1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Luna

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Copper, Silver, Gold, Cobalt, Zinc
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
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. 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 10307342
Record type Site
Current site name Luna

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -149.16335, 67.75972 (WGS84)
Relative position This site is at an elevation of about 3,900 feet at the head of Robert Creek (secs. 20, 21, T. 34 N., R. 7 W., of the Fairbanks Meridian); It is approximately 6 1/2 miles north of Horace Mountain and a mile north of the Hurricane-Diane prospect (CH062). The location is accurate within a 1/2-mile radius.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Chandalar D-5(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Chandalar N(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Chandalar(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Doyon, Limited(ANCSA Region)

ANCSA Region NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Silver Secondary
Gold Secondary
Cobalt Critical Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Bornite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Chloritic alteration of schists and silicic alteration of meta-intrusive dikes and sills.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 59
USGS model code 18b
Deposit model name Skarn Cu
Mark3 model number 8
Model code 184
USGS model code 28a
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, kuroko
Mark3 model number 93

Nearby scientific data

(1) -149.16335, 67.75972
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Luna prospect is one of a number of copper occurrences that comprise the Chandalar copper belt. Early reports (DeYoung, 1978; Cobb and Cruz, 1983) described this prospect, together with the Hurricane-Diane property, as small deposits of skarn-hosted chalcopyrite in the Devonian Skajit Limestone intruded by a small greenstone-greenschist body. Later reports (Newberry and others, 1986) indicated they are separate prospects. Newberry and others (1986) included them in a group of skarn deposits northwest of and related to the Devonian(?) granitic plutons in the Horace Mountains. Many of these skarns exhibit both garnet and pyroxene prograde and epidote and actinolite retrograde mineral assemblages, and Newberry and others (1986) stated that their mineralogy, mineralization, and alteration of these skarns categorize them as continental-margin, porphyry-related copper skarns. Newberry and others (1986) classified the Luna deposit as a Cu-Zn-Ag skarn, and Newberry and others (1997) classify it as a calcic Cu skarn. A hand specimen of skarn from the Luna deposit contains garnet, pyroxene, epidote, actinolite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite, and magnetite (Newberry and others, 1986). An analysis of the hand specimen gave values of 6.3 percent Cu, 32 ppm Ag, 0.57 percent Zn and 0.07 percent Pb. . More detailed descriptions (Ventures Resource Corporation, 1998) of the mineralization at Luna indicate that the primary mineral occurrence is stratabound and consists principally of chalcopyrite and lesser amounts of bornite and sphalerite in calc-silicate altered schists associated with small bodies of meta-diorite and granodiorite. Early workers (DeYoung, 1978) interpreted the occurrence as a skarn deposit. Nicholson (1990) suggested that at least parts of the mineralized package have volcanogenic affinities and noted the presence of massive, stringer, and disseminated sulfides. Mineralization also apparently occurs in 'distal' Cu-Zn skarns at Luna as well. Ventures Resource Corporation (1998) describes the deposit as including: (a) stratabound volcanogenic sulfides; (b) strata-controlled massive pyrite-chalcopyrite-magnetite skarns; (c) strata- and shear-controlled massive chalcopyrite-bornite-sphalerite replacements; and (d) a 2-foot-thick massive pyrrhotite-arsenopyrite replacement(?) in marble. Host rocks are described as chloritic calc-schist, quartz-sericite calc-schist, and skarn. Based on an extrapolation from mapping by Dillon and others (1996) a short distance south in the Chandalar C-5 quadrangle, these schist units may be Ordovician to Cambrian(?) in age. The schist units are isoclinally folded along shallow-plunging northeast-trending axes and form a broad synform which follows Roberts Creek. The Ventures Resource Corporation geologic map (1998, URL http://www.venturesresource.com/) shows meta-andesite and diorite units at the center of the sulfide occurrences. These units are in thrust contact with Devonian Skajit Limestone to the west.
  • Age = Devonian based on reported Early Devonian Pb/Pb zircon ages from the associated Baby Creek batholith and Horace Mountain plutons (Dillon and others, 1996).

