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

Spirit Mountain Prospect

Occurrence in Alaska, United States with commodities Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, Silver, Platinum, Zinc
Map
XML
JSON
KML
A
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10000849
MRDS ID A011502
Record type Site
Current site name Spirit Mountain Prospect
Alternate or previous names Canyon Creek
Related records 10209859

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -144.26307, 61.30908 (WGS84)
Relative position 1 MI S OF RIGHT ANGLE BEND IN CANYON CR.; ON W SIDE, 350 TO 750 FT ABOVE CREEK

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Valdez-Cordova(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Valdez B-1(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Valdez SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Valdez(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Lower Copper River(hydrologic unit)

Copper River(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Ahtna, Incorporated(ANCSA Region)

ANCSA Region NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park(National Park)

National Park NPS(Type of land area)

NPS(Federal land areas administered by NPS)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • BEST LOCATION: ADGGS GR 40, FIG. 3. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Copper Primary
Cobalt Critical Tertiary
Silver Tertiary
Platinum Critical Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • AS ABUNDANT IN SOME SAMPLES; MINOR ANOMALOUS CO, AG AND PT GROUP ELEMENTS, ESPECIALLY PD, DETECTED IN ANALYSIS; UP TO 20 PPM AG PRESENT INSOME SAMPLES

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bravoite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pentlandite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Antigorite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Talc Gangue
Tremolite Gangue

Analytical data

Result 0.09 TO 7.61% NI, 0.06 TO 1.56% CU, 0.18% CO IN ONE SAMPLE, USGS BULL 943, P. 56
Result 0.88% NI, 0.89% CU IN DISSEMINATED ORE FROM OPEN CUT ON PERIDOTITE BODY, ADGGS GR40, P. 6

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Strelna Formation;Strelna Formation
    Rock description Strelna Formation;Strelna Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Pyroxenite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Cretaceous
    Chronological age 123
    Dating method K-Ar
    Type of media Biotite

Nearby scientific data

(1) KJse
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Spirit Mountain Thrust Fault
Type of structure Local
Structure description Major Fault At N40e With Dip Of 45 Nw; Cut By Set Of Smaller Perpendicular Faults

Ore body information

  • General form LENTICULAR
    Thickness 0.91M
    Length 3.66M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Basic And Ultrabasic Dikes And Sills Along Trend Of Major Thrust Zone

Comments on the geologic information

  • BELT OF SMALL BASIC AND ULTRABASIC SILLS CUT AMPHIBOLITE FACIES AND RETROGRADE GREENSCHIST FACIES SCHISTS AND LIMESTONES OF MISSISSIPPIAN STRELNA FORMATION ALONG A MAJOR N DIPPING THRUST ZONE; INTRUSIVES RANGE IN COMPOSITION FROM MAFIC QUARTZ DIORITE TO HORNBLENDITE, PERIDOTITE AND PYROXENITE. STRELNA FORMATION (MISS): METAMORPHOSED SCHIST AND LIMESTONE INTRUDED BY BASIC AND ULTRABASIC SILLS. AGE OF PERIDOTITE AND PYROXENITE CRET (K/AR, 123+/-4 M. Y. , BIOTITE HORNFELS ADJACENT TO PERIDOTITE), USGS OFR 80-892A.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1907

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1945
    Total resources 340000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 0.22 wt-pct Nickel Major 1945
    Copper Cu 0.12 wt-pct Copper Major 1945
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1945
    Total resources 7000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 7.61 wt-pct Nickel Major 1945
    Copper Cu 1.56 wt-pct Copper Major 1945
    Cobalt Co 0.18 wt-pct Cobalt Trace 1945
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1945
    Total resources 2000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 0.88 wt-pct Nickel Major 1945
    Copper Cu 0.89 wt-pct Copper Major 1945
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1945
    Total resources 30000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.03 wt-pct Nickel Major 1945
    Copper Cu 1.42 wt-pct Copper Major 1945

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • USGS BULL 1223, P. 39 LISTS RESERVES AS APPROXIMATELY 6500 TONS OF ORE WITH 0.7% NI AND 0.5% CU

Comments on the workings information

  • EXPLORED BY SHALLOW PITS AND A SHORT ADIT DRIVEN BEFORE 1917

Comments on development

  • WELL EXPLORED PROSPECT; DEVELOPED ON SMALL SCALE AS A COPPER PROSPECT BETWEEN 1907 AND 1917; RE EXAMINED IN 1942 BY USGS AS NI PROSPECT; 6 CLAIMS RELOCATED BY PROSPECTORS IN 19654; DRILLED BY INDUSTRY IN 1960S, RESULTS UNKNOWN

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit NICKEL AND COPPER-BEARING SULFIDES IN DISSEMINATED INTERSTITIAL GRAINS AND SMALL MASSIVE LENSES; HOSTED IN DISCONTINUOUS SILL-LIKE BODIESOF ALTERED PERIDOTITE AND PYROXENITE; MASSIVE SULFIDES IN STRINGERS ANDLENSES RANGING FROM LESS THAN 1 IN TO A FEW FT IN THICKNESS; LARGEST LENS REPORTED 3 FT BY 12 FT
Deposit LISTED AS MAJOR ALASKAN PROSPECT IN ADGGS SR33 ALTHOUGH TO DATE KNOWN DEPOSIT IS TOO SMALL AND TOO LOW GRADE TO BE CONSIDERED ECONOMIC ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1985 Leonard, Kenneth R. (Elliott, R. L.) U.S. Geological Survey PARSED DATA INTO WORKINGS AND ORE BODY MULTIVALUED FIELDS
Editor 14-APR-1994 Mosier, Dan U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 30-MAY-1995 Waller, Nichelle (Mosier, Dan) 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.