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Indian

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Copper, Lead
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  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 10001145
MRDS ID A011838
Record type Site
Current site name Indian
Alternate or previous names Blue Ridge
Related records 10112376

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -144.22264, 62.81968 (WGS84)
Relative position The Indian or Blue Ridge prospect is about one mile northwest of the west end of Long Lake at an elevation of about 5,100 feet. The coordinates are the site of a vein exposed on the ridge; it is at the center of a mineralized area which is mainly in the SE1/4, section 14, T. 12 N., R. 6 E., Copper River Meridian. The prospect is at locality 5 of Richter and Matson (1972), and locality 5 of MacKevett and Holloway (1977).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Valdez-Cordova(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Gulkana D-1(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Gulkana NE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Gulkana(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Copper River(hydrologic unit)

Copper River(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Copper Primary
Lead Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Azurite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Malachite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 53
USGS model code 17
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu
Mark3 model number 4

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Ahtell Pluton
    Rock description Ahtell Pluton
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -144.22264, 62.81968
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Indian prospect is mainly in relatively coarse and dark-colored, quartz monzonite of the Pennsylvanian to Permian, Ahtell pluton. It lies within a few hundred feet of its contact with Pennsylvanian to Permian, Tetelna volcanic rocks which are exposed to the south. The contact between the two units is a fault which strikes northwest. The fault zone is filled with a barren quartz vein that can be followed for more than 1,000 feet (Richter, 1966, p. 30; Thorne, 1946, fig. 2).? the area was first described by Moffit (1932) who visited the area in 1929. The prospect was restaked by Carl Witham and was examined by Thorne of the U. S. Bureau of Mines (Thorne, 1946) in company with Witham. Thorne made a sketch map of the property. Their map (figure 2) is the best available for the property.? In addition to the barren quartz vein, Thorne found five other veins. Thorne (1946, table 1) collected three samples from an east-west striking vein on the Blue Ridge No. 2 claim. This vein is exposed in pits on the west side of the ridge and about 150 feet north of the fault contact of the Ahtell pluton and Tetelna volcanics. Sample 1 from a 2-foot-thick vein that contains galena, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, and secondary azurite and malachite in quartz-calcite gangue, assayed 0.01 ounce of gold per ton, 11.44 ounces of silver per ton, 4.18 percent lead, and 1.44 percent copper. Thorne's sample 2 was low grade, partly because of dilution with barren soil. Sample 3 of a 1-foot vein contained 5.16 ounces of silver per ton, 6.81 percent lead, and some copper. The veins are crustified and the sulfides fill open spaces in the crystalline quartz.? A narrow vein exposed about 4000 feet to the east of the barren quartz vein on the Blue Ridge No. 5 claim contained 0.04 ounce of gold per ton, 15.56 ounces of silver per ton, and 19.92 percent lead. Another vein exposed on the ridge on the end line between the Blue Ridge Nos. 5 and 1 claims contains 5.24 percent lead and small amounts of gold and silver.? the area was visited later by Richter (1966) but the trenches excavated by Witham and Thorne were caved. One vein that remained exposed was 5 feet thick, has a strike of N84W and dips 86 degrees south. It is mainly massive quartz with some galena and copper-staining. Wedow and others (1953) and Nelson, West, and Matzko (1954) found no appreciable uranium in the veins.
  • Age = Emplaced subseqent to or is related to the border phase of the Pennsylvanian to Permian, Ahtell pluton.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Chistochina

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The area was active when visited by Moffit in 1929 (Moffit, 1932). The prospect was again active late in World War II when it was examined by Thorne (1946) with the then-current owner, Carl Witham. The only workings are hand-dug open cuts.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Thorne, 1946; Richter, 1966

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Polymetallic vein(?) (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 17)
Deposit Other Comments = Additional information can be obtained from Ahtna Minerals in Anchorage, Alaska.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 30-NOV-00 W.T. Ellis Alaska Earth Sciences
Reporter 30-NOV-00 Hawley, C.C. Hawley Resource Group
Reporter 30-NOV-00 W.J. Nokleberg U.S. Geological Survey

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.