Chatanika River Mine, Fairbanks Mining District, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, USA i
Regional Level Types
Chatanika River Mine Mine
Fairbanks Mining District Mining District
Fairbanks North Star Borough Borough
Alaska State
USA Country

Location: Cobb (1972, MF-413), loc. 88; SW1/4 sec. 2, T. 3 N., R. 2 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. This location is on the tailings along the bench gravels on the west side of the Steese Highway, opposite the village of Chatanika. This location is the approximate center of several miles of placer mined ground along the Chatanika River.
Geology: Bedrock is schist and the gravel is largely quartzite, igneous rocks and vein quartz. Depth to bedrock (measured on 5 claims) was from 75 to 125 feet (Prindle and Katz, 1913, p. 107). Most mining was at and below the mouth of Cleary Creek and near the mouths of Dome and Vault Creeks. Placers are about 65 to 200 feet deep at the mouths of Dome and Vault Creeks (Mulligan, 1974, p. 11). From 1911 to 1927 all mining was from drift mines, and dredging began near the mouth of Cleary Creek in 1928. USSR&M dredge no. 3 worked on the Chatanika from 1928 to 1942, and from 1946 to 1963 (R.M. Chapman, USGS unpublished memorandum, 1978). Production from 1907 to 1910 was 70,658 ounces of gold (Prindle and Katz, 1913). Gold assayed at 852 fine.
Workings: Surface and underground; ground 65-200 feet deep.

Commodities (Major) - Au
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Placer gold deposit (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:	LG133

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent

North America PlateTectonic Plate

Seventymile TerraneOceanic Back-arc Basin
Yukon-Tanana lower DomainDomain

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References

Brooks, A.H., 1914, Mineral resources of Alaska; report on progress of investigations in 1913: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592, 413 p. Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-413, 2 sheets, scale 1:250,000. Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Livengood quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-819, 241 p. Ellsworth, C.E., and Parker, G.L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480-F, p. 173-217. Koschmann, A.H., and Bergendahl, M.H., 1968, Principal gold producing districts of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 610, 283 p. Mulligan, J.J., 1974, Mineral resources of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline corridor: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8626, 24 p. Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1909, The Fairbanks gold-placer region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379-E, p. 181-200. 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, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64. Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813-A, p. 1-72. Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929, in Smith, P.S., and others Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824-A, p. 1-81. Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83. Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-81. Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geologica

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