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Lucky Hill-TMC

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc
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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. 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 10307608
Record type Site
Current site name Lucky Hill-TMC
Alternate or previous names Rainbow Hill

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -147.24876, 63.17863 (WGS84)
Relative position This prospect is near the south end of Lucky Hill at an elevation of about 4,500 feet. It is in sec. 18, T. 20 S., R. 3 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. This location is accurate to within 500 feet.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Matanuska-Susitna(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Healy A-1(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Mount Hayes SW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Healy(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Susitna River(hydrologic unit)

Susitna River(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Sericite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) The mineralization is associated with sericitic alteration and ankeritic carbonate.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Nearby scientific data

(1) -147.24876, 63.17863
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The Lucky Hill-TMC prospect explores one of several mineral deposits in a belt south of Valdez Creek. The Valdez Creek area is underlain by pre-Upper Triassic pelitic clastic rocks, minor tuff, limestone lenses, and conglomerate. The rocks apparently vary abruptly in regional metamorphosed grade, from prehnite-pumpellyite through greenschist and amphibolite, to granulite. These rocks are intruded by Upper Jurassic alkali gabbro and by dioritic intrusions of Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary age (Smith, 1981). The bedding and foliation of the strata strike about N 75 E and dip steeply northwest. Strike-slip faults having a similar orientation are also present, particularly on the south side of Valdez Creek (Smith, 1981). On the north side of the creek, a northwest-dipping thrust fault in part explains an apparent 'telescoping' of the metamorphic rocks. The Lucky Hill-TMC deposit apparently is in semischist and consists of free gold and minor pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, galena, and sphalerite in sheeted quartz veins that strike east-west and dip steeply to the northwest. A distinctive, yellowish, ankeritic carbonate accompanies the gold-quartz veins. Ar-Ar ages on primary micas from a dioritic pluton give an emplacement age of 90-100 Ma. The age of sericite in the veins is 57-63 Ma. Exploration trenching and drilling show at least five stacked gold-bearing, sheeted zones over a vertical range of 600 feet. Drill-inferred reserves have been established over a strike length of 1,000 feet on the western extension of the TMC zone. Induced polarization surveys have extended the zone along strike for over 5,000 feet (unpublished report by Fairbanks Exploration Inc.).
  • Age = Early Tertiary, based upon Ar-Ar dating of sericite.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Active?

Mining district

District name Valdez Creek

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Reserves = Drill-inferred reserves are 261,998 tons, averaging 0.151 ounce gold per ton (unpublished report by Fairbanks Exploration Inc.).

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = There are numerous backhoe and dozer trenches on the prospect. Drilling has been done on the best portions of the prospect. Induced polarization surveys have been conducted along strike.

Reference information

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Freeman, et al.,1990 (unpublished report by Fairbanks Exploration Inc.)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Low-sulfide Au-quartz veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 36a)
Deposit Other Comments = There is excellent access by vehicle from the Denali Highway. From the old townsite of Denali, the road along the north side of lower Valdez Creek reclaimed area extends past Lucky Gulch. From Lucky Gulch a narrow trail along the east side of the Gulch can be followed southward up the hill to the prospect area.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 07-APR-00 D.L. Stevens Stevens Exploration Management 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.