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Daniels Creek

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. Host and associated rocks
  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 10002865
MRDS ID A015349
Record type Site
Current site name Daniels Creek
Related records 10185389

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -148.53094, 64.10157 (WGS84)
Relative position The Daniels Creek mine is located in sections 28 and 33, T. 9 S., R. 5 W., Fairbanks Meridian. The coordinates given are along the lower part of the creek where most placer mining took place. The creek is about 12 miles east-southeast of Rex Dome. The mine is locality 72 of Cobb (1972 [MF 410]).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Denali(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Fairbanks A-4(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Fairbanks S(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Fairbanks C(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

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

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist

Nearby scientific data

(1) -148.53094, 64.10157
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The following description is summarized from Maddren (1918, p. 388-391). Placer claims were located widely along Daniels Creek as early as 1905; however, most production came from claims located along the lower mile of the creek. Most of the placer gold of Daniels Creek is somewhat rounded or worn. Daniels Creek is approximately 4 miles long and flows into the Totatlanika River from the southwest. The upper valley is composed of two headwater branches that have eroded deep gulches into the California Creek Member of the Totatlanika Schist, which consists of gray quartz-orthoclase-sericite schist and augen gneiss (Wahrhaftig, 1970 [GQ-810]). The middle part of the creek is eroded in slightly consolidated coal-bearing sediments that are overlain by the Nenana Gravel. From the junction of the headwater branches to its mouth, a distance of about 2 miles, the stream has cut 100 feet or more below the base of these sedimentary units and into harder and much older schist. The lower quarter mile of the creek is confined in a narrow, rocky gorge whose walls are several hundred feet high and composed of gravel that overlies schist. The gold at Daniels Creek is 817 fine (Glover, 1950).
  • Age = Quaternary placer.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Bonnifield

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = There is no information available on production.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The following description is summarized from Maddren (1918, p. 388-391). The first mining was reported to have been done in 1914 by two men on the lower end of No. 1 above Discovery (which is at the mouth of the creek). The work on this claim consisted of a sluice box and a small automatic dam that was used to work a cut 40 feet wide by 200 feet long through about 4 feet of gravels. About $1,500 worth of gold (about 72.5 ounces) was mined from this cut. During 1916, three men mined on the lower part of claim No. 3 above Discovery (about one-half mile above the previous workings). The first dam was destroyed by a flood, and the second one had only been in operation a few days at the time of Maddren's visit. At that time, a cut from 20 to 40 feet in width and 300 feet in length had been partly ground sluiced. In 1925, an automatic gate was in use (Wimmler, 1925 [ATDM MR 195-8, p. 43]).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Maddren, A.G., 1918, Gold placers near the Nenana coal field: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, p. 363-402.

  • Deposit

    Martin, G.C., 1920, The Alaska mining industry in 1918: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-A, p. 1-52.

  • Deposit

    Brooks, A.H., 1922, The Alaska mining industry in 1920: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 722-A, p. 1-74.

  • Deposit

    Brooks, A.H., 1923, The Alaska mining industry in 1921: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 739, p. 1-50.

  • Deposit

    Wimmler, N.L., 1925, Placer mining in Alaska in 1925: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-8, 118 p.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813, p. 1-72.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929, in Smith, P.S., and others Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824-A, p. 1-81.

  • Deposit

    Glover, A.E., 1950, Placer gold fineness: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-1, 38 p.

  • Deposit

    Wahrhaftig, Clyde, 1970, Geologic map of the Fairbanks A-4 quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Map GQ-810, 1 sheet, scale 1:63:360.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-410, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-662, 174 p.

  • Deposit

    Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813-A, p. 1-72.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Maddren, 1918

General comments

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

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 31-JUL-2001 J.R. Guidetti Schaefer Avalon Development Corporation
Reporter 31-JUL-2001 C.J. Freeman Avalon Development Corporation

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.