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Unnamed (headwaters of Quartz Creek)

Occurrence in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper
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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. Links to other databases
  13. Bibliographic references
  14. General comments
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10002541
MRDS ID A013484
Record type Site
Current site name Unnamed (headwaters of Quartz Creek)

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -161.39333, 65.4894 (WGS84)
Relative position This occurrence is at an elevation of about 800 feet near the headwaters of Quartz Creek. The site is in section 25, T. 1 N., R. 13 W., of the Kateel River Meridian. Cobb, 1972 (MF-389), location 10, and Miller and Elliott (1969), figure 2, sample locations 24, 25, and 26.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Northwest Arctic(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

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

Candle S(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Candle(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Goodhope-Spafarief Bay(hydrologic unit)

Northern Seward Peninsula(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Copper Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Tourmaline and sericite alteration along closely spaced fractures; quartz-carbonate replacement.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Rock unit name Quartz Creek Pluton
    Rock description Quartz Creek Pluton
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -161.39333, 65.4894
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = This occurrence is located adjacent to the mid-Cretaceous Quartz Creek pluton, a hook-shaped, quartz monzonite body. The pluton is surrounded by a N 15 W-trending alteration zone about 18 miles long and 2 to 5 miles wide. The alteration zone is in Jurassic-Cretaceous andesitic volcanic rocks, and is marked by carbonate-quartz replacement, and tourmaline. Fine-grained dikes of varying composition cut the andesites near the pluton. Dikes near the Quartz Creek pluton are locally mineralized. This occurrence consists of a galena-bearing calcite vein 18 inches thick in altered quartz monzonite. The altered quartz monzonite consists of quartz-carbonate-sericite rock containing disseminated pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena, sphalerite, and tourmaline. A composite grab sample contained 44 ppm Ag, 2.25% Pb, and 4.67% Zn (Miller and Elliott, 1969).
  • Age = Late Cretaceous.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Fairhaven

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The area has been mapped and examined by the U.S. Geological Survey and by various exploration companies.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Miller and Elliott, 1969

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Sulfides in altered quartz monzonite.
Deposit Other Comments = This site is one of numerous occurrences of argentiferous galena, sphalerite, pyrite and arsenopyrite in an 18-mile-long, 2- to 5-mile-wide zone of altered andesite surrounding the Quartz Creek quartz monzonite pluton. The altered zone trends N 15 W, across the drainage basins of Quartz Creek and the Kiwalik River, parallel to prominent lineaments in the area.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 12-JAN-00 Williams, Anita 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.