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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Fort Knox

Plant 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. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Mineral rights holdings
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Production statistics
  16. Reserves and resources
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10136318
MAS/MILS ID 0020580178
Record type Site
Current site name Fort Knox
Alternate or previous names Melba Prospect, Teryl Property, Monte Cristo Prospect

Comments on the site names

  • NAMES MONTE CRISTO & MELBA ORIGINALLY DISCUSSED BY R.M. CHAPMAN & R.L. FOSTER, LODE MINES AND PROSPECTS IN THE FAIRBANKS DISTRICT, ALASKA. USGS PROF PAPER 625-D, 1969, 25 P. RUMOR THAT AMAX HAS BOUGHT FORT KNOX (NO PROOF, 8/27/91).

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Pit
Geographic coordinates: -147.35295, 64.99138 (WGS84)
Elevation 518
Location accuracy 500(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Fairbanks North Star(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Fairbanks D-1(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Big Delta NW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Fairbanks(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Fairbanks 002 N 002 E 20 Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Pit (1) -147.35295, 64.99138
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N70W
    Dip 70S
    Thickness 305M
    Length 1829M
    Width 427M
    Area 810HA
    Depth to top 0.25M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SHEAR ZONE
    Shape of Orebody #1 MASSIVE
    Type of Orebody #2 DISSEMINATED
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Secondary mode of Origin METAMORPHISM
    Primary Ore Control FRACTURING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. MODERATE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 INTERM ARGILLIC
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #2 PROPYLITIC
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #3 SILICIFICATION
    Strike And Dip N70W:70S
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. .25
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Total Surface Area (HA) 810
    Future Surface Area (HA) 810
    Date of Last Modification 910829

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1986
Mining method Open Pit
Year of first production 1996
Plant type Leach
Plant subcategory Hydromet
Milling method Carbon-In-Pulp-Electrowin

Mining district

District name Fairbanks District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim
Type of mineral rights Private Lease

Land status

Ownership category State

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Amax Gold, Inc.
    Interest 100
    Home office Colorado
    Year 1997
    First year 1996
  • Type Owner
    Owner Cyprus Amax Minerals Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Colorado
    Year 1996
    First year 1993
    Last year 1996
  • Type Owner
    Owner Amax Gold, Inc.
    Home office Colorado
    Year 1996
    First year 1992
    Last year 1993
  • Type Operator
    Owner Fairbanks Gold Mining, Inc.
    Home office Alaska
    Year 1996

Production statistics

  • Year 1997
    Description Est Ore Cap 11920407 Mt/ Yr
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 1192040mt
  • Year 1997
    Description Est Gold Cap 350000 T Oz/Yr
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Gold Gold 10886218.35g

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Indicated 89540640mt ore
    Demonstrated 89540640mt ore
    Total resources 89540640mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 1.646 g/mt Gold Major 1990
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1992
    Demonstrated 113000000mt ore
    Total resources 113000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.88 g/mt Gold Major 1992
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1996
    Measured 146814000mt ore
    Demonstrated 146814000mt ore
    Total resources 146814000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.86 g/mt Gold Major 1996
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1996
    Demonstrated 146964000mt ore
    Total resources 146964000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.857 g/mt Gold Major 1996
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1997
    Demonstrated 146342506mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.857 g/mt Gold Major 1997

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • MINE START UP IN OCT OF 1996. CURRENT ESTIMATE OF MINE LIFE IS 12 TO 13 YEARS. PROVEN + PROBABLE ORE RESERVES; 12/31/96:
  • OTHER RESOURCES (PUBLISHED) INCLUDE: INDICATED 122,653,440 MT ORE BY POLYGON METHOD, 0.514 G/MT AU CUTOFF GRADE. INDICATED 155,131,200 MT ORE KRIEGED, 0.514 G/MT AU CUTOFF GRADE. INDICATED 176,813,200 MT ORE BY POLYGON METHOD, 0.343 G/MT AU CUTOFF GRADE.
  • QUANTITY AND GRADE USED IN THIS STUDY FROM POLYGON METHOD WITH 0.686 G/MT AU CUTOFF.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 810HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Swell Factor 1.35
    Percent Waste Rock 34
    Avg. Overburden Thickness .25
    Primary Material Cover SAND, SILT
    Percentage 100
    Hardness of Ore M-HARD ROCKS
    Avg. Bench Height (meters) 9
    Max. Pit Slope (degrees) 40
    Capacity 20000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 4.15
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 340
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1991

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Development

    MINING RECORD. "AMAX GOLD AWARDS CONTRACT TO CONSTRUCT

  • Development

    ALASKAN MINE". 5/24/95. P.3.

  • Deposit

    ZELLAR, THE ANCHORAGE TIMES, 6/14/89.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 6/6/89, 9 PP.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 9/13/89, 4 PP.

  • Deposit

    LMJ, 12/8/89, P. 460.

  • Deposit

    NM, 3/12/90, P. A17.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 9/24/90, 3 PP.

  • Geology

    FAIRBANKS GOLD, LTD. (FX) STOCK PROSPECTUS, 4/26/89.

  • Geology

    NM, V. 75, NO. 10, 5/15/89.

  • Ownership

    MILLER, YORKTOWN CONTINENTAL SECURITIES INC., 7/20/90, 8 PP.

