Location: The Big Eldorado Creek mine is located in the south half of T. 2 N., R. 1 W., Fairbanks Meridian. Big Eldorado Creek is an approximately 9-mile-long tributary of Goldstream Creek. The location of placered ground is uncertain, but there are several prospects marked on the Fairbanks (D-2) NW and the Fairbanks (D-2) NE topographic maps approximately 3.5 miles upstream from its junction with Goldstream Creek. The mine is locality 51of Cobb (1972 [MF 410]).
Geology: Placer gold is found in a narrow paystreak where depth to bedrock is as much as 98 feet (Prindle, 1908; Prindle and Katz, 1909). In the upper part of the valley, gold is found in gravel 50 feet deep and 30 feet wide (Prindle and Katz, 1913). Production through 1910 was worth $50,000 with an average value of gold at $19.38 per ounce (Prindle and Katz, 1913). Mining was reported in 1915 and 1916 (Brooks, 1916 [B 642]; Smith, 1917 [BMB 153]). Small-scale drift mining was reported in 1925 and 1926 (Wimmler, 1925 [ATDM MR 195-8, p. 46]; Wimmler, 1926 [ATDM MR 195-11, p. 58]). The gold is between 941 and 952 fine (Glover, 1950).
Workings: Mining began before 1910, and small-scale drift mining was reported in 1925 and 1926 (Wimmler, 1925 [ATDM MR 195-8, p. 46]; Wimmler, 1926 [ATDM MR 195-11, p. 58]).
Age: Quaternary placer.
Production: The creek produced $50,000 through 1910; the average value of the gold was $19.38 per ounce (Prindle and Katz, 1913).

Commodities (Major) - Au
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

ⓘ Gold

Mineral List

ⓘ Native Gold

1 valid mineral.

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Native Gold

Formula: Au

References:

(2008) Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) Open-File Report 2008-1225. US Geological Survey

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
ⓘ	Native Gold	1.AA.05	Au

List of minerals for each chemical element

Au	Gold
Au	ⓘ Native Gold	Au

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	FB084

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent

North America PlateTectonic Plate

North America PlatformPassive Margin
Yukon-Tanana lower DomainDomain

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References

Brooks, A.H., 1908, The mining industry in 1907: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 345-A, p. 30-53. Brooks, A.H., 1916, Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1915: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 642, 279 p. Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-410, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-662, 174 p. Glover, A.E., 1950, Placer gold fineness: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-1, 38 p. Prindle, L.M., 1908, The Fairbanks and Rampart quadrangles, Yukon-Tanana region, Alaska, with a section on the Rampart placers, by F.L. Hess, and a paper on the water supply of the Fairbanks region, by C.C. Covert: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 337, 102 p. Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1913, Detailed description of the Fairbanks district, in Prindle, L.M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 59-152. Smith, S.S., 1917, The mining industry in the Territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1916: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 153, 89 p. Wimmler, N.L., 1925, Placer mining in Alaska in 1925: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-8, 118 p. Wimmler, N.L., 1926, Placer mining in Alaska in 1926: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-11, 121 p.

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