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Sheep Creek-West

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Gold, Cadmium
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10002592
MRDS ID A015029
Record type Site
Current site name Sheep Creek-West

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -153.81173, 62.33948 (WGS84)
Relative position The Sheep Creek-West prospect is located on the west side of Sheep Creek Valley just below the intersection of the Rat Fork and the South Fork of Sheep Creek at an elevation of 3,400 feet (1,036 m) in the SW1/4 sec. 13, T. 26 N., R. 24 W., of the Seward Meridian. The location is accurate; the reporter visited the site in 1981.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

McGrath B-2(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

McGrath SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

McGrath(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Kuskokwim River(hydrologic accounting unit)

Southwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated(ANCSA Region)

ANCSA Region NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Copper Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Gold Secondary
Cadmium Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Gangue = iron oxides

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cerussite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Malachite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Epidote Gangue
Garnet Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Sulfides are highly oxidized with conspicuous cerrusite, iron oxides, and malachite replacements.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Argillite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -153.81173, 62.33948
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Sheep Creek-West prospect contains oxidized, sulfide mineralization in a steeply dipping, northeast-striking fault (?) zone, 2 to 3 meters wide that juxtaposes silty limestone against tan arkosic sandstone; both lithologies belong to the Lower to Upper Silurian Terra Cotta Mountains Sandstone, a formation within the Dillinger subterrane (Bundtzen, Harris, and Gilbert, 1997). The zone strikes northeast for a minimum distance of 135 meters and is marked by a distinctive notch along the steep sidehill. Sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite that are accompanied by a gangue of epidote, johannsenite, and garnet replace limestone in vug fillings and shear zones (Bundtzen, Kline, and Clough, 1982). Abundant malachite stain and replacements is locally abundant and a locally conspicuous feature along the fault zone. ? Two chip samples collected across about 3 meters of the zone contain up to 0.85 percent copper, 1.01 percent lead, 0.58 percent zinc, 30 ppm cadmium, 86 grams/tonne silver, and 0.60 grams/tonne gold (Bundtzen, Kline, and Clough, 1982). ? the vein appears to be spatially related to nearby polymetallic veins at the Dahl (MG053), and the Sheep Creek-South (MG057) prospects, within the Farewell Mineral Belt. The structurally controlled vein mineralization at the Sheep Creek-West prospect may be distally related to skarn mineralization observed throughout the Farewell Mineral Belt.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name McGrath

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Surface sampling was conducted by the reporter in 1981. Two chip-channel samples collected across a 3 meter width of the vein contained 0.85 percent copper, 1.01 percent lead, 0.58 percent zinc, 30 ppm cadmium, 86 grams/tonne silver, and 0.60 grams/tonne gold (Bundtzen, Kline, and Clough, 1982).

Reference information

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Bundtzen, Kline, and Clough, 1982

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Polymetallic vein (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 22c).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 30-OCT-1998 T.K. Bundtzen Pacific Rim Geological Consulting

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.