Lost River Mine

Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Tin, Tungsten, Fluorine-Fluorite, Beryllium, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Molybdenum, Antimony, Bismuth
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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10106585
MRDS ID A016009
Record type Site
Current site name Lost River Mine
Alternate or previous names Orebodies: Cassiterite Dike, Ida Bell Dike, Claims: Bald Eagle, Carry Gow, Collier, Engineer, Green, Jenny Lynn,, Jupiter, Klondike, Lincoln, Mars, Rob Roy, Shon Rue, Surveryor,, Three Prospectors, Triangle.

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -167.1584, 65.47483 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nome(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

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

Teller SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Teller(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Imuruk Basin(hydrologic unit)

Norton Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • MAIN HAULAGE ADIT (NEW NO. 3 ADIT), USGS BULLETIN 1129, PLATES 1 AND 2. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tin Critical Primary
Tungsten Critical Secondary
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical Tertiary
Beryllium Critical Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Molybdenum Tertiary
Antimony Critical Tertiary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bertrandite Ore
Beryl Ore
Bismuthinite Ore
Cassiterite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Euclase Ore
Galena Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Phenacite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stannite Ore
Stibnite Ore
Wolframite Ore
Diaspore Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Idocrase Gangue
Ilmenite Gangue
Kaolinite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Plagioclase Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrolusite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Rutile Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Topaz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue
Fluorite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Hydrous And Chlorite-Carb. Retrograde Alt. Of Limestone; Greisenization, Sericitization And Kaolinization Of Igneous Rx.

Analytical data

Result USBM DATA: 18 SAMPLES CONTAINED FROM 0.22% SN-3.33% SN, (AVG. 1.16%), AND FROM 0.07% TO 2.23% TUNGSTATE (AVG. 0.58%(, AVG. WIDTH: 8.3 FT
Result "REPRESENTATIVE" ORE FROM RHYOLITE PORPHYRY DIKES: 1.02% SN, 0.29% WO3, LIMESTONE: 0.12-0.13% BEO (AVG. OF 1243 FT OF DRILL CORE)
Result SAMPLES OF ORE FROM CASSITERITE DIKE AVERAGED 0.07% BEO, USBM OFR 1-65, P. 5-6.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Port Clarence Limestone;Port Clarence Limestone;;;
    Rock description Port Clarence Limestone;Port Clarence Limestone;;;

Nearby scientific data

(1) -167.1584, 65.47483

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description S-Dipping Thrusts Cut By Major Normal Faults; Pre-Intrusive
Type of structure Local
Structure description 3 N-S Vertical Faults, 2 E-W Faults From Small Graben Over Granite Cupola

Ore body information

  • General form CONICAL
    Strike AZIMUTH: 85-120
    Dip 60-80 DEGREES S (AVE. 70)
    Thickness 3.66M
    Length 670.56M
    Width 152.4M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • All Mineralization Within 300 M Of Granite Contact

Comments on the geologic information

  • CUPOLA OF BIOTITE GRANITE AND OLDER RHYOLITIC QUARTZ PORPHYRY AND LAMPROPHYRE DIKES INTRUDED MASSIVE ORD. LIMESTONE; GRANITE EXPOSED IN UNDERGROUND WORKINGS [365 LEVEL]; CRUDELY CONICAL AREA OF MARMARIZED LIMESTONE ABOVE CUPOLA CUT BY GARNETIFEROUS SKARNS AND STOCKWORKS WITH VEIN DENSITY FROM 5% TO GREATER THAN 30%; GREISENS FORMED IN CUPOLA AND RHYOLITIE PORPHYRIES APPROX. CONTEMPORANEOUS WITH HYDROUS ALTERATION OF SKARNS AND STOCKWORKS IN LIMESTONE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant No
Discovery year 1903
Year of first production 1913
Year of last production 1955

