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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Unnamed (on Red Mountain)

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Chromium, Nickel
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10000467
MRDS ID A010645
Record type Site
Current site name Unnamed (on Red Mountain)

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -151.49254, 59.34946 (WGS84)
Relative position The Red Mountain deposits consist of at least 30 known occurrences within a seven-square-mile area of ultramafic rocks. The center of the ultramafic rocks is section 28, T. 9 S., R. 13 W., of the Seward Meridian, which is about seven air miles southeast of Seldovia, Alaska. The area is accessable by a gravel road from Seldovia through the Windy River valley.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Kenai Peninsula(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Seldovia B-4(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Seldovia SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Seldovia C(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Resurrection River-Frontal Resurrection Bay(hydrologic unit)

Prince William Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Seldovia Native Association, Incorporated(ANCSA Village)

ANCSA Village NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary
Nickel Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Serpentzation occurs along the margin of the ultramafic body.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 16
USGS model code 8b
Deposit model name Podiform chromite (major)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Dunite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) -151.49254, 59.34946
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Red Mountain ultramafic complex covers about 7 square miles and is part of the informally named Border Ranges ultramafic and mafic complex of Burns (1985). The Jurassic Border Ranges complex is thought to be the dismembered basal section of an island arc complex (Burns, 1985) which extends from the tip of the Kenai Peninsula to east of Sutton, Alaska. ?The dunite body is a klippe thrust over the Cretaceous McHugh Complex graywackes and slates. The margin of the Red Mountain klippe is serpentized and the gross overall structure of the klippe is an elongated basin.? the Red Mountain ultramafic body is mostly dunite with some pyroxenite and garnet-pyroxenite layers (Guild, 1942). Chromite layers and lens up to 300 feet long and 60 feet wide are found only within the dunite. Generally, the layers strike northwest and dip steeply near the margins of the klippe and are nearly flat lying near the center of the body. ? There are over 30 identified chromite occurrences that occur in thin lens bands and pod within the dunite layers of the ultramafic body. Small scale folds and small scale normal faults commonly disrupt the chromite layers. The Cr/Fe ratio of the chromite generally varies from 2.6 to 3.6; at least 90% of the chromite is with these limits (Gill, 1922).
  • Age = Mesozoic; based on the age of the ultramafic body that host the deposit.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Homer?

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = Total production from 1943 to 1958 was 26,000 metric tons of ore containing 38 to 43 percent chrome; the Chrome Queen mine produced 6,650 tons and the Star No. 4 mine produced 19,350 tons (Foley and Barker, 1985).

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Reserves = About 26,000 million tons of ore containing from 38 to 43% chromite were produced between 1943 and 1958. The remaining reserve are estimated to be 1.5 million tons of contained chromic oxide in 33 deposits (Foley, 1992). About 88,000 million tons of chromic oxide are contained in 20 relative high-grade deposits with more than 20 percent chromite. The bulk of the reserves, 1.35 million tons are in three low-grade deposits that contain 5 to 6 percent chromic oxide (Foley, 1992). These are the Turner Stringer Zone, (1.13 million metric tons chromic oxide), the Star Stringer Zone (189,000 metric tons chromic oxide) and the Horseshoe Stringer Zone (26,000 metric tons chromic oxide) (Foley, 1992).

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The area was discovered about 1910 to 1915, and some minor development and production occurred in 1920 (Brooks, 1922). During WW II, the Bureau of Mines drilled over thirty diamond drill holes to evaluate the deposits. From 1942 to 1944, the Chrome Queen mine produced 6,650 tons of 40 to 42% chromite ore. ? Ongoing exploration continued through the late 1980's. Anaconda Minerals drilled six diamond drill holes in about 1982 and 83 which tested the Horseshoe Stringer Zone and the Turner Stringer Zone (Bill Ellis, 1999, Personal communcation). Anaconda Minerals also flew regional airborne geophysics in the early 1980's.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Gill, 1922; Guild, 1942

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Podiform chromite (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 8a)
Deposit Other Comments = There is little information regarding the actual mining of this deposit.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 09-MAR-1999 Jeff A. Huber U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Alaska resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.