Snake River (lower)

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodity Gold
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  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 10307985
Record type Site
Current site name Snake River (lower)

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -165.55638, 64.64438 (WGS84)
Relative position A placer gold mine was reported on the south bank of lower Snake River (Sainsbury and others, 1972 [OFR 72-321]). It is in the NW1/4 section 19, T. 11 S., R. 34 W., Kateel River Meridian and about 0.8 miles north of the present coastline of Norton Sound. The location is accurate within about 1,000 feet. This portion of Snake River is within U.S. Mineral Survey No. 1848, a patented claim group that extends westerly, possibly along actual or inferred raised beach deposits.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nome(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Nome C-2(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Solomon NW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Nome(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Nome(hydrologic unit)

Norton Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northwest(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Sitnasuak Native Corporation(ANCSA Village)

ANCSA Village NTVPIC(Type of land area)

NTVPIC(Federal land areas administered by NTVPIC)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 119
USGS model code 39a
Deposit model name Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number 54

Nearby scientific data

(1) -165.55638, 64.64438

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = The entire Snake River drainage south of Last Chance Creek in the Nome C-1 quadrangle was reported as auriferous by Collier and others (1908) but not in economic quantities. This site, reported as a mine by Sainsbury and others (1972 [OFR 72-321]), was located as early as 1925, probably for Hammon Consolidated Goldfields. The claims here were patented in U.S. Mineral Survey No. 1846. This placer could include raised beach placers as well as a segment of the Snake River flood plain that reworked placer deposits of the coastal plain.
  • Age = Quaternary.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Probably inactive

Mining district

District name Nome

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Mining claims on lower Snake River were probably located for Hammon Consolidated Goldfields by 1925. Sainsbury and others (1972 [OFR 72-321]) reported a mine here, probably based on aerial observation of tailings.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Collier, A. J., Hess, F.L., Smith, P.S., and Brooks, A.H., 1908, The gold placers of parts of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, including the Nome, Council, Kougarok, Port Clarence, and Goodhope precincts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 328, 343 p.

  • Deposit

    Sainsbury, C.L., Hudson, T.L., Ewing, Rodney, and Marsh, W.R., 1972, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Nome C-2 quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 72-321, 13 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Sainsbury and others, 1972 (OFR 72-321)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Alluvial placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 12-MAR-00 Hawley, C.C. and Hudson, Travis L. Hawley Resource Group

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.