Unnamed (at south end of Gossan Ridge)

Occurrence in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc
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 10002546
MRDS ID A013489
Record type Site
Current site name Unnamed (at south end of Gossan Ridge)

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -161.35332, 65.41939 (WGS84)
Relative position This occurrence is at an elevation of about 700 feet on the south end of Gossan Ridge. The site is in section 9, T. 1 S., R. 13 W., of the Kateel River Meridian. Cobb, 1972 (MF-389), location 13, and Miller and Elliott (1969), figure 2, sample location 45.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nome(Census area)

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

Comments on the commodity information

  • Gangue = Carbonates
  • Ore Material = argentiferous galena

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Silver Ore
Arsenopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Galena Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation, quartz-carbonate replacement, and tourmaline.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -161.35332, 65.41939

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 oxidation, quartz-carbonate replacement, and tourmaline. Fine-grained dikes of varying composition cut the andesites near the pluton. Dikes near the Quartz Creek pluton locally contain sulfide minerals. Talus from the area contained disseminated galena in oxidized quartz-carbonate rock. A sample of the talus contained 1500 ppm As, 0.04 ppm Au, 300 ppm Cu, and 150 ppm Pb. Another grab sample contained 3,000 ppm Cr, 7,000 ppm Pb, and 10,000 ppm Zn (Miller and Elliott, 1969).
  • Age = Quaternary.

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 was discovered by the U.S. Geological Survey in the late 1960's (Miller and Elliott, 1969). It has has been mapped and examined by the U.S. Geological Survey and by various exploration companies. Numerous occurrences of argentiferous galena, sphalerite, pyrite and arsenopyrite occur in an 18 mile long, 2- to 5-mile-wide altered zone surrounding the Quartz Creek quartz monzonite pluton. The alteration of the andesite trends N 15 W across the drainage basins of Quartz Creek and the Kiwalik River.

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 andesite.

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.

Authoritative Alaska resources

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