1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Moonshine

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodity Gold
Map
XML
JSON
KML
C
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Mineral occurrence model information
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Links to other databases
  12. Bibliographic references
  13. General comments
  14. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10001578
MRDS ID A012331
Record type Site
Current site name Moonshine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -131.61677, 55.29085 (WGS84)
Relative position The Moonshine prospect is at sea level on southeastern Gravina Island, about 0.3 mile northwest of Gravina Point. The site is in section 8, T. 76 S., R. 91 E., of the Copper River Meridian. It corresponds to loc. 72 in Elliott and others (1978). The location is accurate within 0.1 mile.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Ketchikan Gateway(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

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

Ketchikan SW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Ketchikan(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Ketchikan(hydrologic unit)

Southern Southeast Alaska(hydrologic accounting unit)

Southeast Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Ore Material = Basemetal sulfides
  • Ore Material = Basemetal sulfides

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 91
USGS model code 24b
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, Besshi (Japanese deposits)
Mark3 model number 30

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock > Greenstone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) -131.61677, 55.29085
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The country rocks on southeastern Gravina Island are Upper Jurassic or Cretaceous marine andesitic or basaltic volcanic rocks that are gradationally interbedded with subordinate flyschlike sedimentary rocks (Berg, 1973; Berg and others, 1988). The strata were regionally metamorphosed to greenschist-grade phyllite and semischist in Late Cretaceous time. The country rocks are cut by intermediate or mafic dikes that apparently postdate the regional metamorphism.? Wright and Wright (1908, p. 179) describe the deposit as two parallel 'veins' that strike northwest, parallel to the foliation of altered greenschist hostrock. They do not describe the ore minerals, but the deposits probably contain basemetal sulfides and were prospected in the early 1900s chiefly for gold. The deposits are 6 and 18 feet thick and are separated by 50 feet of relatively barren rock. Although Wright and Wright do not mention quartz at the Moonshine, Elliott and others (1978) infer that the deposits are quartz veins. However, Wright and Wright's description, the geologic setting of the Moonshine prospect, and its proximity to other lode deposits on southeastern Gravina Island (KC073, 074), suggest instead that the Moonshine is mainly a stratiform deposit, comprising sulfide bands or disseminations parallel to the foliation of the schist hostrock. If so, the Moonshine may be a metamorphosed Besshi massive sulfide deposit of Late Jurassic age.
  • Age = Late Jurassic

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Mining district

District name Ketchikan

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Workings in the early 1900s included a 30-foot-long opencut and a 12-foot shaft.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Wright and Wright, 1908; Berg, 1973

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Besshi massive sulfide? (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 24b)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 03-JUL-1999 H.C. Berg 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.