  • Reserve-Resource

    SR 44, P. 11-12.

  • Reserve-Resource

    FX, PRESS RELEASE (PR), 11/19/90, 1 P.

  • Reserve-Resource

    DGGS IC 35, P. 5, 1992

  • Reserve-Resource

    RANDOL MINING DIRECTORY, 1996/97, U.S. MINES AND MINING

  • Reserve-Resource

    THE MINING RECORD, VOL., 107, #44, OCT. 30, 1996, P3.

  • Reserve-Resource

    AMAX GOLD INC., 1996 FORM 10-K REPORT, P3.

  • Deposit

    O'DONOGHUE, FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS-MINER, 6/15/89.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 6/28/89, 1 P.

  • Deposit

    FX ANNUAL REPORT 1989, 25 PP.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 8/1/89, 2 PP.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 8/15/89, 5 PP.

  • Deposit

    HORTON, INTERNATIONAL TRADER, V. 2, NO. 37, 9/15/89.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 10/12/89, 6 PP.

  • Deposit

    FX ANNUAL REPORT 1990, 32 PP.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 1/31/90, 3 PP.

  • Deposit

    NM, V. 75, NO. 50, 2/19/90, P. 13.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 2/20/90, 1 P.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 4/25/90, 1 P.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 7/9/90, 7 PP.

  • Deposit

    NM, V. 76, NO. 19, 7/16/90, P. 13.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 10/1/90, 2 PP.

  • Deposit

    THE NORTHERN MINER (NM), V. 76, NO. 36, 11/12/90, PP. 1-2.

  • Deposit

    FX PR, 12/21/90, 1 P.

  • Deposit

    LMJ, V. 315, NO. 8102, 12/21-28/90, P. 460.

  • Deposit

    NM, V. 76, NO. 48, 2/4/91, P. A17.

  • Deposit

    MARTIN, FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS-MINER, 2/10/91, P. B-1.

  • Deposit

    AK JOURNAL COMMERCE, 7/8/91, PP. 16-17.

  • Deposit

    NM, V. 78, NO. 24, 8/19/91, PP. 1-2.

  • Deposit

    AMAX GOLD INC, NEWS RELEASE, 9-12-91.

  • Deposit

    AMAX GOLD INC, NEWS RELEASE, 1-7-92.

  • Deposit

    AMAX GOLD INC, 1992 ANNUAL REPORT, PP. 2, 10, 18.

  • Deposit

    AMAX GOLD INC, 1993 ANNUAL REPORT, PP. 3, 11.

  • Deposit

    MINING WEEKLY, 3-26-93, P.7.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, 1-94, P.27.

  • Deposit

    MINING ENGINEERING, V46 N1, 1-94, P.22.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, 2-25-94, P.137.

  • Deposit

    AMAX GOLD INC. 1994 10K, P.2,8.

  • Deposit

    AMAX GOLD INC. 1994 ANNUAL REPORT, P.4,7.

  • Deposit

    SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW, V83 N47, 11-19-94, P.23.

  • Deposit

    MINING RECORD, V106 N35, 8-30-95, P.1.

  • Deposit

    THE MINING RECORD, VOL 107, #44, OCT., 30, 1996, P3.

  • Deposit

    AMERICAN METAL MARKET. "ALASKA MINE POURS FIRST GOLD". V104

  • Deposit

    N250. 12/27/96. P.5.

  • Deposit

    SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW, 12/28/96, P18, "AMAX POURS FIRST

  • Deposit

    GOLD AT FORT KNOX".

  • Deposit

    MINING RECORD, VOL., 108, #1, P1, 01/01/97, "AMAX POURS

  • Deposit

    FIRST GOLD AT FORT KNOX MINE IN ALASKA".

  • Deposit

    PAYDIRT, #691, JAN. 1997, P12.

  • Deposit

    THE NORTHERN MINER VOL., 83, #6, APRIL 7, 1997, P1.

  • Deposit

    LMJ, V. 313, NO. 8027, P. 5.

  • Deposit

    LMJ, V. 312, NO. 8023, P. 445.

  • Deposit

    THE MINING RECORD, VOL., 108, #19, WED., MAY 7, 1997, P1.

  • Deposit

    AMAX GOLD INC 1995 ANNUAL REPORT, PP. 3, 32, & FORM-10K, P9.

  • Deposit

    RANDOL MINING DIRECTORY, 1996.97, U.S. MINES AND MINING

  • Deposit

    COMPANIES, P121.

  • Deposit

    MINING RECORD, VOL. 107, #44, 10/30/96, P3, "FORT KNOX

  • Deposit

    PROJECT; MECHANICAL COMPLETION IS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE".

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE FORT KNOX MINE, LOCATED NEAR FAIRBANKS, ALASKA, IS EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE FULL ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF APPROXIMATELY 350,000 OZ. OF GOLD IN 1997 AT AN AVERAGE CASH COST OF APPROXIMATELY $215OZ PLANNED START-UP, OCT. 1996,

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 25-AUG-97 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Cyprus Amax Minerals Co. — now part of Subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan (2007)
    Formed by merger of Cyprus Minerals and AMAX in 1993; acquired by Phelps Dodge in 1999; Phelps Dodge acquired by Freeport-McMoRan in 2007.

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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.