Bedrock Creek Prospect, Circle Mining District, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Bedrock Creek Prospect	Prospect
Circle Mining District	Mining District
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Site of localized radioactive anomaly; low grade and small size. Apparently no potential for uranium of economic importance.
Location: Location of claims is about 100 yards east of Bedrock Creek and 50 yards upstream of the Steese Highway bridge.
Geology: Country rock is dominantly Paleozoic and (or) Precambrian Yukon-Tanana terrane quartz-mica schist containing numerous discontinous quartz veins, intruded by lower Tertiary granite of the Circle pluton. Nelson, West, and Matzko (1954) reported 10% monazite, 5% topaz and a small amount of scheelite in the heavy-mineral fraction of the granite bedrock. Other minerals present are pyrrhotite, garnet, ilmenite, zircon, biotite, topaz and malachite. Two other samples from the area are slightly anomalous in tungsten (2-3 ppm), fluorine (2300-2400 ppm), lead (11-25 ppm), and arsenic (12-24 ppm) (Nelson and others, 1954). Concentrates from gravel on upper Bedrock Creek contain tin and tungsten (Barker, 1979). Fluorometric tests indicated the presence of uranium in several minerals but not in amounts to be of economic interest. A slightly radioactive zone of iron-stained schist 0.5 to 2 feet wide by 8 feet long was staked for uranium. This iron-stained schist gave a radiometric reading of about 0.05 mR/hr while the unstained schist gave a reading of 0.04 mR/hr (Freeman, 1963, p. 32). Work on claims between 1976 and 1978 consisted of surface trenching on the slightly radioactive zone of the iron-stained schist. Bedrock Creek is noted for its absence of gold, even though it is surrounded by gold-producing creeks such as Independence, Mammoth, Crooked and Boulder Creeks (Yeend, 1991, p. 31).
Workings: Claims located 100 yards east of the creek were active in 1976 - 1978. Workings consisted of surface trenching of a slightly radioactive zone of iron-stained schist 0.5 to 2 feet wide by 8 feet long. This iron-stained schist gave a radiometric reading of about 0.05 mR/hr while the unstained schist gave a reading of 0.04 mR/hr (Freeman, 1963, p. 32).

Commodities (Major) - U; (Minor) - Cu, Th, W
Development Status: None

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Link to USGS - Alaska:	CI004

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References