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Kennicott Mine

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities Silver, Copper, 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 10308912
MRDS ID A010706
Record type Site
Current site name Kennicott Mine
Alternate or previous names Erie, Jumbo, Bonanza, Mother Lode
Related records 10112651, 10000514

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -142.84649, 61.52767 (WGS84)
Relative position Three miles northwest of town of Kennicott. Coordinates are for point at Jumbo, largest producer of Kennicott Mines. Other mines of Kennicott Complex are within 2 mi. of Jumbo and all are connected underground. Best location: MacKevett, 1970.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Valdez-Cordova(Census area)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

McCarthy C-5(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

McCarthy NW(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

McCarthy C(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Chitina River(hydrologic unit)

Copper River(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Copper Primary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Azurite Ore
Bornite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Cinnabar Ore
Covellite Ore
Enargite Ore
Galena Ore
Malachite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tennantite Ore
Luzonite Ore

Alteration

  • Oxidation of deposits is not related to present land surface. Practically entire deposit has been partially oxidized even in deepest levels of mine. Oxidized minerals are malachite, azurite, limonite, covellite, antlerite, chalcanthite, cuprite, Cu arsenates, brochantite (?).

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 87
USGS model code 23
Deposit model name Basaltic Cu (BC name is Volcanic redbed Cu)
Mark3 model number 118

Nearby scientific data

(1) -142.84649, 61.52767
ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

  • Geologic Description = Kennicott mines were renowned for the size and richness of their copper sulfide lodes. The largest known ore body (Jumbo Mine) consisting of almost pure chalcocite and covellite averaged 360 ft in height, was between 2 ft and 60 ft wide, and extended along its northeasterly plunge for 1,500 ft. Origin and geologic history of deposits is complex, obscure, and multiple hypotheses are still debated. Mainly chalcocite and covellite, with minor enargite, bornite, chalcopyrite, luzonite, and pyrite. Tennantite, sphalerite, and galena extremely rare. Local surface oxidation of sulfides to malachite and azurite. Sulfides occur mainly as large, irregular, massive, wedge-shaped bodies, mainly in dolomitic parts of the Upper Triassic Chitistone or Nizina Limestone. Generally less than 100 m above the Middle and(or) Upper Triassic Nikolai Greenstone. One of the most productive group of mines in Alaska from 1913 until 1938 when the ore was exhausted. More than 96 km of underground workings. Deposits interpreted by Armstrong and MacKevett (1982) as having formed by mobilization of Cu from the underlying Nikolai Greenstone and deposited by oxygenated groundwater and deposition in fossil karsts of a dolomitic sabkha interface in overlying limestone. Age of deposition interpreted as Cretaceous(?) with formation during regional low-grade metamorphism.
  • Age = Cretaceous

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic

Comments on exploration

  • Status = Inactive

Mining district

District name Nizina

Comments on the production information

  • Production Notes = Produced about 544 million kg Cu and 280 million g Ag from 4.3 million tonnes ore between 1913 and 1938. About 75 percent of ore mined was sulfide minerals of which 95 percent was chalcocite.

Comments on the workings information

  • Workings / Exploration = Mines located 4,000-6,000 ft elevation with over 700 mi in underground workings; lowest workings reached 2,800 ft elevation. Surface and underground workings.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

Comments on the references

  • Primary Reference = Bateman and McLaughlin, 1920

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Model Name = Basaltic Cu
Deposit Other Comments = Minor production in late 1960's from surface talus deposits.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 11-JUL-1997 Elliott, R.L, Nokleberg, W.J., Richter, D.H. 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.