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Birch Creek Placer

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Tin, Bismuth, Silver, Copper, Rhenium, Thorium, Uranium
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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. Land status
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10003016
MRDS ID A015531
Record type Site
Current site name Birch Creek Placer
Related records 10257702

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -155.35865, 64.45783 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

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

Ruby S(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Ruby(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • USGS MF-405, LOC. 9. DEPOSIT ON BENCH WEST OF BIRCH CR. FROM CONFLUENCE WITH STRAIGHT CR. DOWNSTREAM FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Tin Critical Primary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary
Silver Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Rhenium Tertiary
Thorium Tertiary
Uranium Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bismuth Ore
Cassiterite Ore
Gold Ore
Anatase Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Ilmenite Gangue
Sphene Gangue
Zircon Gangue
Malachite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Iron Derived From The Oxidation Of Pyrite.

Analytical data

Result FINENESS 872 PARTS AU AND 120 PARTS AG. YEILD FROM 88,000 FT.2 OF BEDROCK MINED WAS .5 LB. CASSITERITE AND $.75 TO $1.50 IN GOLD PER FT.2 (AU AT $20.67 OZ.). A HALF TON OF CASSITERITE ASSAYED 62% SN.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel

Nearby scientific data

(1) -155.35865, 64.45783
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • MAJOR.UNITS: BEDROCK GRANITE NEAR HEAD AND BLACK PYRITIC SLATE FARTHER DOWNSTREAM.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1914
Year of first production 1914

Mining district

District name Ruby

Land status

Ownership category State

Comments on the workings information

  • MINING AND PROSPECTING RENDERED DIFFICULT BY THAWED GROUND AND LIVE WATER, WHICH MAY BE ENCOUNTERED BELOW 80 FT. THE AMOUNT OF WATER AND THE DEPTH MAKE IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PROSPECT WITHOUT A RATHER LARGE PLANT HAVING SUFFICIENT BOILER CAPACITY TO DO THE NECESSARY PUMPING.

Comments on development

  • CREEK FIRST STAKED IN 1914. PLACER GOLD MINED AT VARIOUS TIMES BETWEEN 1914 AND 1936. 3 MINES WORKED, 1914-15, AND OTHER PROSPECTING. MINED BY UNDERGROUND METHODS BETWEEN STRAIGHT AND CROOKED CREEKS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PAY STREAK IN GRAVEL BENCH ON WEST SIDE OF CREEK; GOLD ON OR NEAR BEDROCK. GROUND MINED WAS 70 TO MORE THAN 90 FT. DEEP. GOLD FOUND FOR MORE THAN 2 MILES ALONG LOWER BIRCH CREEK AND BETWEEN STRAIGHT AND CROOKED CREEKS. NATIVE BISMUTH ALSO FOUND. CASSITERITE FOUND HALF A MILE BELOW THE MOUTH OF CROOKED CREEK.
Deposit STREAM GRADIENT UNDER 50 FEET PER MILE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT
Deposit THIS SITE NAME WAS CREATED BY THE REPORTER OR OTHER USGS EMPLOYEE BASED ON PROXIMITY TO SOME MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC FEATURE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1987 Powers, M.T. (Huber, D.F.) 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.