Nome Creek Area

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Gold, Tin, Antimony, Tungsten

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Commodities
Materials information
Host and associated rocks
Nearby scientific data
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Links to other databases
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10100948
MRDS ID	A010725
Record type	Site
Current site name	Nome Creek Area
Alternate or previous names	Sumner Creek
Related records	10281698

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-146.70269, 65.34164 (WGS84)
Relative position	SEE LOCATION COMMENTS

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Circle B-6(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Circle SW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Circle(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

White Mountains National Recreation Area(National Recreation Area)

National Recreation Area BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country	State
United States	Alaska

Comments on the location information

NOME CREEK IS A PRODUCTIVE PLACER AREA OF APPROXIMATELY 40 SQUARE MILES EXTENDING FROM MOOSE CREEK TO SOURDOUGH CREEK. MOST MINING WAS FROM ABOUT 1 KM ABOVE THE JUNCTION WITH SUMMER CREEK TO THE JUNCTION WITH MOOSE CREEK. SOME MINING WAS DONE ON SUMMER CREEK, JUST ABOVE ITS MOUTH. THE LOCATION IS THE APPROXIMATE CENTER OF THE MINED AREA AND ABOUT 7 MILES E-SE OF TABLE TOP MOUNTAIN. NOME CREEK IS NOW A RECREATIONAL PANNING AREA THAT IS ACCESSIBLE FROM THE STEESE HIGHWAY AT MILE MARKER 53.7 VIA A TWO-WHEEL DRIVE GRAVEL ROAD THAT RUNS 6 MILES TO NOME CREEK (LAMPRIGHT, 1996).

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Gold	Primary
Tin Critical	Secondary
Antimony Critical	Tertiary
Tungsten Critical	Tertiary

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Cassiterite	Ore
Gold	Ore
Scheelite	Ore
Stibnite	Ore
Monazite	Gangue
Topaz	Gangue
Tourmaline	Gangue

Host and associated rocks

Host or associated Host

Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel

Host or associated	Host
Rock type	Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-146.70269, 65.34164	ListMap

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status	Past Producer
Commodity type	Metallic
Deposit size	Small
Significant	No
Discovery year	1910

Comments on exploration

Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name	Tolovana

Comments on the production information

THERE ARE NO DATA ON PRODUCTION BUT THE WORKINGS SUGGEST THAT THE TOTAL IS SUBSTANTIAL (MENZIE AND OTHERS, 1983, P. 49).

Comments on the workings information

GOLD WAS DISCOVERED IN 1910 (ELLSWORTH AND PARKER, 1911). DREDGING OCCURRED IN 1926 TO 1931, 1939 TO 1940, AND 1946 (COBB, 1976, P. 50, [OFR 76-633]). MINING OCCURRED DURING SEVERAL SEASONS BETWEEN 1960 AND 1982 (MENZIE AND OTHERS, 1983). MOST OF THE MINING HAS BEEN ABOUT 1 KM ABOVE THE JUNCTION WITH SUMNER CREEK TO THE JUNCTION WITH MOOSE CREEK, A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 10 KM. SOME WORK WAS ALSO DONE ON SUMNER CREEK, JUST ABOVE ITS JUNCTION WITH NOME CREEK. NOME CREEK IS NOW A STATE RECREATIONAL MINING SITE LIMITED TO NON-MECHANIZED OPERATIONS.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency	Database name	Acronym	Record ID
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	A010725
USGS	Alaska Resource Data File	ARDF	CI041
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	A012223

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Ellsworth, C. E. and Parker, G. L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480, p. 153-172.
Deposit

Ellsworth, C. E. and Davenport, R. W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana Region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542, p. 203-222.
Deposit

Prindle, L. M. and Katz, F. J., 1913, Geology of the Fairbanks district , in A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska [Prindle, L.M., 1913]: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, 220 p.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1929, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1926: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 797, p. 1-50.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824, p. 1-81.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-82.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836, p. 1-115.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-98.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1937, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-88.
Deposit

Smith, P. S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-94.
Deposit

Bates, R. G. and Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., 1953, Preliminary summary review of thorium-bearing mineral occurrences in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 202, 13 p.
Deposit

Wedow, Helmuth, Jr. and Killeen, P. L., 1954, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in eastern interior Alaska, 1946: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 331, 36 p.
Deposit

Overstreet, W. C., 1967, The geologic occurrence of monazite: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 530, 327 p.
Deposit

Cobb, E. H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Misc. Field Studies Map 391, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Deposit

Cobb, E. H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.
Deposit

Holm, 1973, Bedrock geology and mineralization of the Mount Prindle area, Yukon-Tanana upland: University of Alaska Fairbanks Masters Thesis, 55 p.
Deposit