Comments on the production information

  • MILL RECORDS SHOWED 51,000 ST OF ORE CONTAINING 1.13% SN PRODUCED 687 ST CONC. AVERAGING 52% SN; RECOVERY: 60.8%; SMELTER RETURNS SHOW MILL WEIGHT FIGURES TO BE HIGH, USBM IC 7871, P. 2.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1978
    Total resources 96000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tungsten Wo3 0.48 wt-pct Tungsten Minor 1978
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1964
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tin Sn 0.15 wt-pct Tin Major 1964
    Tungsten Wo3 0.003 wt-pct Tungsten Minor 1964
    Fluorine-Fluorite CaF2 16.3 wt-pct Fluorine Trace 1964

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • CAMP CR. AND OTHER NEARBY DEPOSITS PROBABLY INCLUDED IN ESTIMATES OF FLUORITE-BE ORE
  • LINE 1 PROBABLY REFERS TO LOST RI. AREA AS A WHOLE, INCLUDING CAMP CR. F-BE AND OTHER NEARBY DEPOSITS

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Area 6.308HA
    Length 1336.24M
    Overall depth 129.54M
    Overall length 365.76M
    Overall width 182.88M

Comments on the workings information

  • TOTAL-ALL OPRATORS: 1903-1955 (IN LINEAR FT) HAND DUG TRENCHES: 2085 FT, DOZER TRENCHES: 5900 FT; SURFACE DD-HOLES: 8899 FT (USBM); UNDERGROUND DD-HOLES: 1984 FT (DMEA); LONG HOLE PERCUSSION DRILLING: 1795 FT (DMEA); EXPLOR. DRIFTS AND CROSSCUTS: 4384 FT; RAISES: 275 FT; SHAFTS/WINZES: 820 FT; ALL STOPES ABOVE 300 FT ELEV.

Comments on development

  • ACTIVE YEARS: 1903-1920, 1928-29, 1951-55; EXTENSIVELY EXPLORED AND DRILLED BY USBM IN 1942-44 AND 1951-52; MOST DEVELOPMENT IN 1951-55 WHEN MINED BY U.S. TIN CORP. WITH DPA FUNDING CONCURRENT WITH DMEA EXPLORATION PROJECT; 65,000 FT OF DD-HOLES COMPLETED AS OF 1972; ACTIVE EXPL. IN 1983.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DETAILED INFO ON ALTERATION AND MINERALOGY: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 77, NO. 4, P. 1033-1052; MINE WORKINGS AND ASSAY MAPS: USGS BULLETIN 1129, USBM RI 3902; DD-HOLE DATA: USBM OFR 2-65, MINING/BENEFICIATION DATA: USBM IC 7871. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit MINERALOGICALLY COMPLEX SN-W-F-BE DEPOSIT CONSISTING OF (1) CASSITERITE, WOLFRAMITE AND BASE-METAL SULFIDES DISSEMINATED ALONG GREISENIZED RHYOLITE PORPHYRY DIKES, (2) CASSITERITE AND WOLFRAMITE-BEARING QUARTZ-TOPAZ AND MICA-RICH GREISENS IN GRANITE CUPOLA, (3) STOCKWORKS OF SN-BEARING GARNET-IDOCRASE SKARNS, AND (4) BERYLLIUM MINERALIZATION HOSTED BY FLUORITE-MICA VEINS; NO VEINS EXTEND MORE THAN 300 M FROM STOCK CONTACT; MAIN ORE BODY: CASSITERITE DIKE, 5-20 FT (AVE. 12 FT), SN-BEARING OVER 2200 FT STRIKE LENGTH, VERTICAL RANGE OF 500 FT, STRIKE AND DIP LISTED ABOVE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1987 Leonard, Kenneth R. (Huber, Donald F.) U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 20-SEP-1994 Mosier, Dan U.S. Geological Survey PARSED OUT HOST ROCK AND ASSOCIATED ROCK TYPES, AGES, UNIT NAMES, AND UNIT AGES.

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Authoritative Alaska resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.