Busby Mine, Bonnifield Mining District, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Busby Mine	Mine
Bonnifield Mining District	Mining District
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Location: The Busby mine is accessible by a winter trail from Ferry on the Alaska Railroad or from mile 46 on the Richardson Highway. The prospect is about 1 mile north of Slide Creek, a tributary of Dry Creek in the SE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 10 S., R. 2 E., Fairbanks Meridian. An airstrip for the mine was constructed on top of a hill in sections 26 and 27, T. 10 S., R. 2 E. (Conwell, 1973).
Geology: The following description of the Busby mine is taken from Conwell (1973). The rock at the mine is the Mystic Creek Member of the Totalanika Schist, which consists of black schist with interbedded limestone. Galena-bearing veins crosscut the black schist and are nearly vertical. A well-defined vein containing galena is exposed along a trench about 130 feet long. Two additional veins containing high-grade galena diverge from the main vein at an acute angle. Assays indicate that the ore has about 1 ounce of silver for each 1 percent of lead. In addition to the galena-bearing fractures, there is a prominent altered zone; samples from this zone are not of ore grade, but they are anomalously high in silver and lead. High-grade lead-silver ore was hand-sorted from a shallow trench. Approximately 12 tons of ore assaying 44.4 ounces of silver per ton and 48.1 percent lead was shipped to the American Smelting and Refining Company, at Helena, Montana, in the spring of 1973.
Workings: High-grade lead-silver ore was hand-sorted from a shallow trench (Conwell, 1973). Approximately 12 tons of ore assaying 44.4 ounces of silver per ton and 48.1 percent lead was shipped to the American Smelting and Refining Company, at Helena, Montana, in the spring of 1973. Approximately 130 feet of trenching along the vein has exposed a well-defined fracture containing galena. Two additional veins containing high-grade galena diverge from the main fracture at an acute angle.
Production: Approximately 12 tons of ore assaying 44.4 ounces of silver per ton and 48.1 percent lead was shipped to the American Smelting & Refining Company, at Helena, Montana, in the spring of 1973 (Conwell, 1973).

Commodities (Major) - Ag, Pb
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Schist-hosted galena vein

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	FB153

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References