| Deposit ID | 10001481 |
|---|---|
| MRDS ID | A012236 |
| Record type | Site |
| Current site name | Portage Creek |
| Alternate or previous names | H. C. Carsten Operation |
| Related records | 10281576 |
| Geographic coordinates: | -144.61569, 65.46168 (WGS84) |
|---|---|
| Relative position | SEE LOCATION COMMENTS |
Political divisions (FIPS codes)
Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)
Alaska(state)
United States(country)
North America(continent)
Land(continent)
USGS map quadrangles
Circle B-2(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)
Circle SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)
Circle(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)
Hydrologic units (watersheds)
Alaska(hydrologic region)
| Country | State |
|---|---|
| United States | Alaska |
| Commodity | Importance |
|---|---|
| Gold | Primary |
| Tin Critical | Tertiary |
| Tungsten Critical | Tertiary |
| Uranium | Tertiary |
| REE Critical | Tertiary |
| Materials | Type of material |
|---|---|
| Gold | Ore |
| Allanite | Gangue |
| Garnet | Gangue |
| Hematite | Gangue |
| Ilmenite | Gangue |
| Magnetite | Gangue |
| Pyrite | Gangue |
| Sphene | Gangue |
| Topaz | Gangue |
| Zircon | Gangue |
| Bismuthinite | Unknown |
| Cassiterite | Unknown |
| Monazite | Unknown |
| Scheelite | Unknown |
| Wolframite | Unknown |
| Host or associated | Host |
|---|---|
| Rock type | Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel |
| (1) | -144.61569, 65.46168 |
|---|
| Development status | Producer |
|---|---|
| Commodity type | Metallic |
| Deposit size | Small |
| Significant | No |
| Discovery year | 1950 |
| Year of first production | 1906 |
| District name | Circle |
|---|
| Agency | Database name | Acronym | Record ID | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS | Mineral Resources Data System | MRDS | A012236 | |
| USGS | Alaska Resource Data File | ARDF | CI047 | |
| USGS | Mineral Resources Data System | MRDS | D002687 |
Brooks, A. H., 1907, The Circle precinct, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 314, p. 187-204.
Ellsworth, C. E. and Davenport, R. W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana Region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, p. 203-222.
Chapin, T., 1914, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592-J, p. 357-362.
Smith, P. S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-81
Mertie, J. B. Jr., 1938, Gold placers of the Fortymile, Eagle, and Circle districts, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-C, p. 133-261.
Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107.
Smith, P. S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-106.
Smith, P. S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-106.
Berg, H. C. and Cobb, E. H., 1967, Metalliferous lode deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1246, 254 p.
Overstreet, W. C., 1967, The geologic occurrence of monazite: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 530, 327 p.
Cobb, E. H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Misc. Field Studies Map 391, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Cobb, E. H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.
Cobb, E. H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U. S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-633, 72 p.
Menzie, W. D., Foster, H. L., Tripp, R.B., and Yeend, W. E., 1983, Mineral resource assessment of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-170-B, 61 p., 1 sheet, 1:250,000.
Yeend, W. E., 1991, Gold placers of the Circle district, Alaska - past, present, and future: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1943, 42 p.
Swainbank, R. C., Bundtzen, T. K., Clough A.H., Henning, M. W., and Hansen E.W., 1994, Alaska's mineral industry 1994: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 49, 77 p.
Lampright, R. L., 1996, Gold placer deposits near Fairbanks Alaska: Iron Fire Publications, Nederland, Colorado, 135 p.
BAG-OFR-83-170B-90
Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.
Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1938, Gold placers of the Fortymile, Eagle, and Circle districts, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-C, p. 133-261.
Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.