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Active

Mining district

District name Koyukuk

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Reserves = Nicholson (1990) estimated that the deposit (including VMS and skarn mineralization) contains 2.1 million tons averaging 0.54 percent Cu, 0.17 percent Zn and 0.01 ounce of silver per ton.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = The land (and the original claims) have been acquired by Doyon, Limited, an Alaska Native corporation, via its Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act selections. These Doyon lands are currently being evaluated by Ventures Resource Corporation under an agreement with Doyon. Previous work has been primarily surface exploration although five diamond drill holes, totaling 1,605 feet, were drilled in 1978. Soil sampling in 1970 to 1974 reportedly has covered less than 30 percent of the mineralized trend. Some limited trenching has also been done. Three of the five drill holes are reported to have mineralized intercepts, with one reported interval of 6 feet of 6.3 percent Cu, 0.5 percent Co, and 1.1 ounces of silver per ton (Ventures Resource Corporation, 1998). A 30 foot sample from outcrops on a 'rubble-strewn ridge' on the property is reported to assay 3.4 percent Cu, 3.1 percent Zn, 0.1 percent Co, 1.4 ounces of silver per ton and 0.014 ounce of gold per ton. Selected rock samples are reported to contain values ranging from 0.86 percent to 20.1 percent Cu, 0.19 percent to 29.2 percent Zn, 0.55 to 5.07 ounces of silver per ton, 0.01 to 0.15 ounce of gold per ton, and 0.02 to 0.41 percent Co (Ventures Resource Corporation, 1998).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Grybeck, D.J., 1977, Known mineral deposits of the Brooks Range, Alaska: US Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-166C, 41 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

  • Deposit

    DeYoung, J.H., Jr., 1978, Mineral resources map of the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-878-B, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., and Cruz, E.L., 1983, Summaries of data and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Chandalar quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-278, 91 p.

  • Deposit

    Newberry, R.J., Dillon, J.T., and Adams, D.D., 1986, Regionally metamorphosed calc-silicate-hosted deposits of the Brooks Range, northern Alaska: Economic Geology, v. 81, p. 1728-1752

  • Deposit

    Nicholson, L.M., 1990, Porphyry copper, copper skarn, and volcanogenic massive sulfide occurrences in the Chandalar copper district, Alaska: University of Alaska, Fairbanks, M.Sc. thesis, 164 p.

  • Deposit

    Ventures Resource Corporation, 1998, 1997 Annual Report and Website (Worldwide Web URL http://www.venturesresource.com/).

  • Deposit

    Swainbank, R.C., Clautice, K.C., and Nauman, J.L., 1998, Alaska's Mineral Industry 1997: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Special Report 52, 65 p.

  • Deposit

    Newberry, R.J., Allegro, G.L., Cutler, S.E., Hagen-Levelle, D.D., Adams, D.D., Nicholson, L.C., Weglarz, T.B., Bakke, A.A., Clautice, K.H., Coulter, G.A., Ford, M.J., Myers, G.L., and Szumigala, D.J., 1997, Skarn deposits of Alaska, in Goldfarb, R.J., and Miller, L.D., eds., Mineral Deposits of Alaska: Economic Geology Monograph 9, p. 355-395.

  • Deposit

    Maas, K.M., 1987, Maps summarizing land availability for mineral exploration and development in northern Alaska, 1986: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 10-87, 33 quadrangle overlays.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Ventures Resource Corporation, 1998

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Cu skarn deposits; Kuroko massive sulfide(?) (Cox and Singer, 1986; models 18b and 28a)
Deposit Model Number = 18b; 28a(?)
Deposit Other Comments = See also: Hurricane-Diane (CH062), Gayle (CH091), Ginger (CH060), and Evelyn Lee (CH059).. Alaska Kardex No. 031-053 (Kardex is a card file mining claim information system located at the State of Alaska DNR Public Information Center in Fairbanks).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 17-NOV-99 J.M. Britton 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.