Cobb, E. H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U. S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-633, 72 p.
Deposit

Menzie, W. D., Foster, H. L., Tripp, R.B., and Yeend, W. E., 1983, Mineral resource assessment of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-170-B, 61 p., 1 sheet, 1:250,000.
Deposit

Eakins, G. R., Bundtzen, T. K., Lueck, L. L., Green, C. B., Gallagher, J. L., and Robinson, M. S., 1985, Alaska's mineral industry 1984: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 38, 57 p.
Deposit

Bundtzen, T. K., Eakins, G. R., Green, C. B., and Lueck, L. L., 1986, Alaska's mineral industry 1985: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 39, 68 p.
Deposit

Lampright, R. L., 1996, Gold placer deposits near Fairbanks Alaska: Iron Fire Publications, Nederland, Colorado, 135 p.
Deposit

Joesting, H.R., 1942, Strategic mineral occurences in interior Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 1, 46 p.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	HEADWATERS OF NOME CREEK ARE IN THE MT. PRINDLE AREA WHERE A SMALL LOWER TERTIARY PLUTON INTRUDE PALEOZOIC AND (OR) PRECAMBRIAN SCHIST (COBB, 1973, P. 174, [B 1374]). THE PAYSTREAK IS 2 TO 4 FEET THICK OVERLAIN BY ABOUT 15 FEET OF GRAVEL (ELLSWORTH AND PARKER, 1911, P. 165). CONCENTRATES CONTAIN GOLD, CASSITERITE, MONAZITE, TOPAZ AND TOURMALINE (WEDOW AND OTHERS, 1954, P. 8). GOLD WAS DISCOVERED IN 1910 (ELLSWORTH AND PARKER, 1911). DREDGING OCCURRED IN 1926 TO 1931, 1939 TO 1940, AND 1946 (COBB, 1976, P. 50, [OFR 76-633]). MINING OCCURRED DURING SEVERAL SEASONS BETWEEN 1960 AND 1982 (MENZIE AND OTHERS, 1983). MOST OF THE MINING HAS BEEN ABOUT 1 KM ABOVE THE JUNCTION WITH SUMNER CREEK TO THE JUNCTION WITH MOOSE CREEK, A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 10 KM. SOME WORK WAS ALSO DONE ON SUMNER CREEK, JUST ABOVE ITS JUNCTION WITH NOME CREEK. NOME CREEK IS NOW A STATE RECREATIONAL MINING SITE LIMITED TO NON-MECHANIZED OPERATIONS.
Deposit	SEE ALSO SOURDOUGH CREEK, ARDF NO. CI054.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

HEADWATERS OF NOME CREEK ARE IN THE MT. PRINDLE AREA WHERE A SMALL LOWER TERTIARY PLUTON INTRUDE PALEOZOIC AND (OR) PRECAMBRIAN SCHIST (COBB, 1973, P. 174, [B 1374]). THE PAYSTREAK IS 2 TO 4 FEET THICK OVERLAIN BY ABOUT 15 FEET OF GRAVEL (ELLSWORTH AND PARKER, 1911, P. 165). CONCENTRATES CONTAIN GOLD, CASSITERITE, MONAZITE, TOPAZ AND TOURMALINE (WEDOW AND OTHERS, 1954, P. 8). GOLD WAS DISCOVERED IN 1910 (ELLSWORTH AND PARKER, 1911). DREDGING OCCURRED IN 1926 TO 1931, 1939 TO 1940, AND 1946 (COBB, 1976, P. 50, [OFR 76-633]). MINING OCCURRED DURING SEVERAL SEASONS BETWEEN 1960 AND 1982 (MENZIE AND OTHERS, 1983). MOST OF THE MINING HAS BEEN ABOUT 1 KM ABOVE THE JUNCTION WITH SUMNER CREEK TO THE JUNCTION WITH MOOSE CREEK, A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 10 KM. SOME WORK WAS ALSO DONE ON SUMNER CREEK, JUST ABOVE ITS JUNCTION WITH NOME CREEK. NOME CREEK IS NOW A STATE RECREATIONAL MINING SITE LIMITED TO NON-MECHANIZED OPERATIONS.

Deposit

SEE ALSO SOURDOUGH CREEK, ARDF NO. CI054.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	01-JUN-1984	Garrison, Michael T. (Elliott, R. L.)	U.S. Geological Survey
Updater	01-SEP-1998	C.J. Freeman, J.R. Guidetti Schaefer, A.S. Clements	Avalon Development Corporation

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.