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McLeod

Prospect in Alaska, United States with commodities Molybdenum, Silver, Copper, Manganese, Lead, Tin, Uranium, Tungsten
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Alteration
  9. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Mineral rights holdings
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10308504
MRDS ID A013467
MAS/MILS ID 0020630005
Record type Site
Current site name McLeod
Related records 10308505, 10002524

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -159.28776, 63.2705 (WGS84)
Relative position This prospect is located on the southwestern flank of the Kaiyuh Mountains, approximately 11.5 miles southeast of Blackburn, an abandoned settlement on the Yukon River. The discovery trenches, now caved, are at an elevation of 1025 feet on a north-trending ridge locally known as Camp Ridge. Camp Ridge is approximately 1400 feet southeast of hill 1170. The site is on the northeastern side of the ridge in the NE1/4 NW1/4 sec. 5, T. 26 S., R. 3 W., Kateel River Meridian. The location is accurate within 300 feet. This is an unnumbered locality in Cobb (1972 [MF 427]). The prospect is on Doyon, Ltd. selected lands. References describing recent exploration are available for review at the offices of Doyon, Ltd. in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yukon-Koyukuk(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Unalakleet B-1(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Ophir SW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Unalakleet(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Innoko National Wildlife Refuge(National Wildlife Refuge)

National Wildlife Refuge FWS(Type of land area)

FWS(Federal land areas administered by FWS)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Kateel River 025 S 003 W 32 SESWSW Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Molybdenum Primary
Silver Secondary
Copper Secondary
Manganese Critical Secondary
Lead Secondary
Tin Critical Secondary
Uranium Secondary
Tungsten Critical Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • Gangue = Pyrrhotite

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Ferrimolybdite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Magnetite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) The intrusive rocks are locally silicified and sericitized (Mertie, 1937). The adjacent country rocks are marked by extensive hornfelsing, secondary pyrite, and chloritic alteration.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 80
USGS model code 21b
Deposit model name Porphyry Mo, low-F

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type
    Stratigraphic age (oldest) Early Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) -159.28776, 63.2705
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = This deposit consists of platy aggregates and grains of molybdenite in sparse, northeast-trending, milky-white quartz veinlets and veins up to 8 inches thick (Mertie, 1937). The veins cut hornfels, clastic sedimentary rocks, minor intermediate to mafic volcanic rocks, and biotite-quartz-feldspar porphyritic dikes, near the southwestern margin of a Cretaceous or Tertiary quartz-feldspar-porphyritic granite stock. The stock is exposed in a 3/4-square-mile area, but the extent of the hornfels suggests that the pluton is considerably larger at depth (Bressler and others, 1979). The dikes postdate the stock and generally strike northeast. The general strike of the strata is northwesterly with gentle dips to the northeast and southwest. There is very little outcrop, but vein float trending about N60E can be traced in frost-riven rubble for several hundred feet on the ridge and downslope (West, 1954).? the deposit also contains pyrite, pyrrhotite, molybdenite altered to ferrimolybdenite, magnetite, zircon, and tourmaline (West, 1954). Selected samples of molybdenite- and ferrimolybdenite-bearing quartz vein material assay 0.23 to 1.49% Mo. A sample submitted in 1942 by McLeod (probably from this prospect) contained approximately 4% molybdenite (Joesting, 1943). Early indications of elevated uranium content were not substantiated by sampling by the U.S. Geological Survey (West, 1954, p. 9-10). No sample contained more than 0.0003% eU.? the mineralized veins are mainly in highly fractured, silicified pyritic hornfels adjacent to biotite-quartz -porphyritic dikes. Mineralized veinlets in the dikes are rare. A multi-element and molybdenum soil anomaly that marks the deposit measures 3500 by 2700 feet (Bressler and others, 1979). The anomaly partly coincides with mapped alteration and with exposures of molybdenite-bearing quartz veinlets; the anomaly is open to the southwest (Bressler and others, 1979).? Also see UL004 and 005.
  • Age = Late Cretaceous or Tertiary, the age of the granitic stock and its apophyses.
  • Age = Cretaceous or Tertiary, the presumed age of the mineralized felsic intrusive hostrock.
  • Age = Host rock is Tertiary - Cretaceous.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes

Mining district

District name Kaiyuh

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Several prospect pits and trenches were dug and caved prior to 1945 (West, 1954). There has been no underground exploration at this site. Surface exploration and mapping was conducted by Bear Creek Mining Company in 1976 (Fields, 1976), and by WGM, Inc., on behalf of Doyon, Ltd., in 1979 and 1980 (Bressler and others, 1979; Lessman, 1979). Airborne and radiometric surveys were completed in 1980 (Boniwell, 1981).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Ownership

    ALASKA KARDEX 063-005

  • Deposit

    Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1937, The Kaiyuh Hills, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-D, p. 145-177.

  • Deposit

    West, W.S., 1954, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in the lower Yukon-Kuskokwim region, Alaska, 1952: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 328, 10 p.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Unalakleet quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-427, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Fields, E.D., 1976, Regional mineral survey of the Kaltag withdrawal area (Doyon, Ltd.) and examination of the McLeod molybdenum prospect, Kaltag, Alaska: Doyon Report 76-21, 9 p. (Report held by Doyon, Ltd., Fairbanks, Alaska).

  • Deposit

    Andrews, Tom, Enns, S., and Ruzicka, J., 1978, McLeod project area report, Doyon project 1978: Doyon Report 78-32, 11 p. (Report held by Doyon, Ltd., Fairbanks, Alaska).

  • Deposit

    Lessman, J., 1979, Doyon project 1979 annual progress report: Doyon Report 79-31, 5 p. (Report held by Doyon, Ltd., Fairbanks, Alaska).

  • Deposit

    Bressler, J., Cleveland, G., Ruzicka, J., 1979, 1979 annual progress report McLeod project area: Doyon Report 79-33, 48 p. (Report held by Doyon, Ltd., Fairbanks, Alaska).

  • Deposit

    Boniwell, J.B., 1981, Airborne geophysics over the McLeod prospect, Kaiyuh Mountains, Nulato, Alaska: Doyon Report 81-05, 9 p. (Report held by Doyon, Ltd., Fairbanks, Alaska).

  • Deposit

    Boniwell, J.B., 1981, An addendum to the report on airborne geophysics over the McLeod prospect, Kaiyuh Mountains, Nulato, Alaska: Doyon Report 81-08, 16 sheets. (Report held by Doyon, Ltd., Fairbanks, Alaska.)

  • Deposit

    Bright, M.J., 1982, Evaluation of WGM data from Doyon, Ltd.'s McLeod molybdenum prospect: Doyon Report 82-52, 8 p. (Report held by Doyon, Ltd., Fairbanks, Alaska).

  • Deposit

    B1246 pp. 228-229

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Bressler and others, 1979

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Porphyry Mo (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 16a and 21b)
Deposit Model Number = 16a, 21b
Deposit Other Comments = This property is on Doyon, Ltd. selected lands. For more information contact Doyon, Ltd., in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 07-AUG-01 S.S. Dashevsky Northern Associates Inc.
Updater 31-AUG-11 Causey, J Douglas U.S. Geological Survey Combined data from MAS record 0020630005 (Dep_ID 10160700) and deleted that record.
Reporter 14-JUN-85 SBH U.S. Bureau of Mines

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.