Stipek and Kotovic (divide between Glacier and Rock Creeks)

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Tungsten
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. 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 10001991
MRDS ID A012835
Record type Site
Current site name Stipek and Kotovic (divide between Glacier and Rock Creeks)

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -165.41578, 64.60206 (WGS84)
Relative position The approximate location of the Stipek and Kotovic prospect is between 150 and 350 feet elevation on the south flank of Mount Byrntson. The map location is at 300 feet elevation on the divide between Glacier and Rock Creeks, in the east-central part of section 23, T. 10 S., R. 34 W., Kateel River Meridian. It is locality 7 of Hummel (1962 [MF 247]), who erroneously called it the Hot Air prospect. It is included with other Rock Creek area prospects in locality 43 of Cobb (1972 [MF 463]; 1978 [OFR 78-93]) and is one of three prospects numbered 14 by Cathcart (1922, figure 18 and p. 241). The location is accurate to about 500 feet.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nome(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Nome C-1(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Solomon NW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Nome(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Nome(hydrologic unit)

Norton Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Sitnasuak Native Corporation(ANCSA Village)

ANCSA Village NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Tungsten Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Albite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Albitization and sulfidization of schist.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Nearby scientific data

(1) Pzncs

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Massive quartz veins and mineralized schist subcrop on the divide between Glacier Creek and Rock Creek. The general trend of the deposit is northeast, more or less parallel to the ridge. The prospect was developed around 1916 by Stipek and Kotovic (Mertie, 1918). Mertie (1918) reported the occurrence of scheelite at this location and thought the deposit was similar to that of Sophie Gulch (NM208). Cathcart (1922, figure 32, p. 241) found a quartz-feldspar vein containing pyrite and arsenopyrite exposed in a trench. The deposit was again prospected from 1985 to 1995 in the period of exploration initiated by geologist R.V. Bailey. The prospect is within the extensive gold-antimony soil geochemical anomaly identified by BHP in 1990 and by Kennecott Exploration Company in 1994 and 1995. This anomaly is essentially continuous on the lower slopes east of Snake River from Glacier Creek (NM220) to Lindblom Creek (NM205) and discontinuous to Goodluck Gulch (NM202). The prospect was trenched and drilled by Placer Dome in 1987 and 1988. Their exploration showed that this deposit is low grade and characterized by massive bull quartz veins, extensive albitization, and introduction of arsenopyrite. Some white vein quartz contains less than 1 percent galena. Exposures are poor; bedrock is mainly chloritic mica-quartz schist and some graphitic quartz schist, generally related to the chlorite-rich metaturbidite unit of Bundtzen and others (1994).
  • Age = Probably mid-Cretaceous or younger; see NM207.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Probably inactive

Mining district

District name Nome

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = Some scheelite may have been produced in 1916.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The area was prospected by Stipek and Kotovic before 1916 by shallow pits and shafts (Mertie, 1918 [B 662-I, p. 425-449]; Cathcart, 1922). Renewed exploration began in 1985; Placer Dome drilled several shallow holes in the area in 1987-88.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Cathcart, 1922

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Low-sulfide Au-quartz veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 10-JUL-00 Hawley, C.C. Hawley Resource Group
Reporter 10-JUL-00 Travis L. Hudson Hawley Resource Group

Beyond USGS

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

Authoritative Alaska resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.