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

Sledge Creek

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Tin, Tungsten
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10308943
MRDS ID A012969
Record type Site
Current site name Sledge Creek
Related records 10232913, 10002104

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -165.50748, 64.63628 (WGS84)
Relative position Sledge Creek is a west tributary to Snake River. A placer gold deposit has been mined at the surface near the point where the creek enters the Snake River valley and was drift mined at unknown locations. The location is the site of surface mining. It is accurate within about 1,000 feet. Cobb (1978 [OFR 78-93]) summarized information about this locality under the name 'Sledge Cr.'.
(click for info)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Tin Secondary
Tungsten Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cassiterite Ore
Gold Ore
Scheelite Ore

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) -165.50748, 64.63628
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Sledge Creek has been mined at the surface in a shallow deposit near where the creek emerges from the hills and enters the Snake River valley. Drift mining at two unknown locations was also reported by Mertie (1918 [B 662-I, p. 454]). Patented claim U.S. Mineral Survey No.1343 is in lower Sledge Creek, immediately above the surface placer cut, and claim U.S. Mineral Survey No. 1840 is in the south fork of Sledge Creek. Gold and tungsten were reported at the former site (Heiner and Porter, 1972, Kardex site Kx 52-259). Tungsten in scheelite was also reported by Thorne and others (1948, p. 33) in Sledge Creek. Kennecott Exploration Company found gold in two pan concentrate samples collected 1,500 and 3,000 feet below the south fork junction. The samples, contained more than 4 and more than 2 ppm gold respectively. They also contained anomalous amounts of tin, suggesting that cassiterite is present. This placer deposit is at an elevation of 150 to 175 fee, suggesting that it may have been influenced by Quaternary sea-level changes during its development. Bedrock of the Sledge Creek drainage is mostly chloritic and calcareous schist. One or more branches of the Rodine fault parallel upper Sledge Creek (Bundtzen and others, 1994). At least some of the placer gold in Sledge Creek was probably derived from erosion of the Alpha Ridge deposit (NM171).
  • Age = Quaternary.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Probably inactive

Mining district

District name Nome

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Reserves = Sledge Creek could contain a largely unmined placer deposit (C.C. Hawley, personal observation, 1994, 2000).

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Drift mining reported in 1916; small open-cut surface mining on and below U.S. Mineral Survey No. 1343 probably took place in about 1925 (Heiner and Porter, 1972).

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF NM169
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A012969
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS D002591

Bibliographic references

  • 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, 22 p.

  • Deposit

    Heiner, L.E., and Porter, Eve, 1972, Alaska Mineral Properties, volume 2: University of Alaska, Mineral Industry Research Laboratory Report 24, 669 p.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File report 78-93, 213 p.

  • Deposit

    Bundtzen, T.K., Reger, R.D., Laird, G.M., Pinney, D.S., Clautice, K.H., Liss, S.A., and Cruse, G.R., 1994, Progress report on the geology and mineral resources of the Nome mining district: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Public Data-File 94-39, 21 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

  • 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 = This report

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Alluvial placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 12-MAR-00 Hawley, C.C. and Hudson, Travis L. Hawley Resource Group