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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Arctic

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Antimony
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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 10001184
MRDS ID A011889
Record type Site
Current site name Arctic
Alternate or previous names Arctic Camp
Related records 10257671

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -156.38957, 67.18066 (WGS84)
Relative position Located east of VABM Riley on ridge above Kogoluktuk River in sec. 34, T. 21 N., R. 11 E., Kateel River Meridian. Shown as location 42 in Mayfield and Grybeck (1978). Accurate to within 600 ft. (200 m).???

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Northwest Arctic(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Ambler River A-1(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Ambler River SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Ambler River(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Kobuk River(hydrologic unit)

Kobuk-Selawik Rivers(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Copper Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Antimony Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stibnite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Tennantite Ore
Arsenopyrite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Talc Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Chlorite-rich rocks in footwall and surrounding the sulfides form an alteration zone containing a complex assemblage of barian fluorphlogopite, talc, Mg-chlorite, barite, phengite, quartz, and calcite (Schmidt, 1986).

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 184
USGS model code 28a
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, kuroko
Mark3 model number 93

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Ambler Sequence
    Rock description Ambler Sequence
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Devonian

Nearby scientific data

(1) Das
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = A syngenetic deposit hosted in a thick sequence of low to medium grade metamorphosed basaltic and rhyolitic rocks, submarine ash flow tuffs, volcaniclastic and minor plutonic rocks, and pelitic, carbonaceous and calcareous sedimentary rocks, known as the Ambler schist belt. These rocks are part of a large fold structure termed the Kalurivik arch. A Devonian or Mississippian age of mineralization is based both on fossil evidence and U-Pb radiometric dating (Hitzman and others, 1986, p.1592-1618).?This polymetallic, stratabound, volcanogenic deposit consists of tabular masses of banded massive and disseminated sulfides, one foot (0.3 m) to more than 55 ft. (18 m) thick, composed of 20% to 90% pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite, along with lesser amounts of pyrrhotite, chalcocite, bornite, galena, tennantite-tetrahedrite, arsenopyrite and stibnite. The sulfides are enclosed in calcareous talcose to quartzose lenses within a metavolcanic (rhyolitic) unit. The mineralized area is 3000 ft. by 2200 ft. (1030 m by 730 m), and about 270 ft. (90 m) thick. The massive sulfide occurrences are covered by a small gossan cap 9 ft. to 15 ft. (3 m to 5 m) deep (Schmidt, 1986, p. 1619-1643).
  • Age = Devonian-Mississippian

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Active

Mining district

District name Shungnak

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Reserves = Indicated reserves of 26 million tons grading 4.0% Cu, 5.5 % Zn, 1% Pb, 1.6 oz/ton (55 g/tonne) Ag, and 0.03oz./ton (0.69 g/tonne)Au (Eakins and others, 1985, p. 6).

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Explored by surface trenches and pits and diamond drill holes. Patented claims held by Kennecott Exploration. Extensive diamond drilling (more 65 holes) (Nana Development Corporation, written comm., 1997).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Hitzman and others, 1986

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Kuroko
Deposit Other Comments = Artic is one of several volcanogenic deposits in the Ambler schist belt along the south flank of the Brooks Range. The deposits may be part of a rifted continental margin (Schmidt, 1981, p. 548).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 29-APR-1997 K.R. Leonard U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 29-APR-1997 R.L. Elliott U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 29-APR-1997 J.M. Schmidt U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 29-APR-1997 S.W. Nelson 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.