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Mertie Lode Prospect

Occurrence in Alaska, United States with commodities Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, Gold, Silver
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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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10001346
MRDS ID A012087
Record type Site
Current site name Mertie Lode Prospect
Alternate or previous names Funter Bay Nickel-Copper Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -134.85785, 58.23141 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Hoonah-Angoon(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Juneau A-3(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Juneau SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Juneau(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Admiralty Island(hydrologic unit)

Central Southeast Alaska(hydrologic accounting unit)

Southeast Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Tongass National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • BEST LOCATION: USBM RI 3950; SLIGHTLY N AND 2400 FT E OF ADMIRALTY-ALASKA GOLD LODE ADIT ON W SLOPE OF ROBERT BARREN PEAK 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 Secondary
Gold Tertiary
Silver Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF CU AND NI ARE PROBABLY IN OLIVINE AND PYRRHOTITE; USGS BULL 936-0, P. 354

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pentlandite Ore
Hornblende Gangue
Labradorite Gangue
Olivine Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Quartz-Mica Schist Altered To Ortho Clase-Cordierite Hornfels 50-150 Ft From Contact With Gabbro

Analytical data

Result 16 CHANNEL SAMPLES OVER 90 FT SECTION OF MERTIE ADIT AVERAGED 0.46 % NI, 0.41% CU, 0.13% CO AND CONTAINED MINOR VALUES IN AU AND AG
Result RATIO OF NI: CO RANGED FROM 3.1 TO 6.1
Result USBM RI 3950, P. 8-9 AND FIG. 2

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro > Norite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Hornblendite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -134.85785, 58.23141
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Gabbro Pipe Crops Out On The Ne Limb Of Funter Bay Anticline
Type of structure Local
Structure description 3 Faults Offset The Gabbro Body, On The Order Of 10-20 Ft Displacements

Ore body information

  • General form PIPE
    Plunge 30
    Plunge direction S 80 E
    Thickness 38.1M
    Length 274.32M
    Width 60.96M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Sulfide-Rich Gabbro Is Localized Along The Keel Of The Pipe

Comments on the geologic information

  • DEPOSIT IS IN GABBRO-NORITE PIPE INTRUDED INTO HIGHLY FOLDED QUARTZ-MICA SCHIST INTERBEDDED WITH PHYLLITE; MOST OF PIPE IS COMPOSED OF SULFIDE-POOR AUGITE GABBRO AND NORITE; SULFIDE-RICH OLIVINE-HORNBLENDE GABBRO CONFINED TO POORLY DEFINED ZONE ALONG KEEL OF THE PIPE

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1919
Discoverer J.B. Mertie (Usgs)

Mining district

District name Admiralty/Funter Bay

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 371.55M
    Overall length 274.32M
    Overall width 60.96M

Comments on the workings information

  • 126 FT ADIT AND 5400 FT OF DD-HOLES, (1928); DMEA WORK (1951-1956): 1093 FT OF DRIFTS AND CROSSCUTS, 308 FT LONG-HOLE DRILLING, 5742 FT OF DIAMOND DRILLING AND 5325 CF OF EXCAVATION FOR UNDERGROUND DRILL SITES

Comments on development

  • WAR EAGLE EXTENSION NO. 2 CLAIM ACQUIRED BY ADMIRALTY-ALASKA AS LODE GOLD PROSPECT IN 1918; GABBRO PIPE DISCOVERED ON PROPERTY IN 1919; PROSPECT HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY EXPLORED; 126 FT CROSSCUT (MERTIE ADIT)AND 5400 FT OF DRILLING IN 9 DD-HOLES IN 1928; USBM BENEFICIATION TESTS AND SAMPLING IN EARLY 1940'S; COMPREHENSIVE DMEA EXPLORATION 1951-1956

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit GABBRO-NORITE PIPE WITH ELLIPTICAL CROSS SECTION EXPLORED FOR ABOUT 900 FT DOWN DIP; MAJOR AXIS RANGES BETWEEN 60-200 FT; NI-BEARING PYRRHOTITE, PENTLANDITE AND CHALCOPYRITE CONCENTRATED IN OLIVINE-HORNBLENDE- LABRADORITE GABBRO ALONG KEEL OF THE PIPE; VOLUMES OF SULFIDES IN SULFIDE-RICH GABBRO: 27% PYRRHOTITE, 2.6% PENTLANDITE, 2.5% CHALCOPYRITE AND 0.4% PYRITE; HIGHEST GRADE ORE IS IN ELLIPSOIDAL BODY OF GABBRO [360 FT X 60 FT X 40 FT] BELIEVED TO CONTAIN FROM 1 TO 2% COMBINED NI AND CU; OTHER PARTS OF PIPE COMPOSED OF SULFIDE POOR AUGITE GABBRO AND NORITE
Deposit MARGINAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL; GRADE TOO LOW AND TONNAGE TOO SMALL T O BE OF MUCH SIGNIFICANCE; SEE ALSO: ADMIRALTY-ALASKA ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1985 Leonard, Kenneth R. (Elliott, R. L.) 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.