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Bachelor Creek

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodity 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. 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 10001485
MRDS ID A012231
Record type Site
Current site name Bachelor Creek
Related records 10232867

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -146.06185, 65.49083 (WGS84)
Relative position Bachelor Creek can be accessed via a 4-wheel drive road from the Steese Highway at mile marker 80.1. The 4-wheel drive road runs along the west side of the state highway maintenance station fence. Mining occurred along the east side of the creek at 65.4828 N, 146.0575 W.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Circle B-5(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Circle SW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Circle(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Steese National Conservation Area(National Conservation Area)

National Conservation Area BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

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

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel

Nearby scientific data

(1) -146.06185, 65.49083
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Traverses in the upper Bachelor Creek basin indicate that it is underlain, in part, by light gray or rusty-weathering felsic schists and quartzites and by abundant graphitic schist and quartzite. Sulfide minerals appear to be concentrated in stratiform layers, especially in the graphitic rocks. In some hand specimens, sulfides make up 15 to 20 percent of the rock. Pyrite is the most common sulfide, and chalcopyrite and arsenopyrite are present in many of the rocks. Pyrrhotite is common in the graphitic zones. Both felsic and graphitic schists contain elevated abundances of gold, copper and tungsten. The felsic schists and associated light-colored quartzites contain up to 240 ppb Au, 4300 ppm Cu, 2100 ppm As, 4 ppm Ag, 4.5 ppm Sb, 130 ppm Sb, 14 ppm Pb, 90 ppm Sn and 3100 ppm W. In these rocks gold correlates with copper, and to a lesser extent, with arsenic. High tungsten-tin values inversely correlate to gold-base metal values. Graphitic schists and quartzites are less well mineralized with concentrations of Au to 180 ppb, Cu to 1600 ppm and W to 110 ppm (T.E. Smith and others, 1987, p. 6-10 to 6-11).? Bedrock in the area is composed of both schist and granite porphyry. Bedrock schist is primarily quartz-mica, quartzitic, and carbonaceous. These Paleozoic and (or) Precambrian schists are cut by a 75 foot thick sill-like body of granite porphyry. The schistosity and sill strike N 60 E. Gravels are thin (7 to 8 feet thick) or absent and are thawed. Gravels are composed of schist, abundant vein quartz, and some granite porphyry clasts. The only gold occurrence reported is on a low, 20 foot thick gravel bench on the east side of the creek (Prindle, 1910, p. 208-209).? Gravel on a low bench east of the stream was sluiced in 1910 (Cobb, 1973, p. 123, [B 1374]). A man recently reported finding a 1.2 ounce gold nugget on Bachelor Creek (Lampright, 1996, p.55).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Circle

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = Gravel on a low bench east of the stream was sluiced in 1910 (Cobb, 1973, p. 123, [B 1374]), however amount of production is unknown.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Gravel on a low bench east of the stream was sluiced in 1910 (Cobb, 1973, p. 123, [B 1374]). A man recently reported finding a 1.2 ounce gold nugget on Bachelor Creek (Lampright, 1996, p.55).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Brooks, A.H., 1909, The mining industry in 1908: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379-A, p. 21-62.

  • Deposit

    Ellsworth, C.E., 1910, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442, 432 p.

  • Deposit

    Ellsworth, C.E., and Parker, G.L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, 325 p.

  • Deposit

    Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1913, Detailed description of the Fairbanks district, in Prindle, L. M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 59-152.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Misc. Field Studies Map MF-391, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.

  • Deposit

    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.

  • Deposit

    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.

  • Deposit

    Smith, T.E., Pessel, G. H., and Wiltse, M.A., 1987, Mineral assessment of the Lime Peak-Mt. Prindle area, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Miscellaneous Paper 29, 712 p., scale 1:63,360.

  • Deposit

    Lampright, R.L., 1996, Gold placer deposits near Fairbanks Alaska: Iron Fire Publications, Nederland, Colorado, 135 p.

  • Deposit

    Prindle, L.M., 1910, Sketch of the geology of the northeastern part of the Fairbanks quadrangle: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442-F, p. 203-209.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Smith and others, 1987; Lampright, 1996.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Placer gold deposit (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)
Deposit Other Comments = Gold reported on Preacher Creek in 1913 may have been on Loper or Bachelor Creek. Numerous claims staked on Preacher Creek in 1928 and 1976 to 1981. See also Loper Creek, ARDF no. CI035.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 15-SEP-98 C.J. Freeman Avalon Development Corporation
Reporter 15-SEP-98 J.R. Guidetti Schaefer Avalon Development Corporation
Reporter 15-SEP-98 Clements, A.S. Avalon Development Corporation

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.