Joesting, H.R., 1942, Strategic mineral occurences in interior Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 1, 46 p.
| Subject category | Comment text |
|---|---|
| Deposit | PORTAGE CREEK NEAR ITS SOURCE IS UNDERLAIN BY CRETACEOUS GRANITE, THEN FLOWS OVER CHORITE-MUSCOVITE SCHIST AND TERTIARY GRANITE BEFORE CROSSING INTO THE TINTINA FAULT ZONE. ALMOST ALL OF THE MINING HAS BEEN CONDUCTED SOUTH (UPSTREAM) OF THE TINTINA FAULT ZONE. GOLD IS RESTRICTED TO THE UPPER 0.5 METERS OF THE ORANGE, SCHIST-RICH GRAVEL. A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THE DETRITUS IN PORTAGE CREEK IS COLLUVIUM, SO THE MINED GRAVEL IS POORLY SORTED (YEEND, 1991). ONE METER OF MUCK TYPICALLY OVERLIES 2 METERS OF COLLUVIAL-ALLUVIAL GRAVEL. A DEFINED 'PAYSTREAK' IS NOT OFTEN PRESENT DUE TO THE COLLUVIAL MIXING AND LACK OF ALLUVIAL WATER TO WASH AND SORT. BECAUSE OF THE THICK COLLUVIAL GRAVEL COVER ON THE SIDE SLOPES, THE MINED GRAVEL CHANNEL IS QUITE NARROW, ONLY 20 TO 30 METERS (YEEND, 1991). PLACER CONCENTRATES CONTAIN ALLANITE, ARSENOPYRITE, BISMUTHINITE, CASSITERITE, GARNET, GOLD, HEMATITE, ILMENITE, MAGNETITE, MONAZITE, PYRITE, SCHEELITE, SPHALERITE, SPHENE, SPINEL, TOPAZ, TOURMALINE, |
| Deposit | URANOTHORIANITE, WOLFRAMITE AND ZIRCON (NELSON AND OTHERS, 1954). GOLD WAS NOT DISCOVERED ON THE CREEK UNTIL THE EARLY 1900'S (BROOKS, 1907). FULL-SCALE MINING DID NOT BEGIN ON THE CREEK UNTIL 1933. TWO MINERS WORKED THE UPPER VALLEY IN 1936. ONE OPERATION CONSISTED OF DRIFT MINING AND ONE WAS A PROSPECTING SHAFT (MERTIE, 1938). GRAVEL VALUED AT 0.025 TO 0.0625 OUNCES PER CUBIC YARD WAS BEING MINED IN 1937 BY SEVERAL MINERS SHOVELING IN AN OPENCUT (LAMPRIGHT, 1996, P. 74). THERE WERE TWO OPERATIONS ON THE CREEK IN 1975 AND ANYWHERE FROM TWO TO FIVE OPERATIONS PER YEAR DURING THE 1980'S (YEEND, 1991). POINTS NORTH OPERATION ON PORTAGE CREEK WAS THE BIGGEST PRODUCER OF GOLD IN THE CIRCLE DISTRICT IN 1994 (SWAINBANK AND OTHERS, 1994, P. 28). TEN OUNCES OF GOLD WERE REPORTEDLY RECOVERED FROM ONE CLAIM ON THE CREEK IN 1906 (BROOKS, 1907, P. 198) AND VARIOUS MINES HAVE BEEN OPERATING ON AND OFF TO THE PRESENT. POINTS NORTH OPERATION ON PORTAGE CREEK WAS THE BIGGEST PRODUCER OF |
| Deposit | GOLD IN THE CIRCLE DISTRICT IN 1994 (SWAINBANK AND OTHERS, 1994, P. 28). |
| Deposit | THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT PORTAGE CREEKS IN THE CIRCLE MINING DISTRICT, BOTH OF WHICH FLOW AWAY FROM THE SAME DIVIDE. ONE CREEK FLOWS SOUTH-SOUTHWEST AND HAS NOT YIELDED GOLD. THE PORTAGE CREEK DISCUSSED FOR THIS SITE FLOWS NORTH-NORTHEAST INTO MEDICINE LAKE; USGS OFR 83-170-B, APPENDIX I, NO. 90 AND APPEIX I, NO. 90 AND APPENDIX II, NO. 43 |
| Deposit | THIS SITE NAME WAS CREATED BY THE REPORTER OR OTHER USGS EMPLOYEE BASED ON PROXIMITY TO SOME MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC FEATURE. |
| Deposit | Discovery Year: 1900'S |
| Type | Date | Name | Affiliation | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporter | 01-JUN-1986 | Leonard, Kenneth R. (Elliott, R. L.) | U.S. Geological Survey | |
| Updater | 01-SEP-1998 | C.J. Freeman, J.R. Guidetti Schaefer, A.S. Clements | Avalon Development Corporation |
Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.
These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.