Big Hurrah Mine

Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Silver, Tungsten, Zinc, Copper
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10001791
MRDS ID A012593
Record type Site
Current site name Big Hurrah Mine
Related records 10233038

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -164.24049, 64.65181 (WGS84)
Relative position 65 KM E OF NOME, AK.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nome(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

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

Solomon NW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Solomon(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Nome(hydrologic unit)

Norton Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • MINE SYMBOL IS PRINTED ON USGS SOLOMON (C-5) TOPO. MAP. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Tungsten Critical Tertiary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Copper Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • AG ALLOYED WITH AU IN ORE; SCHEELITE CONTENT OF ORE AVERAGES ABOUT 0.25%.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Electrum Ore
Scheelite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Albite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification, Carbonatization, And Quartz-Carbonate Stockwork Assoc. With Type Iii Veins.

Analytical data

Result 1) RIBBON QUARTZ AU VEINS GRADE 0.4-3.5 OZ/TON AU WITH AVG. AU/AG RATIO OF 9:1
Result 5-FT INTERVALS OF PHYLLONITE IN WHICH AT LEAST ONE QUARTZ-ALBITE-ARSENOPYRITE VEIN OCCURS HAVE GRADES OF ABOUT 0.3 PPM
Result ECON. GEOL., V. 81, NO. 7, P. 1766-7
Result 2) ASSAYS TAKEN ON SAMPLES FROM 70-FT LEVEL RAN 0.08-5.2 OZ/TON AU AND 0.5-17.2 OZ/TON AG
Result RATIO OF 1 OZ AU TO 6 OZ AG
Result ADGGS GR 33, P. 13, TABLE 1.

Nearby scientific data

(1) -164.24049, 64.65181

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Nw Trending Trhust Fault Dips 30 Degrees S At Mine Site; Set Of High Angle Conjugate Faults Trend Nw With 50-60 Degrees Sw Dips, Contain Au Veins; Offset By Nne Trending, Se Dipping Faults.

Ore body information

  • Strike NW
    Dip 50-60 DEGREES SW

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault Control

Comments on the geologic information

  • COUNTRY ROCKS IN GENERAL AREA CONSISTS OF CARBONACEOUS METASEDIMENTARY AND METAVOLCANIC ROCKS AND PELITIC SCHISTS THAT HAVE UNDERGONE REGIONAL BLUESCHIST GRADE METAMORPHISM.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1900
Year of first production 1903

Comments on the production information

  • SOME MINOR PRODUCTION MAY HAVE TAKEN PLACE LATER LTHAN 1907; THE ESTIMATE GIVEN IS FOR TOTAL PRODUCTION.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1978
    Total resources 105000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 22 g/mt Gold Major 1978
    Silver Ag 11 g/mt Silver Minor 1978
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1978
    Total resources 5000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tungsten Wo3 0.12 wt-pct Tungsten Trace 1978

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 640.08M
    Overall depth 76.2M

Comments on the workings information

  • 60 DEGREE INCLINED SHAFT TO 250 FT LEVEL AND ABOUT 1800 FT OF LATERAL WORKINGS ON 3 LEVELS; FILLED WITH WATER (1969); SOME TRENCHES DUG IN EARLY 1980'S, 1985.

Comments on development

  • MOST MINING WAS BETWEEN 1903 AND 1907; IN 1951, THE TOP OF THE LODE WAS EXCAVATED AND RUN THROUGH SLUICE BOXES; TAILINGS CYANIDED IN 1951-52; IN 1953-54, THE MINE WAS DEWATERED, NEW UNDERGROUND WORKINGS DRIVE, NEW MILL BUILT AND ABOUT 500 TONS OF ORE MINED; MINE CLOSED IN 1954 DUE TO FIRE AND UNSAFE GROUND; EXPLORATIONAL ACTIVITY, INCLUDING DRILLING, REPORTED IN 1980 AND 1983; CORNWALL PACIFIC/NIGHT HAWK RESOURCES JOINT VENTURE DRILLED 6500 FT OF DIAMOND CORE AND TRENCHED 2000 FT DURING 14-WEEK PERIOD IN 1985.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit FIVE TYPES OF VEINS OCCUR; TYPE I: QUARTZ +/- CARBONATE LENSES, 2 TO 7 CM THICK, LOCALLY CONTAIN MINOR SPHALERITE, CHLORITE AND ARSENOPYRITE; TYPE II: TABULAR VEINS 2 TO 5 MM THICK COMPOSED OF QUARTZ, CARBONATE, PYRITE, SPHALERITE AND CHALCOPYRITE; TYPE III: AU-BEARING RIBBON QUARTZ VEINS UP TO 4 M WIDE (AVE. 0.5 M) AND 40-80 FT LONG; OCCUPY NW-TRENDING FAULTS, RIBBON QUARTZ VEINS ARE COMPOSED OF QUARTZ (GREATER THAN 90%), DOLOMITE, ALBITE, SERICITE, SCHEELITE, ARSENOPYRITE, PYRITE AND NATIVE AU; THIN RIBBON-LIKE INCLUSIONS OF WALL ROCK ORIENTED PARALLEL TO VEIN WALLS; TOTAL SULFIDE CONTENT LESS THAN 2-3%; LESS THAN 1% SCHEELITE; TYPE IV: QUARTZ-ALBITE +/- ARSENOPYRITE VEINS 5-25 CM WIDE CONTAIN UP TO 25% ALBITE, UP TO 20% ARSENOPYRITE AND MINOR GOLD; THOUGHT TO BE SYNGENETIC WITH TYPE III VEINS; TYPE V: POST-MINERALIZATION CARBONATE-QUARTZ VEINLETS 2-3 MM THICK, CUT ALL OTHER VEIN TYPES.
Deposit CONFLICTING REPORTS ON AU/AG RATIO AND SULFIDE CONTENT OF ORE; SEE ALSO: BIG HURRAH CREEK. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1987 Leonard, Kenneth R. (Huber, Donald F.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references

Authoritative Alaska resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.