Cherry Creek Mines, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Cherry Creek Mines	Group of Mines
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Location: Cherry Creek is an 8-mile-long south tributary of the Walker Fork of the Fortymile River. The creek is located about 5 miles west of the Canadian border. A small area of placer workings is located on Cherry Creek just downstream of Turk Creek, and about 1 mile of placer workings is present upstream of Crow Creek. The coordinates are the approximate midpoint of the placer workings upstream of Crow Creek, in section 30. T. 26 N., R. 22 E., of the Copper River Meridian. Cherry Creek is locality 111 of Burleigh and Lear (1994), locality 16 of Eberlein and others (1977), and locality 77 of Cobb (1972 [MF-393]), although Cobb locates the Cherry Creek mine on Turk Creek.
Geology: Bedrock along Cherry Creek consists of amphibolite-facies biotite gneiss and schist, amphibolite, biotite-quartz-feldspar gneiss, and quartz-white mica schist with granitic and quartzite layers, and minor marble (R.L. Flynn, unpub. data, 2000). The rocks are of probable Paleozoic age (Foster, 1969 [B 1271-G]). A low gravel terrace is present roughly 100 to 130 feet above the valley bottom on the east side of Cherry Creek; it extends 3 miles south up Cherry Creek from Walker Fork (Yeend, 1996). Placer workings on Cherry Creek are located just downstream of Turk Creek, and about 1 mile of placer workings is present upstream of Crow Creek. Tributaries of Cherry Creek with placer gold mining or prospecting include Turk Creek (EA160), No Name Creek (EA163), and Crow Creek (EA164). There also has been placer gold production on Walker Fork (EA156) downstream of Cherry Creek. Prospecting in the headwaters of Cherry Creek began in 1903 (Prindle, 1905). Prospecting occurred again in 1910, and mining took place in 1911 (Ellsworth and Parker, 1911; Porter, 1912). New development and mining took place in the 1970's (Eberlein and others, 1977), and mining was reported on Cherry Creek in 1988 (Green and others, 1989). A small open-cut operation was active on Cherry Creek near the mouth of Turk Creek from 1983 to 1994 (Norm LaFramboise, Boundary Explorations, Inc., written commun., 2000).
Workings: Prospecting in the headwaters of Cherry Creek began in 1903 (Prindle, 1905). Prospecting occurred again in 1910, and mining took place in 1911 (Ellsworth and Parker, 1911; Porter, 1912). New development and mining took place in the 1970's (Eberlein and others, 1977), and mining wass reported on Cherry Creek in 1988 (Green and others, 1989). A small open-cut operation was active on Cherry Creek near the mouth of Turk Creek from 1983 to 1994 (Norm LaFramboise, Boundary Explorations, Inc., written commun., 2000).
Age: Quaternary.

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

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	EA165

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References