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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Inaccessible Ridge

Occurrence in Alaska, United States with commodities Barium-Barite, 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 10003144
MRDS ID A015677
Record type Site
Current site name Inaccessible Ridge

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -161.85377, 68.46947 (WGS84)
Relative position Location plotted is Inaccessible Ridge locality of Churkin and others (1978, fig. 3); on continuation of Inaccessible Ridge on southwest side of westernmost fork at head of Kagvik Creek and about 0.5 mi (0.8 km) northeast of hill 3770; within 2 mi (3.2 km).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

North Slope(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

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

Misheguk Mountain S(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Misheguk Mountain(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Lower Noatak River(hydrologic unit)

Noatak River-Lisburne Peninsula(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Noatak 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
Barium-Barite Critical Primary
Copper Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Barite Ore
Malachite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Iron and copper staining

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -161.85377, 68.46947
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Malachite stains on fractures and marcasite nodules in tightly folded Triassic chert; yellow clay partings in chert near contact between intensely folded and faulted Lisburne Group and Siksikpuk Formation.
  • Age = Mississippian (barite)

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Both

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Noatak

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Contains 700 to more than 5000 ppm Ba (Churkin and others, 1978, p.20, 30-31).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Churkin, M. Jr., Mayfield, C.F., Theobald, P.K., Barton, H., Nodleberg, W.J., Winkler, G.R., and Huie, C., 1978, Geological and geochemical appraisal of metallic mineral resources, southern National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-70A, 82 p.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., Mayfield, C.F., and Brosge, W.P., 1981, Summaries of data on and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral occurrences in eleven quadrangles in northern Alaska (Arctic, Baird Mountains, Chandler Lake, DeLong Mountains, Demarcation Point, Howard Pass, Misheguk Mountain, Mount Michelson, Noatak, Point Lay, and Table Mountain); Supplement to Open-File Report 75-628; Part A, Summaries of data to January 1, 1981: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 81-767-A, 25 p.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Churkin and others (1978)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Lode; stratiform

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 22-OCT-1992 M.T. Powers U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 22-OCT-1992 D.F. Huber U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 22-OCT-1992 J.M. Schmidt 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.