Nim

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Copper, Molybdenum, Lead, Zinc
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 10096770
MRDS ID A011325
Record type Site
Current site name Nim

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -149.43283, 63.27959 (WGS84)
Relative position The Nim claim block at its acme, comprised 168 claims. The block was approximately rectangular, with the long axis oriented NE - SW. The center of the prospect area is at the intersection of secs. 10, 11, 14, and 15, T. 19 S., R. 10 W., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The location is accurate to within 0.5 mile.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Matanuska-Susitna(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

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

Healy S(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Healy(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Chulitna River(hydrologic unit)

Susitna River(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Denali National Park(National Park)

National Park NPS(Type of land area)

NPS(Federal land areas administered by NPS)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Alteration consists of widespread propylitic alteration and silicification. Local zones of potassic alteration marked by secondary biotite reported.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 85
USGS model code 22c
Deposit model name Polymetallic veins
Mark3 model number 46
Model code 78
USGS model code 20c
Deposit model name Porphyry Cu-Au
Mark3 model number 34

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Chronological age 67.5

Nearby scientific data

(1) -149.43283, 63.27959

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The country rocks in the area of the Him prospect include Upper Triassic to Upper Jurassic crystal tuff, argillite, chert, graywacke, and limestone, which are intruded successively by hypabyssal garnetiferous diorite porphyry, and by monzonite porphyry and quartz porphyry. The intrusive rocks are correlated with similar Upper Cretaceous plutons at the Golden Zone mine (HE043) (Swainbank and others, 1977). The deposits consists chiefly of pluton-hosted, porphyry-type disseminations of arsenopyrite, bornite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, and molybdenite in a 4,000- by 4,000-foot area. Selected bedrock samples assay as high as 5% copper, 360 ppm molybdenite, 2 ppm gold and 9 ounces of silver per ton.? In addition to the porphyry-type deposit. mapping and geophysical methods indicate 5 breccia-pipe anomalies similar to those at the Golden Zone mine (Bundtzen and others, 1984). The Nim deposit has a slightly different geochemical signature from the Golden Zone mine (Nim is higher in molybdenum-copper, lower in gold), but its hybrid breccia-porphyry mineralization, small alteration haloes, and complex mineralogy are essentially the same as at the Golden Zone mine.
  • Age = The similarity of the Nim deposit to the Upper Cretaceous (70-65 Ma) Golden Zone mine (HE043) suggests that they are probably the same age.
  • Age = Chron age is for the Golden Zone mine.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Active

Mining district

District name Valdez Creek

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Exploration in the late 1970's consisted of at least 18 shallow RC drill holes into the Snoopy and Nim areas. IP and magnetic surveys have also been conducted on the property (Bundtzen, 1983).? Selected bedrock samples assay as high as 5% copper, 360 ppm molybdenite, 2 ppm gold and 9 ounces of silver per ton.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Capps, S.R., 1924, Geology and mineral resources of the region traversed by the Alaska Railroad: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755-C, p. 73-150.

  • Deposit

    Ross, C.P., 1933, The Valdez Creek mining district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 849, p. 289-467.

  • Deposit

    Hawley, C.C., and Clark, A.L., 1974, Geology and mineral deposits of the upper Chulitna district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 758-B, p. 1-47, 2 sheets, scale 1:12,000 and 1:48,000.

  • Deposit

    Hawley, C.C., and others, 1978, Mineral appraisal of lands adjacent to Mt. McKinley National Park, Alaska. Contract No. JO166107: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 24-78, 274 p., 12 sheets.

  • Deposit

    Salisbury and Dietz, Inc., 1984, 1983 mineral resource studies: Kantishna Hills and Dunkle Mine areas, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines, Contract No. S0134031, 1080 p.

  • Deposit

    Bundtzen, T.K., 1983, Mineral resource modeling, Kantishna and Dunkle mine study areas: Alaska Division of Geological "&" Geophysical Surveys Report of Investigations 83-12, 51 p.

  • Deposit

    Bundtzen, T.K., Eakins, G.R., Clough, J.G., Lueck, L.L., Green, C.B., Robinson, M.S., and Coleman, D.A., 1984, Alaska's Mineral Industry, 1983: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 33, 56 p.

  • Deposit

    Balen, M.D., 1990, Geochemical sampling results from the Bureau of Mines Investigations in the Valdez Creek mining district, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 34-90, 218 p., 2 plates, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Kurtak, J.M., Southworth, D.D., Balen, M.D., and Clautice, K.H., 1992, Mineral investigations in the Valdez Creek mining district, south-central Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 1-92, 659 p., 2 plates, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Clark, A.L., and Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Healy quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-394, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Salisbury and Dietz, 1984

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Polymetallic vein, Au-Ag breccia pipe, or Cu-Au porphyry (Cox and Singer, 1986; models 22c, 20c)
Deposit Model Number = 22c, 20c

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 07-APR-2000 N. Van Wyck Stevens Exploration Management Corporation

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Authoritative Alaska resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.