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Windy Creek

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Molybdenum, Lead, Zinc, Silver, Barium-Barite, REE, Tin
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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 10001921
MRDS ID A012754
Record type Site
Current site name Windy Creek
Related records 10232963

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -162.5933, 65.13936 (WGS84)
Relative position This prospect is on the west side of the Windy Creek stock. It is on the ridge crest at an elevation 1,725 feet between the headwater forks of the major north tributary to Mosquito Creek. Mosquito Creek drains westward from headwaters in the northern Darby Mountains to the Fish River in McCarthy's Marsh. This is approximately located; it is sample locality 8 of Miller and others (1971). This location covers localities 47 and 48 of Gamble (1988).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nome(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Bendeleben A-2(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Bendeleben SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Bendeleben(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Nome(hydrologic unit)

Norton Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Molybdenum Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Silver Secondary
Barium-Barite Critical Secondary
REE Critical Secondary
Tin Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Fluorite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Alteration in the intrusive rocks includes limonite staining, weak to strong sericitization of plagioclase, and variable chloritization and sericitization of hornblende (Till and others, 1986).

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 80
USGS model code 21b
Deposit model name Porphyry Mo, low-F

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Hornblendite
    Rock unit name Windy Creek Pluton
    Rock description Windy Creek Pluton
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Hornblendite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -162.5933, 65.13936
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = This propect is in the west part of the Windy Creek stock, a mid-Cretaceous composite pluton of quartz monzonite, monzonite, syenite and some melanite-bearing nepheline syenite (Miller and others, 1971; 1972). Latite and greenish quartz porphyry, both commonly pyritiferous, and biotite granodiorite dikes locally crosscut the alkalic-related phases of the Windy Creek stock (Miller and others, 1971; 1972; Till and others, 1986). Roof pendants of metamorphic rocks are present. Miller and others (1971) collected five samples over a distance of about 2 miles. A sample of an oxidized quartz vein, their sample locality 8, contained 1,500 ppm Mo, 3,000 ppm Pb, 1,500 ppm Zn, 500 ppm Sn, 3 ppm Ag, and greater than 1,000 ppm La. The other four samples collected by Miller and others (1971) included quartz veins, quartz-veined monzonite, and oxidized aphanitic intrusive rock. Except for the aphanitic intrusive rock, these samples contained anomalous metal contents including up to 7 ppm Ag, greater than 5,000 ppm Ba, 15,000 ppm Pb, 700 ppm Mo, and 150 ppm Sn. In general, the west side of the Windy Creek stock is fractured and both quartz-sulfide and quartz-fluorite-sulfide veins are present (Till and others, 1986). Rare quartz veins up to 5 inches wide contain up to several percent fluorite, 1 to 2 percent molydenite, galena, and sphalerite. Thin quartz veinlets containing pyrite, fluorite, molybdenite, scheelite, and minor galena and sphalerite are more common although stockwork vein systems have not been observed (Till and others, 1986). Alteration in the intrusive rocks includes limonite staining, weak to strong sericitization of plagioclase, and variable chloritization and sericitization of hornblende (Till and others, 1986). This area was staked in the 1970's as a potential porphyry molybdenum prospect.
  • Age = Mid-Cretaceous; the Windy Creek stock is inferred to be mid-Cretaceous based on similarities to the Granite Mountain stock to the east in the Candle quadrangle (Miller and others, 1971).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Council

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = No workings are known but mining claims were staked in the area in the 1970's.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Miller, T.P., Elliott, R.L., Grybeck, D.J., and Hudson, T.L., 1971, Results of geochemical sampling in the northern Darby Mountains, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 478, 12 p.

  • Deposit

    Miller, T.P., Grybeck, D.J., Elliott, R.L., and Hudson, T.L., 1972, Preliminary geologic map of the eastern Solomon and southeastern Bendeleben quadrangles, eastern Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 72-256, 11 p.

  • Deposit

    Till, A.B., Dumoulin, J.A., Gamble, B. ., Kaufman, D.S., and Carroll, P.I., 1986, Preliminary geologic map and fossil data, Soloman, Bendeleben, and southern Kotzebue quadrangles, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 86-276, 10 p., 3 plates, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Gamble, B.M., 1988, Non-placer mineral occurrences in the Solomon, Bendeleben, and southern part of the Kotzebue quadrangles, western Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Map MF-1838-B, 13 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Miller and others, 1971

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Porphyry Mo, low-F ? (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 21b ?) However, the prospect is associated with an alkalic intrusive rock complex and highly polymetallic in character.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 15-MAR-1999 Travis L. Hudson Applied Geology

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Alaska resources

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