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Kaiyah

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Gold
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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 10307900
Record type Site
Current site name Kaiyah

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -158.77112, 64.08242 (WGS84)
Relative position The Kaiyah prospect is about 1 mile west of the Yukon River, and 3 miles east of Poison Creek. The coordinates are for the approximate center of the prospect, near VABM Kaiyah in sec. 24, T. 16 S., R. 1 W., Kateel River Meridian. This prospect is on Doyon, Ltd. selected land. The location is accurate.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Nulato A-6(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Nulato SW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Nulato(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification and argillization.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 150
USGS model code 25c
Deposit model name Epithermal vein, Comstock
Mark3 model number 16

Nearby scientific data

(1) -158.77112, 64.08242
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The country rocks in the area of the Kaiyah prospect consist of deltaic sandstone, shale, and conglomerate adjacent to the Poison Creek caldera. The caldera is expressed topographically as a curvilinear fault contact between the volcanic rocks inside the caldera and Koyukuk sedimentary rocks around it. Landsat and magnetic data suggest that the caldera system may be over 20 kilometers in diameter. The volcanic rocks include intermediate to felsic ash flow tuffs, massive basaltic andesite, and a small area of siliceous sinter (North Star Exploration, Inc., 2001). Anomalous values of gold and silver occur in surface samples of silicified sedimentary rocks east of the caldera rim, in an area of radial faulting. The silicified rocks are cut by chalcedonic quartz veinlets, vuggy druse coatings, and blue-gray quartz veinlets. In addition to the silicification, the hostrocks locally are argillized (clay altered). Core holes drilled in 2000 intersected extensive zones of polyphase quartz veining, advanced argillic alteration, polymetallic sulfides, and mineralized dikes. Drill holes were targeted at two east-west-trending vein systems, the Main and South veins, which are approximately 250 feet apart (Avalon Development newsletter, Jan., 2001). Bundtzen and Miller (1997) first reported gold in epithermal quartz veins at the prospect in 1997. Subsequent fieldwork by North Star Exploration Inc. in 1999 resulted in the definition of more widespread mineralization. In 250 rock samples, gold averages 110 ppb, and silver averages 20 ppm. Gold ranges up to 10.4 ppm and silver up to 13.6 ounces per ton. Samples also contain anomalous values of arsenic, bismuth, and mercury (North Star Exploration, Inc., 2001).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Active

Mining district

District name Kaiyuh

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = During 1999 and 2000, North Star Exploration Ltd. explored the Kaiyah prospect with geologic mapping, geophysics, and Landsat image analysis. In 2000, 2,776 feet of core drilling were completed.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Bundtzen, T.K., and Miller, M.L., 1997, Precious metals associated with Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary igneous rocks of southwestern Alaska, in Goldfarb, R.J., and Miller, L.D., eds., Economic Geology Monograph #9, Mineral Deposits of Alaska, p. 242-286.

  • Deposit

    North Star Exploration, Inc., 2001, Kaiyah epithermal Au-Ag prospect, 2000, promotional pamphlet, 4 p.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = North Star Exploration, Inc., 2001

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Epithermal Au-Ag (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 25c)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 07-AUG-01 Cameron, C.E. Northern Associates Inc.

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.