Robert Creek

Occurrence in Alaska, United States with commodity Gold

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Commodities
Materials information
Mineral occurrence model information
Nearby scientific data
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Links to other databases
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10001405
MRDS ID	A012149
Record type	Site
Current site name	Robert Creek
Alternate or previous names	Sheep Creek

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-149.19333, 67.63972 (WGS84)
Relative position	Robert Creek is one of the principal headwater tributaries to the Bettles River, and Sheep Creek is a significant right-limit tributary to Robert Creek. The confluence of Robert Creek and the Bettles River is approximately 5 miles west-northwest of the north end of Twin Lakes along Phoebe Creek. The mouth of Sheep Creek is approximately 3 1/2 miles upstream from this confluence. The literature is unclear as to which (and how many) tributaries to Robert Creek contain gold. Because Sheep Creek is a tributary to Robert Creek and has similar gold placers, the reference point is arbitrarily placed at the confluence of Robert and Sheep creeks, and the ambiguous published descriptions have been combined (sec. 32, T. 33 N., R. 7 W., of the Fairbanks Meridian). The location is accurate within a 1/2-mile radius.

Geographic coordinates:

-149.19333, 67.63972 (WGS84)

Relative position

Robert Creek is one of the principal headwater tributaries to the Bettles River, and Sheep Creek is a significant right-limit tributary to Robert Creek. The confluence of Robert Creek and the Bettles River is approximately 5 miles west-northwest of the north end of Twin Lakes along Phoebe Creek. The mouth of Sheep Creek is approximately 3 1/2 miles upstream from this confluence. The literature is unclear as to which (and how many) tributaries to Robert Creek contain gold. Because Sheep Creek is a tributary to Robert Creek and has similar gold placers, the reference point is arbitrarily placed at the confluence of Robert and Sheep creeks, and the ambiguous published descriptions have been combined (sec. 32, T. 33 N., R. 7 W., of the Fairbanks Meridian). The location is accurate within a 1/2-mile radius.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Chandalar C-5(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Chandalar N(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Chandalar(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Doyon, Limited(ANCSA Region)

ANCSA Region NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Geographic areas

Country	State
United States	Alaska

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Gold	Primary

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Gold	Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code	119
USGS model code	39a
Deposit model name	Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number	54

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-149.19333, 67.63972	ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

Geologic Description = Maddren (1913) reported that gold prospects had been found on Sheep Creek and 'especially those tributary to Robert Creek', along with a number of other creeks around the headwaters of the Bettles River. Maddren also noted that the gold was found on the lower parts of the tributaries to Roberts Creek, where miners had cut down to the schist underlying the limestones and that only prospect work had been done. No other descriptive information as to any further work, if any, is available. Recent mapping shows that lower Roberts Creek occupies a valley between significant granitic bodies that make up the Devonian Horace Mountain plutons to the north and the Baby Creek batholith to the south (Dillon and others, 1996). These plutons intrude Ordovician to Cambrian(?) schists and marbles.
Age = Quaternary.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status	Occurrence
Commodity type	Metallic

Comments on exploration

Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name	Koyukuk

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency	Database name	Acronym	Record ID	Notes
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	A012149
USGS	Alaska Resource Data File	ARDF	CH058

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Maddren, A.G., 1913, The Koyukuk-Chandalar region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 532, 119 p.
Deposit

Heiner, L.E., and Wolff, E.N., eds., 1968, Mineral resources of northern Alaska, Final report, submitted to the NORTH Commission: Mineral Industry Research Laboratory, University of Alaska, Report 16, 306 p.
Deposit

Mulligan, J.J., 1974, Mineral resources of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline corridor: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8626, 24 p.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Chandalar and Wiseman quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-340, 205 p.
Deposit

DeYoung, J.H., Jr., 1978, Mineral resources map of the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-878-B, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., and Cruz, E.L., 1983, Summaries of data and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-278, 91 p.
Deposit

Dillon, J.T., Reifenstuhl, R.R., and, Harris, G.W., 1996, Geologic map of the Chandalar C-5 quadrangle, southeastern Brooks Range, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Professional Report 104, 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.
Deposit

Maddren, A.G., 1910, The Koyukuk-Chandalar gold region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442-G, p. 284-315.

Comments on the references

Primary Reference = Maddren, 1913

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	Model Name = Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)
Deposit	Other Comments = Maddren (1913) did not actually visit this area, and his reports are based on Schrader (1900) and information from local prospectors. The published descriptions of the Robert Creek and Sheep Creek placer deposits are combined in this record. The only other gold occurrence known in tributaries to Robert Creek is Willow Creek (CH109). Reed (1938) points out that Maddren (1913) incorrectly identified Sheep Creek as Spruce Creek and Willow Creek as Sheep Creek.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

Model Name = Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

Deposit

Other Comments = Maddren (1913) did not actually visit this area, and his reports are based on Schrader (1900) and information from local prospectors. The published descriptions of the Robert Creek and Sheep Creek placer deposits are combined in this record. The only other gold occurrence known in tributaries to Robert Creek is Willow Creek (CH109). Reed (1938) points out that Maddren (1913) incorrectly identified Sheep Creek as Spruce Creek and Willow Creek as Sheep Creek.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	17-NOV-1999	J.M. Britton	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.