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Sun

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Copper, Lead, Zinc
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Links to other databases
  13. Bibliographic references
  14. General comments
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10001201
MRDS ID A011912
Record type Site
Current site name Sun
Alternate or previous names Picnic Creek, Hot

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -155.04341, 67.06958 (WGS84)
Relative position This site represents several prospects in an approximately 12-square-mile area northeast of Beaver Creek. The coordinates are for the center of the area in the SE1/4 of sec. 1, T. 19 N, R. 17 E., of the Kateel River Meridian. The location is accurate to within 2000 ft. The site corresponds to localities 68 and 69 of Grybeck and Nelson (1981).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Northwest Arctic(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Survey Pass A-5(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Survey Pass S(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Survey Pass(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

Comments on the commodity information

  • Gangue = ferroan calcite
  • Gangue = ferroan dolomite
  • Gangue = ferrostilpnomelane

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Bornite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Actinolite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Muscovite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tremolite Gangue
Cymrite Gangue

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 Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence
    Rock description Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence
    Rock description Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence;Package Sequence

Nearby scientific data

(1) -155.04341, 67.06958
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The deposit consists of stratiform, banded, massive to semi-massive sulfides in a series of elongate, SW-plunging, lenticular bodies along three distinct mineral horizons. An upper horizon is Ag-Pb-Zn rich, a middle horizon is Cu-rich, and a lower horizon is Cu-Zn rich. According to Zdepski (1980), the Sun prospect is in a 5000-foot-thick sequence of Devonian felsic to andesitic volcanic, volcaniclastics, and intercalated pelitic sedimentary rocks separated into upper and lower units by calcareous metabasite beds of variable thickness. The upper unit of metarhyolite and related rocks contains all of the identified massive sulfides; the lower unit is dominantly pelitic schist and metarhyolite.
  • Age = Devonian, based on radiometric and fossil determinations.

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 = According to D. Heatwole (oral communication, 1979), the Sun deposit has a gross metal value of about $1.6 billion and the deposit is still open on two sides.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Drilling and unpublished detailed mapping by industry until the late 1970's.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Garland, R.E., Eakins, G.R., Trible, T.C., and McClintock, W.W., 1975, Geochemical analysis of rock and stream-sediment samples from Survey Pass A-4, A-5, A-6, B-4, B-5, and B-6 quadrangles: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Open-File Report 67, 4 p, 4 sheets, scale 1:63,360.

  • Deposit

    Sicherman, H.A., Russell, R.H., and Fikkan, P.R., 1976, The geology and mineralization of the Ambler district, Alaska: Spokane, Wash., Bear Creek Mining Company, 22 p.

  • Deposit

    Marrs, C.D., 1978, Geology of the Sun massive sulfide deposit, Ambler district, Alaska [abs.]: Northwest Mining Association, 84th Annual Convention, Spokane, Washington, Nov. 29-Dec. 2, 1978.

  • Deposit

    Smith, T.E., Profett, J.M., Heatwole, D.A., and Seklemian, R.W., 1977, Geologic setting of base metal massive sulfide deposits, Ambler district, northwest Alaska [abs.]: Alaska Geological Society Symposium, 6th, Anchorage, April 1977, Abstracts with Program, p. 41-42.

  • Deposit

    Smith, T.E., Profett, J.M., and Heatwole, D.A., 1979, Ambler schist belt of northwest Alaska--host terrane for volcanogenic base metal massive sulfide deposits of mid-Paleozoic age [abs.]: Geoscience Forum, 7th, Whitehorse,. Yukon Territory, December 1979, Abstracts, p. 6.

  • Deposit

    Zdepski, J.M., 1980, Stratigraphy, mineralogy and zonal relations of the Sun massive-sulfide deposit, Ambler district, northwest Alaska: University of Alaska, Fairbanks, M.Sc. thesis, 93 p.

  • Deposit

    Grybeck, D.J., and Nelson, S.W., 1981, Mineral deposit map of the Survey Pass quadrangle, Brooks Range, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1176-F, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Zpedski, 1980

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Kuroko massive sulfide (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 28a)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 04-OCT-1999 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.