Bonnifield Creek Mine, Bonnifield Mining District, Denali Borough, Alaska, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Bonnifield Creek Mine | Mine |
| Bonnifield Mining District | Mining District |
| Denali Borough | Borough |
| Alaska | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
64° 3' 50'' North , 147° 56' 9'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Location: The Bonnifield Creek mine is located in sec. 9 and possibly sections 1 or 10, T. 10 S., R. 2 W., Fairbanks Meridian. Small-scale placer mining took place about 4 miles below the head of the creek. This mine is locality 83 of Cobb (1972 [MF 410]).
Geology: Small-scale placer mining that produced no more than a few hundred dollars worth of gold was reported on Bonnifield Creek in 1929 and 1935 (Smith, 1932, p. 40; Smith, 1937, p. 46). The gold was 818 to 832 fine (Glover, 1950). Production from placer mines on the creek was reported in the 1980s and 1990s (Bundtzen and others, 1990; Swainbank and others, 1995). Only the extreme headwaters of Bonnifield Creek lie within the California Creek Member of the Totatlanika Schist; it is composed of gray quartz-orthoclase-sericite schist and augen gneiss (Wahrhaftig, 1970 [GQ-808]). The lower 8 miles of the creek cuts through the Nenana Gravel (Wahrhaftig, 1970 [GQ-808]).
Workings: Apparently there was only small-scale placer mining prior to WW II. In 1924, two men had a ground sluicing operation on the creek (Wimmler, 1925 [ATDM MR 195-8, p. 43]). In 1994, D'Log Industries (Ferrel Woods) mined ground on Bonnifield Creek. A test run indicated average values of about $4.00 in gold per cubic yard of gravel, and the cost of mining ran about $1.75 per cubic yard (Swainbank and others, 1995, p. 29).
Age: Quaternary placer.
Production: Not more than a few hundred dollars worth of gold was produced on this stream in 1929 and 1935 (Smith, 1932, p. 40; Smith, 1937, p. 46). There are no production figures available for more recent mining.
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 ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
1 valid mineral.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
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: | FB149 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Nenana BasinBasin
- North America PlatformPassive Margin
- Yukon-Tanana lower DomainDomain
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