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St. Michaels Creek

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodity Gold
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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. 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 10308676
Record type Site
Current site name St. Michaels Creek

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -165.15227, 64.54059 (WGS84)
Relative position This alluvial gold placer deposit is on St. Michaels Creek, a south tributary to Osborn Creek (NM305). The confluence of Osborn and St. Michaels Creek is about 2 miles upstream of the mouth of Osborn Creek on Nome River. The map location is on placer mine workings in the lower part of the creek, 1,500 feet upstream of its mouth, in the NW1/4 section 18, T. 11 S., R. 32 W., Kateel River Meridian. St. Michaels Creek is included in locality 120 of Cobb (1972 [MF 463], 1978 [OFR 78-93]).

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-1(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) -165.15227, 64.54059
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = St. Michaels Creek has been extensively dredged for placer gold along its lower 3,000 feet. The mine workings are at surface elevations of about 50 to 75 feet. Specific information for St. Michaels Creek has not been reported, but the deposit may be similar in origin, tenor, and mining history to that on nearby Osborn Creek (NM305). St. Michaels Creek's low elevation and proximity to the lower Nome River valley suggest that Quaternary sea-level fluctuations probably influenced development of its placer deposits. Parts of St. Michaels Creek probably rework older coastal plain deposits. St. Michaels Creek barely cuts down to an elevation where Third Beach could have existed in a re-entrant to the northeast side of Army Peak. Bedrock sources of gold could also be present; bedrock exposed in the area is mainly calc-schist, mica-chlorite schist, and marble with some graphitic quartz schist (Hummel, 1962 [MF 247]).
  • Age = Quaternary.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Probably inactive

Mining district

District name Nome

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = St. Michaels Creek may have made significant contributions to placer gold production in this area.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Placer gold tailings are present along the lower 3,000 feet of St. Michaels Creek, where it was extensively dredged.

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

    Moffit, F.H., 1913, Geology of the Nome and Grand Central quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 533, 140 p.

  • Deposit

    Hummel, C.L., 1962, Preliminary geologic map of the Nome C-1 quadrangle, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-247, 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-463, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Cobb, E.H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Nome quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File report 78-93, 213 p.

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Cobb, 1978 (OFR 78-93)

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 10-JUL-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.

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.