Thunder Creek

Occurrence in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Tin, Tungsten, Arsenic

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Commodities
Materials information
Mineral occurrence model information
Nearby scientific data
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Links to other databases
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10009624
MRDS ID	D002713
Record type	Site
Current site name	Thunder Creek

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-151.00168, 62.48565 (WGS84)
Relative position	U. S. Bureau of Mines (1998) shows this occurrence in the southeast quarter of Section 30, T. 28 N., R. 9 W., of the Seward Meridian. This locality is downstream about 0.6 miles from TL058. These two occurrences are two separate areas of placer workings, and appropriately assigned their own ARDF numbers, despite the confusing use of the same name twice.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Matanuska-Susitna(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Talkeetna B-3(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Talkeetna SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Talkeetna C(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Yentna River(hydrologic unit)

Susitna River(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country	State
United States	Alaska

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Gold	Primary
Tin Critical	Primary
Tungsten Critical	Primary
Arsenic Critical	Secondary

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Arsenopyrite	Ore
Cassiterite	Ore
Gold	Ore
Scheelite	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)	-151.00168, 62.48565	ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

Geologic Description = This occurrence is located about 0.6 miles downstream on Thunder Creek from another occurrence also called Thunder Creek (TL058). No published description of this locality is available. The description for the other Thunder Creek location (TL058), given below, contains more details on the nature of the placer deposit, and because of its proximity, probably applies to this occurrence also.? Clark and Hawley (1968) describe placer gold associated with an auriferous white quartz conglomerate and breccia deposits at Thunder Creek. The conglomerate is composed of angular quartz fragments mixed with a few rounded quartz and lithic pebbles in fine siliceous clay matrix. Thin layers of lignite are present within the conglomerate which indicate a Tertiary age (Clark and Hawley, 1968). ? the white quartz conglomerate placers (e.g. Willow Creek (TL042), Thunder Creek (TL032), and Dollar Creek (TL031)) represent the oldest placers in the Cache Creek area. Capps (1925) describes the white quartz conglomerate as the basal unit of the Tertiary Kenai Formation. However Clark and Hawley (1968) suggest that the white quartz conglomerate is older and that the Kenai Group was deposited on it. They believe the auriferous conglomerate is near its original source in part because the characteristics of the gold show a common source that has not moved far or has not been reworked. Further, they indicate that the conglomerate is a product of shearing and weathering in situ of argillic altered, auriferous Tertiary quartz porphyry intrusive rocks and associated quartz veins that were emplaced along northeast, high angle normal faults. The lineaments in Dutch and Cache Creeks represent two of these faults. From these paleo-channels gold was reconcentrated into Cache Creek in more recent time. (Mertie, 1919; Clark and Hawley, 1968; C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978). ? Reed and others (1978) indicate that hydrothermally altered zones similar to those in Thunder Creek are observed along Dollar (TL031) and Thunder Creek (TL058), at the headwaters of Treasure (TL030), Dutch (TL033) and Bear Creeks (TL017) and at an unnamed locality east of McDoel Peak (TL053).
Age = Tertiary and Pleistocene.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status	Occurrence
Commodity type	Metallic

Mining district

District name	Yentna

Comments on the workings information

Workings / Exploration = The drainage has been prospected and mined by various small scale surface methods.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency	Database name	Acronym	Record ID	Notes
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	D002713
USGS	Alaska Resource Data File	ARDF	TL032

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1913, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1912: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, 308 p.
Deposit

Capps, S.R., 1913, The Yentna district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 534, 75 p.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1914, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1913: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592, p. 340-341.
Deposit

Capps, S.R., 1924, Geology and mineral resources of the region traversed by the Alaska Railroad: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755-C, p. 73-150.
Deposit

Capps, S.R., 1925, An early Tertiary placer deposit in the Yentna district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 773, p. 53-61.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64.
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

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836, p. 1-83.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-82.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-91.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-94.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1936, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91.
Deposit

Smith, P.S. 1939, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral Industry of Alaska in 1940: U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.
Deposit

Robinson, G. D., Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., and Lyon, J. B., 1955, Radioactivity investigations in the Cache Creek area, Yentna district, Alaska 1945: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1024-A, p. 1-23.
Deposit

Clark, A.L., and Hawley, C.C., 1968, Reconnaissance geology, mineral occurrences, and geochemical anomalies of the Yentna district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 68-35, 64 p.
Deposit

Koschmann, A.H. and Bergendahl, M.H., 1968, Principal gold producing districts of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 610, 283 p.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.
Deposit

C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978, Mineral appraisal of lands adjacent to Mt. McKinley National Park, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 24-78, 275 p., 7 plates.
Deposit

Reed, B.L., Nelson, S.W., Curtin, G.C., and Singer, D.A., 1978, Mineral resources map of the Talkeetna Quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-870-D, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., and Reed, B.L., 1980, Summaries of data and lists of reference to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Talkeetna quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-884, 106 p.
Deposit

U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1998, Minerals Availability System/Minerals Industry Location System (MAS/MILS), Talkeetna Quadrangle: Worldwide Web URL http://imcg.wr.usgs.gov/data.html.
Deposit

Clark, A.L., and Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Talkeetna quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-369, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Deposit

MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous mineral deposits in the eastern part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-A, 99 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.
Deposit

Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1919, Platinum-bearing gold placers of the Kahiltna Valley: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-D, p. 233-264.
Deposit

Paige, Sidney, and Knopf, Adolph, 1907, Reconnaissance in the Matanuska and Talkeetna basins, Alaska, with notes on the placers of the adjacent regions: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 314-F, p. 104-125.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.
Deposit

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

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-81.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.

Comments on the references

Primary Reference = Cobb, 1973

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	Model Name = Placer Au-PGE (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Deposit	Other Comments = There are two Thunder Creeks in the database, each with an ADRF number. These two occurrences, about 0.6 miles apart, are two separate areas of placer workings and appropriately assigned their own ARDF numbers, despite the confusing use of the same name twice. ? Reed and others (1978) indicate that hydrothermally altered zones similar to those in Thunder Creek are observed along Dollar (TL031) and Thunder Creek (TL058), at the headwaters of Treasure (TL030), Dutch (TL033) and Bear Creeks (TL017) and at an unnamed locality east of McDoel Peak (TL053).

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

Model Name = Placer Au-PGE (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).

Deposit

Other Comments = There are two Thunder Creeks in the database, each with an ADRF number. These two occurrences, about 0.6 miles apart, are two separate areas of placer workings and appropriately assigned their own ARDF numbers, despite the confusing use of the same name twice. ? Reed and others (1978) indicate that hydrothermally altered zones similar to those in Thunder Creek are observed along Dollar (TL031) and Thunder Creek (TL058), at the headwaters of Treasure (TL030), Dutch (TL033) and Bear Creeks (TL017) and at an unnamed locality east of McDoel Peak (TL053).

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	10-AUG-1998	Madelyn A. Millholland	Millholland & Associates

Beyond USGS

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

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