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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Nabesna

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Iron, 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 10308922
MRDS ID A011387
Record type Site
Current site name Nabesna
Alternate or previous names Nabesna Mining Corporation
Related records 10160968, 10000747

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -143.01856, 62.37669 (WGS84)
Relative position Best location: Lowe and others, 1982, USGS GQ-1566, loc. M3; on southeast flank of White Mtn. Accurate within 200 ft. radius

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Valdez-Cordova(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Nabesna B-5(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Nabesna SW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Nabesna(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve(National Preserve)

National Preserve NPS(Type of land area)

NPS(Federal land areas administered by NPS)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary
Iron Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Gangue = diopside hedenbergite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Anglesite Ore
Cerussite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Magnetite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Andradite Gangue
Apatite Gangue
Brookite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Gypsum Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Serpentine Gangue
Specularite Gangue
Sphene Gangue
Spinel Gangue
Vesuvianite Gangue
Wollastonite Gangue

Alteration

  • Oxidation effective to depth of several tens of ft; locally extends to more than 350 ft in depth.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 62
USGS model code 18d
Deposit model name Skarn Fe

Nearby scientific data

(1) Keg
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Three types of mineral deposits: (1) principal ore: auriferous pyrite-calcite veins carrying chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena in ore shoots ranging from a few in to 35 ft in width; average width 5 to 7 ft; quartz replaces calcite as gangue in upper portions of veins; (2) bodies of massive magnetite on the order of 50 ft by 100 ft carrying pyrite, calcite and some gold; (3) veins and masses of pyrrhotite containing disseminated pyrite, chalcopyrite and some gold; mine is at contact of Upper Triassic limestone and a small irregular Cretaceous quartz diorite stock associated with numerous satellite dikes of quartz diorite and minor quartz monzonite. Ore bodies and tactite formed in limestone along east contact of stock, large area of minor intrusive rock and extensive tactite lies just south of the principal ore bodies. Massive oxide-sulfide bodies chiefly pyrite and magnetite with minor chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, stibnite, and gold. Pyrite veins formed by replacement of limestone along pre-existing fractures; and contain disseminated to small masses of chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, magnetite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, stibnite, and gold. Principal mining at Nabesna from about 1930 to 1941. Several hundred meters of workings. Several episodes of exploration since 1960.
  • Age = Cretaceous

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Chisana

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = Nabesna Mine produced about 1.66 million grams Au, minor Ag and Cu.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Several adits, 368 ft of surface cuts, 9224 ft of drifts, 6209 ft of raises (reported inaccessible in 1952), and 9,999 ft of drill holes by 1940. Apparently mined out and the mill and aerial tramway mostly destroyed by 1997. Five-foot sample across Bear vein assayed 10.39 oz./t Au, 12.70 oz./t Ag, 1.67% Pb, 0.15% Cu and five-foot sample along limestone/diorite contact assayed 0.10 oz./t Au, 1.8 oz./t Ag, 4.2% Cu. More assay data are available in Pilgrim, E. R., 1931. Surface and underground workings.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Wayland, 1943, USGS B 933B, p. 175-199

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Fe skarn
Deposit Other Comments = Site of recent exploration. No recorded production from any other lode deposit in the district. USGS Bull. 1374, p. 115. See also: Golden Eagle claims, Royal Development Company.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 24-JAN-1997 Leonard, K.R.; Nokleberg, W.J.; Richter, D.H. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

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.