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

Potato Mountain

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodity Tin
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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. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10160591
MRDS ID A003672
MAS/MILS ID 0020430005
Record type Site
Current site name Potato Mountain
Alternate or previous names Buck Creek, Peluk Creek, Iron Creek, Diomede Oakland Creek, Grouse Creek, Sterling Creek, Sutter Creek, Potato Creek

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -167.52013, 65.64096 (WGS84)
Elevation 106
Location accuracy 500(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nome(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Teller C-6(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Teller NE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Teller(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Shishmaref(hydrologic unit)

Northern Seward Peninsula(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Wales Native Corporation(ANCSA Village)

ANCSA Village NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Kateel River 003 N 043 W 22 NE Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tin Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Calcite Unknown
Cassiterite Unknown
Feldspar Unknown
Garnet Unknown
Gold Unknown
Hematite Unknown
Magnetite Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Quartz Unknown
Tourmaline Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -167.52013, 65.64096
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 1.4M
    Length 16000M
    Width 45M
    Area 348HA
    Depth to top 1.3M
    Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 PLACER
    Shape of Orebody #1 IRREGULAR
    Primary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Primary Ore Control BEDDING
    Secondary Ore Control FRACTURING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 1.3
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Total Surface Area (HA) 348
    Date of Last Modification 860825

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Placer
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1901
Year of first production 1911

Mining district

District name Port Clarence District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Richard Lee And Associates
    Home office Washington
    Year 1975
  • Type Operator
    Owner Pce Explorations
    Home office Washington
    Year 1975
  • Type Owner
    Owner R. G. Billberg And R. F. Galleher
    Home office Washington
    Year 1975
  • Type Operator
    Owner Don O. Roberts And Neal W. Foster
    Home office Washington
    Year 1975

Production statistics

  • Year 1946
    Description 2 Troy Ounces Silver
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Silver Silver 62.2g
  • Year 1946
    Description 18 Troy Ounces Gold
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Gold Gold 559.86g
  • Year 1950
    Description 3 Troy Ounces Silver
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Silver Silver 93.31g
  • Year 1950
    Description 37 Troy Ounces Gold
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Gold Gold 1150.82g
  • Year 1951
    Description 8 Troy Ounces Silver
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Silver Silver 248.82g
  • Year 1951
    Description 106 Troy Ounces Gold
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Gold Gold 3296.96g
  • Year 1952
    Description 61 Troy Ounces Gold
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Gold Gold 1897.31g
  • Year 1952
    Description 4 Troy Ounces Silver
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Silver Silver 124.41g
  • Year 1953
    Description 66 Troy Ounces Gold
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Gold Gold 2052.82g
  • Year 1953
    Description 4 Troy Ounces Silver
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Silver Silver 124.41g

Comments on the production information

  • PAST PRODUCTION- PLACER RECOVERY 1902-1953 1,102 ST TIN. VALUE PLACER TIN RECOVERED 1902-1953 VALUED AT $1,337,475. TOTAL TIN SET AT 252 ST IN 3,102,169 CU. YDS. GRAVEL-1975. ASSAYS FROM PAST RECOVERED ROCK SHOW 1-8 % SN METAL CONTENT. MILLING PRODUCES A CONCENTRATE WITH 63% SN METAL CONTENT. BEDROCK SOURCE OF PLACER TIN HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. ORE RESERVES TAKEN FROM DRAFT WMR DATED JAN. 1945. TWO DREDGES ON-SITE. THESE DREDGES BUILT APPROXIMATELY 1920. DRAGLINE & PLANT CHOSEN OVER DREDGE. REMAINING MINING WILL REQUIRE CONSIDERABLE CLEANUP WORK. MINE LIFE AT MINING RATE OF 300000 CM/YR CALC. AT 7.9 YRS. NO COST ENTERED FOR PERMAFROST MELTING SINCE MINING METHOD WILL ALLOW FOR SOLAR MELTING. ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY ESTIMATED AT $100,000. MINE EXPLORATION COSTS ESTIMATED AT $50,000. MINE DEVELOPMENT COSTS ESTIMATED AT $396,000. MINE EQUIPMENT COST: $889,073. MINE WORKING CAPITAL AT 10% OF EQUIPMENT COST: $88,907. MILL EQUIPMENT COST: $1,304,323. MILL WORKING CAPITAL AT 10% OF CAPITAL COST: $161,711. MILL PRODUCT IS CASSITERITE. FEED GRADE 220 GM/CU SH. WASTE ROCK CONSIDERED AS ROCK VOLUMN OUTSIDE MINING SECTION. MILL PLANT COST: $312,788. MINE PLANT COST: $300,000. USGS CRIB A003654 USGS CRIB A003667 USGS CRIB A003671 USGS CRIB A003648 USGS CRIB A003678 USGS CRIB A003639 USGS CRIB M046153 USGS CRIB A003621

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1945
    Total resources 878000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tin Sn 0.0196 wt-pct Tin Trace 1945

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 72HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method PROPOSED
    Mining Method ALLUVIAL MINING
    Percent Waste Rock 43.7
    Avg. Overburden Thickness 1.3
    Primary Material Cover SAND, GRAVEL
    Percentage 100
    Hardness of Ore SAND, GRAVEL
    Capacity 2500
    Capacity Units CU-M ORE/DAY
    Preprod. Stripping Vol. 300
    Unit Production Cost 2.44
    Units of Production $/CU-M ORE
    Operating Days per Year 120
    Operating Shifts per Day 1
    Year of Information 1975

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 12-FEB-1988 Carnes, R. David U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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.