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Ruby Creek

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Silver
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Links to other databases
  12. Bibliographic references
  13. General comments
  14. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10002777
MRDS ID A015240
Record type Site
Current site name Ruby Creek
Related records 10281794

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -143.16285, 65.28977 (WGS84)
Relative position Ruby Creek is a northeast-flowing tributary of Fourth of July Creek (CY015). It is location 7 of Cobb (1972 [MF-390]). The deposit is located midway up Ruby Creek, about a mile from its head. The placer mining occurs just upstream of the confluence with an unnamed creek entering from the southeast, in section 4, T. 3 N., R. 28 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The location is accurate to within one mile.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

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

Charley River SW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Charley River(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve(National Preserve)

National Preserve NPS(Type of land area)

NPS(Federal land areas administered by NPS)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Silver Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 119
USGS model code 39a
Deposit model name Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number 54

Nearby scientific data

(1) -143.16285, 65.28977
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The bedrock of Ruby Creek is composed of Cretaceous to Tertiary conglomerate and other sedimentary rocks (Dover and Miyaoka, 1988). The placer gold is found in the 20 inches of gravel above bedrock; bedrock was 12 to 15 feet from the surface in 1912 (Prindle and Mertie, 1912). ? the creek was first mined in the early 1900s. Mining was by open-cut methods because the bedrock was less than 15 feet below the surface. Values of $50 to $75 per 12-foot by 12-foot sluice box were reported in the early 1900s (1901-1910 dollars). Mining operations were frequently constrained by a lack of water. In 1926, production was 5 ounces of gold and one ounce of silver (National Park Service, 1990).
  • Age = Quaternary.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Mining district

District name Eagle

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = In 1926, production was 5 ounces of gold and one ounce of silver (National Park Service, 1990). Values of $50 to $75 per 12-foot by 12-foot sluice box were reported in the early 1900s.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The creek was first mined in the early 1900s, but more mining activity occurred in 1911. Mining was by open-cut methods because the bedrock was less than 15 feet below the surface. Mining operations were frequently constrained by a lack of water (National Park Service, 1990).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Prindle, L.M., and Mertie, J.B. Jr., 1912, Gold placers between Woodchopper and Fourth of July Creeks, upper Yukon River: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520-G, p. 201-210.

  • Deposit

    Chapin, Theodore, 1914, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592-J, p. 357-362.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Charley River quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-390, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Charley River and Coleen quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-632, 45 p.

  • Deposit

    Dover, J.A., and Miyaoka, R.T., 1988, Reinterpreted geologic map and fossil data, Charley River quadrangle, east-central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2004, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    National Park Service, 1990, Final environmental impact statement, volume 1, Mining in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska: National Park Service, Anchorage, Alaska, p. 36-44.

  • Deposit

    Prindle, L.M., 1913, A geologic reconnaissance of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 538, 82 p.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Prindle and Mertie, 1912

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Deposit Other Comments = See also Fourth of July Creek (CY015). This site is within the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 07-APR-00 Cameron, C.E. Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys

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.