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Sweepstakes Creek Placer

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Platinum, Uranium, Thorium
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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. Host and associated rocks
  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 10003188
MRDS ID A015725
Record type Site
Current site name Sweepstakes Creek Placer
Related records 10232979

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -161.30331, 65.34383 (WGS84)

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)

Norton Bay(hydrologic unit)

Norton Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • USGS MF-389, LOCS. 39-41. TWO PLACER MINES MARKED ALONG SWEEPSTAKES CR. ON CANDLE (B-5). COORDINATES GIVEN FOR LOWER MINE AT CONFLUENCE OF BEAR GULCH (UNNAMED ON CANDLE (B-5)), A EASTWARD FLOWING TRIBUTARY OF SWEEPSTAKES CR. DRAINING BEAR MTN. 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
Platinum Critical Secondary
Uranium Tertiary
Thorium Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Platinum Ore
Garnet Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Ilmenite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Zircon Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel

Nearby scientific data

(1) -161.30331, 65.34383
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • CREEK DRAINS SOUTHWESTERN PART OF GRANITE MOUNTAIN PLUTON. ; MAJOR.UNITS: BEDROCK IS (JURASSIC(?) - CRETACEOUS)) ANDESITE AND OLDER (PALEOZOIC) METAMORPHOSED ROCKS. BEDROCK SOMEWHAT DECOMPOSED. BEDROCK SYENITIC AT UPPER CLAIMS; REST MAINLY METAMORPHOSED ANDESITES AND, IN A FEW PLACES, OLDER METAMORPHIC ROCKS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Koyuk

Comments on the production information

  • A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS OF GOLD PRODUCED BETWEEN 1910 AND 1965. AVERAGE ANNUAL PRODUCTION BETWEEN 1910-17 WAS BETWEEN 190 AND 240 OUNCES ($4,000 TO $5,000 OUNCES). GOLD WORTH $10,00 (483) MINED, 1917. ALSO ABOUT AN OUNCE OF PLATINUM.

Comments on development

  • STAKED IN 1909. MINED BY OPEN-CUT METHODS. MINING IN MOST YEARS FROM 1910 TO 1965.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PLACER MINING MAINLY IN LOW BENCH DEPOSITS ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE CREEK. DEPTH TO BEDROCK INCREASES FROM 6 FEET AT UPPER CLAIMS TO 15 FEET ON LOWER CLAIMS. GRAVELS IN CREEK BED 6-14 FEET DEEP. ON BENCHES 2-12 FEET OF MUCK OVERLIES 2-8 FEET OF GRAVEL. SOMEWHAT DECOMPOSED BEDROCK EXCAVATED TO A DEPTH OF A FEW INCHES. MINING WAS MAINLY FOR GOLD, BUT A LITLE PLATINUM WAS RECOVERED NEAR THE MOUTH OF BEAR GULCH; NO PLATINUM FURTHER UPSTREAM.
Deposit STREAM GRADIENT APPROXIMATELY 100-150 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-SEP-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.