwaters of the drainage.
  • Age = Quaternary

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 Fairhaven

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = The abundance of cassiterite was a handicap to gold mining; as much as 30 tons of tin concentrate (containing 36,000 pounds of metallic tin) were produced in 1919 (Brooks and Martin, 1921). Most of the cassiterite that was recovered by placer mining was not marketed; oil drums containing cassiterite-rich concentrate (60 % tin) were still stored at this location in the 1960's (Sainsbury and others, 1968).

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = About 5,000 feet of placer gold mine workings are present along the main channel of Humbolt Creek. Some test pits and shafts are present in unmined areas.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF BN053
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A012729
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS W000018

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Brooks, A.H., and Martin, G. C. 1921, The Alaska mining industry in 1919: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714, p. 59-95.

  • Deposit

    Sainsbury, C.L., Kachadoorian, Reuben, Smith, T.E., and Todd, W.C., 1968, Cassiterite in gold placers at Humbolt Creek, Serpentine-Kougarok area, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 565, 7 p.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Bendeleben quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-429, 123 p.

  • Deposit

    Barnes, D.F., and Hudson, T. L., 1977, Bouguer gravity map of Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-796-C, scale 1:1,000,000.

  • Deposit

    Hudson, T.L., 1979, Igneous and metamorphic rocks of the Serpentine Hot Springs area, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional paper 1079, 27 p.

  • Deposit

    Hudson, T.L., and Arth, J. G., 1983, Tin-granites of Seward Peninsula, Alaska: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 94, p. 768-790.

  • Deposit

    Till, A.B., Dumoulin, J.A., Gamble, B. ., Kaufman, D.S., and Carroll, P.I., 1986, Preliminary geologic map and fossil data, Soloman, Bendeleben, and southern Kotzebue quadrangles, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 86-276, 10 p., 3 plates, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Knopf, Adolph, 1908, The Seward Peninsula tin deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 345-E, p. 251-267.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Bendeleben quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-417, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Sainsbury and others, 1968

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Placer Au-PGE (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 15-MAR-1999 Travis L. Hudson Applied Geology