1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Kenai Chrome

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Chromium, Nickel
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
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. Nearby scientific data
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Links to other databases
  12. Bibliographic references
  13. General comments
  14. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10309020
MRDS ID A010672
Record type Site
Current site name Kenai Chrome
Alternate or previous names Star #4, Chrome Queen
Related records 10136754, 10000488

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -151.47254, 59.37947 (WGS84)
Relative position The Red Mountain ultramafic body contains at least 30 chromite occurrences. The Kenai Chrome mine and the Chrome Queen mine are the only past producers. They are located in section 21, T. 9 S., R. 13 W., of the Seward Meridian.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Kenai Peninsula(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Seldovia B-4(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Seldovia SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Seldovia C(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Resurrection River-Frontal Resurrection Bay(hydrologic unit)

Prince William Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Seldovia Native Association, Incorporated(ANCSA Village)

ANCSA Village NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary
Nickel Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 16
USGS model code 8b
Deposit model name Podiform chromite (major)

Nearby scientific data

(1) -151.47254, 59.37947
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Red Mountain ultramafic complex covers about 7 square miles and is part of the informally named Border Ranges ultramafic and mafic complex of Burns (1985). The Jurassic Border Ranges complex is thought to be the dismembered basal section of an island arc complex (Burns, 1985) which extends from the tip of the Kenai Peninsula to east of Sutton, Alaska. The dunite body is a klippe thrust over the Cretaceous McHugh Complex graywackes and slates. The margin of the Red Mountain klippe is serpentized and the gross overall structure of the klippe is an elongated basin. The Kenai Chrome mine is located on the Star No. 4 claim at an elevation of 2,600 feet on the north side of the ultramafic body. The chromite seams can be traced for almost 1,000 feet but it is less than a foot thick for over half this distance (Guild, 1941). The main ore body was 625 feet long and had a maxium thickness of 9.8 feet. The strike of the layering is N10W and the dip varies from 35 to 70W except where minor folding has caused variations. Several small faults strike more or less at right angle to the chromite banding. The Cr/Fe ratio of the chromite generally varies from 2.6 to 3.6; at least 90% of the chromite is with these limits (Gill, 1922).
  • Age = Mesozoic; based on the age of the ultramafic body that hosts the deposit.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Homer

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = About 26,000 million tons of ore containing from 38 to 43% chromic oxide were produced between 1943 and 1958 (Foley, 1992).

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Reserves = About 26,000 million tons of ore containing from 38 to 43% Cr2O3 were produced between 1943 and 1958. The remaining reserve are estimates to be 1.5 million tons of contained chromic oxide in 33 deposits (Foley, 1992). About 88,000 million tons chromic oxide are contained in 20 relative high-grade deposits with more than 20 percent chromite. The bulk of the reserves, 1.35 million tons are in three low -grade deposits that contain 5 to 6 percent chromic oxide (Foley, 1992). These are the Turner Stringer Zone, (1.13 million metric tons chromic oxide), the Star Stringer Zone (189,000 metric tons chromic oxide) and the Horseshoe Stringer Zone (26,000 metric tons chromic oxide) (Foley, 1992).

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The area was discovered about 1910 to 1915 , and some minor development and production occurring in 1920 (Brooks, 1922). During WW II, the Bureau of Mines drilled over thirty diamond drill holes to evaluate the deposits. In 1942 through 1944, production from the Chrome Queen mine totaled 6,650 tons of 40 to 42% chromic oxide ore. Star No.4 produced 15,000 tons at 46% chromic oxide about 1954, from 490 feet of underground workings. Ore from the Star No. 4 averaged 40 to 46% chromic oxide. On-going exploration continued through the late 1980's. Anaconda Minerals drilled 6 diamond drill holes about 1982 and 83 which tested the Horseshoe Stringer Zone and the Turner Stringer Zone ( Bill Ellis, 1999, personal communcation). Anaconda Minerals also flew regional airborne geophysic over the body in the early 1980's.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Podiform chromite (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 8b)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 09-MAR-1999 Jeff A. Huber 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.