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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Sonora Creek

Prospect 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 10002109
MRDS ID A012973
Record type Site
Current site name Sonora Creek
Related records 10112061

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -165.92661, 64.60399 (WGS84)
Relative position Sonora Creek is a small 2-mile-long stream that flows south to Norton Sound about 4 miles west of the mouth of Cripple River. The placer on Sonora Creek is less than a mile from the coast at about the point where Sonora Creek flows onto the coastal plain (Heiner and Porter, 1972, Kardex site Kx 52-92; Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, 1982). The location is approximate, but probably within a half mile along the creek.

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-2(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) -165.92661, 64.60399
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Gold was discovered and claims located on Sonora Creek in 1900; there was some development work done in 1901 (Collier and others, 1908). Because this location is near where Sonora Creek flows onto a marine terrace of the Norton Sound coastal plain, coastal processes may have influenced placer development. Sainsbury and others (1972 [OFR 72-321]) mapped the bedrock in the area as schistose graphitic siltite, phyllite, and calcareous graywacke.
  • Age = Quaternary.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Nome

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Surface work; discovery in 1900 and some development in 1901 but there has apparently been little or no work since.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • 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

    Heiner, L.E., and Porter, Eve, 1972, Alaska Mineral Properties, volume 2: University of Alaska, Mineral Industry Research Laboratory Report 24, 669 p.

  • Deposit

    Sainsbury, C.L., Hudson, T.L., Ewing, Rodney, and Marsh, W.R., 1972, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Nome C-2 quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 72-321, 13 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.

  • Deposit

    Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, 1982, Mining claim location maps -- Nome quadrangle: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, 8 p., 3 sheets, scales 1:63,360 and 1:250,000.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Collier and others, 1908

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 12-MAR-00 Hawley, C.C. Hawley Resource Group
Reporter 12-MAR-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.