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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Lower Snake River

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodity Gold
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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. Nearby scientific data
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Links to other databases
  12. Bibliographic references
  13. General comments
  14. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10002091
MRDS ID A012952
Record type Site
Current site name Lower Snake River

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -165.44299, 64.50567 (WGS84)
Relative position The lower part of Snake River was placer mined, in part in conjunction with deepening the river for navigation. This is locality 131 of Cobb (1972 [MF 463], 1978 [OFR 78-93]). The location of the mine is approximate. The map location is just east of the center of section 27, T. 11 S., R. 34 W., Kateel River Meridian.

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)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 119
USGS model code 39a
Deposit model name Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number 54

Nearby scientific data

(1) Qs
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Fine gold was discovered on the bars of lower Snake River about July 28, 1898 (Schrader and Brooks, 1900). This discovery led to further prospecting in September, 1898, and to the subsequent major discoveries in Glacier Creek (NM220), Rock Creek (NM209), and Anvil Creek (NM236). Attempts were made to dredge gold along the lower river in 1900 and 1904 (Collier and others, 1908, p. 170). Dredges operated in the lower river between 1919 (Harrington, 1921, p. 232-233) and 1924 (Smith, 1926). Dredging in 1919 was maily to deepen the channel, but gold was recovered during this operation. This part of Snake River reworks coastal plain deposits, and some richer gold concentrations may at least locally have been present.
  • Age = Holocene.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Probably inactive

Mining district

District name Nome

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Remnants of dredge tailings may locally be present.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Schrader, F.C., and Brooks, A.H., 1900, Preliminary report on the Cape Nome gold region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Special Publication, 56 p.

  • Deposit

    Collier, A. J., Hess, F.L., Smith, P.S., and Brooks, A.H., 1908, The gold placers of parts of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, including the Nome, Council, Kougarok, Port Clarence, and Goodhope precincts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 328, 343 p.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1926, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1924: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 783-A, p. 1-39.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-463, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File report 78-93, 213 p.

  • Deposit

    Harrington, G.L., 1921, Mining on Seward Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714-F, p. 229-237.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Cobb, 1978 (OFR 78-93)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Alluvial placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).

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.

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.