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Hopeful Gulch

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Bismuth, Tungsten
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10308972
MRDS ID A015702
Record type Site
Current site name Hopeful Gulch
Related records 10003168

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -160.7622, 64.54948 (WGS84)
Relative position Hopeful Gulch is a short, west tributary to the Ungalik River that is not named on U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps. It is opposite the mouth of Bonanza Creek (NR008). The coordinates are for the abandoned mine camp marked on the Norton River C-4 topographic map (1950). Hopeful Gulch is locality 2 of Cobb (1972 [MF 381]). The location is accurate within 500 feet.
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Bismuth Primary
Tungsten Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Amalgam Ore
Bismuthinite Ore
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Wolframite 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) -160.7622, 64.54948
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The country rocks in the vicinity of Hopeful Gulch consist of Cretaceous, medium to fine-grained, mottled, dark gray diorite composed mostly of quartz, feldspar, and biotite. Disseminated pyrite is also present (Anderson, 1944). Anderson (1944) lists the following minerals in concentrates from Hopeful Gulch (in order of abundance): magnetite, epidote, apatite, scheelite, bismuthinite, wolframite, garnet, hornblende, zircon, feldspars, chlorite, augite, gold, amalgam, and calcite. Gold was discovered nearby on Bonanza Creek (NR008) in 1889 and that area was mined until at least 1918. The Ungalik River (NR008) was mined intermittently until 1987 or 1988 (Bundtzen and others, 1992). Although there is no record of mining at Hopeful Gulch, some probably took place in the early 1900s.
  • Age = Quaternary. The source of the gold, bismuthinite, scheelite, and wolframite in the concentrates may be the contact zone of the diorite (Cobb, 1973 [B 1374]).

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 Koyuk

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = Although there is no record of mining at Hopeful Gulch, some probably took place in the early 1900s.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Alaska Resource Data File ARDF NR010
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A015702
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS D002615

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Anderson, Eskil, 1944, Petrographic descriptions of rocks collected during 1944 field investigation in north-west Alaska, and lists of ore and rock samples and placer concentrates collected in northwestern and interior Alaska during 1945 field season: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-28, 76 p.

  • Deposit

    Anderson, Eskil, 1947, Mineral occurrences other than gold deposits in northwestern Alaska: Alaska Territorial Division of Mines Pamphlet 5-R, 48 p.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Candle, Holy Cross, Norton Bay, Nulato, and Unalakleet quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-866, 102 p.

  • Deposit

    Bundtzen, T.K., Swainbank, R.C., Wood, J.E., Clough, A.H., 1991 (1992), Alaska's Mineral Industry 1991: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Special Report 46, 89 p.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Norton Bay quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-381, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Anderson, 1944

General comments

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

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 07-AUG-01 Cameron, C.E. Northern Associates Inc.