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Naginak Cove

Occurrence in Alaska, United States with commodities Copper, Molybdenum, Silver, Gold, Zinc
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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. 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 10003281
MRDS ID A106023
Record type Site
Current site name Naginak Cove

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -166.83238, 53.6691 (WGS84)
Relative position West and northwest side of Naginak Cove, off Anderson Bay on Unalaska Island. Anomalies no. 23 and 24 of Christie (1974).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Unalaska B-3 NE(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Unalaska NW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Unalaska SE(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Molybdenum Primary
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Zinc Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Chlorite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Quartz-sericite-pyrite and weak propylitic (pyrite-chlorite +/- epidote) alteration around quartz veins. Leaching is slight to moderate.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 53
USGS model code 17
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu
Mark3 model number 4
Model code 105
USGS model code 25a-d
Deposit model name Epithermal vein, generic
Mark3 model number 119

Nearby scientific data

(1) -166.83238, 53.6691
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = This site corresponds to two color anomalies as reported by Christie (1974). The first color anomaly is 4,000 ft (1,200 m) by 2,000 ft (600 m) in size and located on a gossan that occurs along the contact between granodiorite of the Shaler batholith and hornfelsed volcanic rocks of the Unalaska Formation (see Drewes and others, 1961). Christie (1974) reported that alaskite and granodiorite (including some aplite) dikes associated with the Shaler batholith are common; five or six 10 ft to 30 ft (3 to 9 m) wide dikes of which were mapped within this anomaly area. A stockwork of intense pyrite veining occurs in the vicinity of the dikes as do some quartz veins having sericite-pyrite envelopes occur. A feldspar porphyry dike(?) is reported as showing weak propylitic alteration. Only copper (mineral) seen was in a single piece of float in creek, it had chalcopyrite as fracture filling and pyrite-chalcopyrite as disseminations in the adjacent wall rock.?In a second area to the south of the above color anomaly, a triangular color anomaly 3,000 ft (900 m) north-south by 1,500 ft (450 m) east-west shows a clear relationship between a sulfide system and a quartz-eye porphyry dike. The color anomaly is cut off on the east by the sea, where it is widest and most intense. The dike narrows is divided into a number of narrow stringers in the west and widens to the east where it may grade into a feldspar (+/- quartz-eyes) porphyry. Alteration are most intense and sulfides are most common where the dike is widest on east. Pyrite occurs within the dike and the immediately adjacent wall rock as veins having envelopes of quartz sericite alteration. Chalcopyrite, pyrite, and chlorite occur in veins and disseminations less than 50 ft (15 m) from the dike contact. Christie (1974 mentions a mineralized zone 200 ft by 800 ft (61 m by 244 m) in maximum size and that most of the rock in this zone contains no chalcopyrite. It is not clear what the relationship of this mineralized zone has to other parts of the described color anomaly.?Fracturing is moderately intense in both areas.
  • Age = Miocene or younger

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Aleutians

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Reconnaissance geologic mapping and limited soil sampling. Two samples reported by Christie (1974) had 7 and 16 ppm molybdenum, 146 and 175 ppm copper, 84 and 290 ppm zinc, 1.8 and 2.1 ppm silver, and 0.03 and 0.05 ppm gold. In the southern part of the area, samples had concentrations ranging up to 16 ppm molybdenum, 510 ppm copper, 680 ppm zinc, 2.0 ppm silver, and 0.03 ppm gold.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Drewes, Harold, Fraser, G.D., Snyder, G.L., and Barnett, H.F., Jr., 1961, Geology of Unalaska Island and adjacent insular shelf, Aleutian Islands, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1028-S, p. 583-676.

  • Deposit

    Christie, J.S., 1974, Aleut-Quintana-Duval 1974 joint venture, final report: Unpublished Quintana Minerals Corporation report, 24 p., 3 appendices, 2 maps. (Report held by the Aleut Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska.)

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Christie, 1974

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Copper porphyry, epithermal gold vein
Deposit Model Number = 17, 25
Deposit Other Comments = the analytical data from very limited sampling indicate further of evaluation of this area for epithermal gold veins is probably warranted.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 20-MAY-1996 Damon Bickerstaff U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 20-MAY-1996 F.H. Wilson U.S. Geological Survey

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.