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Galena

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Iron, Lead, Zinc, Silver, Gold, Fluorine-Fluorite
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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. Alteration
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Reserves and resources
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10001946
MRDS ID A012781
Record type Site
Current site name Galena
Related records 10209203

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -165.82302, 64.72928 (WGS84)
Relative position The Galena prospect is at an elevation of about 800 feet on the ridge crest along the west side of Washington Creek, an east tributary to Sinuk River. It is 1.2 miles northeast of where the Nome-Teller road crosses Washington Creek and about a half mile south of hill 955. This is locality 5 of Cobb (1972 [MF 463], 1978 [OFR 78-93]).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nome(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Nome C-2(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Solomon NW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Nome(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Nome(hydrologic unit)

Norton Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Sitnasuak Native Corporation(ANCSA Village)

ANCSA Village NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Silver Secondary
Gold Secondary
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Fluorite Ore
Galena Ore
Hemimorphite Ore
Limonite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Possible dolomitization, silicification, and oxidation.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Campanian
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Barremian

Nearby scientific data

(1) -165.82302, 64.72928
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Galena prospect was discovered before 1915 (Eakin, 1915 [B 622-I, p. 366-373]). It was visited by Mertie in 1916 (1918 [B 662-I, p. 445), who reported a total of nine claims and some propecting work, primarily for iron. Joint-controlled (N 15 W, vertical) galena-quartz mineralization in crystalline limestone was present on the Sunrise claim; disseminated sphalerite with pyrite and lilac-colored fluorite was present on the Oso claim; and disseminated galena with quartz was identified on the Fox and Williams claims. Botryoidal limonite (goethite) was reported from the Kentucky claim. The prospect was also visited by Mulligan and Hess (1965) and Herreid (1966, p. 8-10). Herreid found as much as 5.8 percent zinc adjacent to a silicified zone in marble that was traced for more than 200 feet on a trend of N 10 W; he also found 1.0 percent lead and 0.85 ounce of silver per ton in samples from an old trench. Petrographic descriptions of 15 samples from the Galena prospect were reported by Mulligan and Hess (1965).? the prospect is located within a soil geochemical anomaly more than one-half mile long. The anomaly is subparallel to the contact of the massive marble unit and underlying schist (Herreid, 1970, figure 1). In some cases, for example, Herreid's sample 98, the location is sufficiently removed from the marble to suggest mineralization is present in the underlying schist. Herreid (1970) reported several soil samples containing more than 1,000 ppm zinc and a maximum value of 405 ppm lead; as much as 7 ppm molybdenum was present in the samples.? Like the Cub Bear prospect nearby (NM133), the Galena propect appears to have characteristics transitional between the Sinuk-area iron deposits (such as the Monarch prospect, NM017) and the fluorite-barite-zinc-lead deposit at the Quarry prospect (NM135). The Galena prospect is on strike with, and in a similar structural and stratigraphic setting to, the Quarry prospect (NM135) about 2 miles to the southeast.
  • Age = Post mid-Cretaceous, the age of metamorphism of the host schist and marble.
  • Age = Host rock is Pre Campanian - Post Barremian.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Probably inactive

Mining district

District name Nome

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1942
    Total resources 44000mt ore
    Remarks Entry carried over from Old MRDS or added later (i.e. it did not originate in ARDF)
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Iron Fe 37 wt-pct Iron Major 1942
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1942
    Total resources 4000mt ore
    Remarks Entry carried over from Old MRDS or added later (i.e. it did not originate in ARDF)
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Iron Fe 15 wt-pct Iron Major 1942

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Reserves = Shallit (1942; Mullgan and Hess, 1965, table 3) estimated that the iron oxide deposits at the Galena prospect include 100 long tons containing 30 to 45 percent iron and 10,000 long tons containing 10 to 20 percent iron.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The prospect was located and explored by shallow shafts, short adits and trenches before 1915 (Eakin, 1915 [B 622-I, p. 366-373]; Mertie, 1918 [B 662-I, p. 425-449]; Cathcart, 1922). Herreid conducted geologic mapping and soil sampling of the area (1966, 1970). An early report (Mertie, 1918 [B 662-I, p. 425-449]) indicated that considerable gold was present in a galena-quartz vein, but samples collected by Herreid (1966) contained a maximum of 0.02 ounce of gold per ton.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Herreid, 1966

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Iron oxide and some quartz-sulfide veins and replacements in marble and schist.
Deposit Other Comments = the prospect could be explored along the basal contact of the massive marble that overlies schist. Before erosion, there may have been nearly continuous mineralized horizons between the Quarry prospect (NM135) and this deposit.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 12-MAR-00 Hawley, C.C. Hawley Resource Group
Reporter 12-MAR-00 Travis L. Hudson Hawley Resource Group

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.