Deep Creek Prospect, Eagle Mining District, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Deep Creek Prospect	Prospect
Eagle Mining District	Mining District
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

The Deep Creek prospect is located within Doyon, Ltd. selected or conveyed land. For more information contact Doyon, Ltd., Fairbanks, Alaska.
Location: The Deep Creek prospect is located about 3 miles upstream of the mouth of Deep Creek, a small south tributary of the Seventymile River. The coordinates are the approximate center of the Deep Creek prospect, in section 32, T. 2 N., R. 27 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The location is accurate. The Deep Creek prospect is located within Doyon, Ltd. selected or conveyed land.
Geology: The Deep Creek trend is one-half mile south of, and parallel to the Flume Creek trend (WGM Inc., 2000 [Seventymile property summary]). Gold-silver mineralization in the Deep Creek trend is hosted by altered, veined, and fractured Tertiary felsic volcanic rocks. Reconnaissance soil surveys suggest that the Deep Creek trend is roughly parallels the Flume Creek ophiolite trend. The only target systematically sampled in the Deep Creek trend is the Deep Creek prospect (WGM Inc., 2000 [Seventymile property summary]). The Deep Creek trend of volcanic-hosted gold prospects includes the Deep Creek and Kill Zone 2 (EA016) prospects and the Jay Creek and Kill Zone 3 gold anomalies that are defined by soil sampling. One-half mile north, and parallel to the Deep Creek trend, the Flume trend of ophiolite-hosted gold prospects includes the Flume Creek (EA009), Bonanza Creek (EA010), Alder Creek (EA013), and Flanders (EA015) prospects. Hydrothermal white mica adjacent to a gold-bearing quartz-arsenopyrite vein at the nearby Flume Creek prospect (EA009) gives a 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of 100 +/- 3 Ma, probably the age of gold deposition (Newberry and others, 1996). The Deep Creek prospect is in silicified Tertiary(?) dacitic volcaniclastic rocks and may be part of a distinct belt of epithermal gold mineralization parallel to the Flume Creek and Crooked Creek trends (WGM Inc., 1998 [DLR 98-19]). The Deep Creek trend is mostly covered; the only rocks locally exposed are in stream cuts. Elevated gold, silver, and arsenic geochemical anomalies characterize the Deep Creek trend. The Deep Creek soil anomaly is 3,800 by 900 feet in area; it has as mucha as 445 ppb gold, as much as 5 ppm silver, and as much as 10 ppm mercury. Silicified volcanic rocks contain as much as 1,720 ppb gold, 68 ppm silver, and 26 ppm mercury. Mineralization appears to be structurally controlled. The gold anomaly includes two east-west-trending, parallel zones and is open to the southeast and northwest along strike. Other prospective areas lie along the trend of the Deep Creek volcanic rocks (WGM Inc., 1998 [DLR 98-19]). The Kill Zone 2 prospect (EA016) is about 1 mile northwest of the Deep Creek prospect and has similar geology. Also, gold anomalies from 10 ppb to greater than 200 ppb are on a linear trend from Deep Creek southeastward across the Nugget Creek (EA014) and Granite Creek (EA005) prospects. A possible northwest extension is indicated by an isolated 480 ppb gold soil sample on the northwest edge of the Deep Creek sample grid. Other indications of mineralization include rusty seeps apparently lying south of the fault trends and soil-color anomalies extending southeast from Deep Creek. Geochemical reconnaissance on the Deep Creek trend during 1996 by WGM Inc. consisted of widely spaced soil sampling along ridge tops adjacent to known prospects (WGM Inc., 1998 [DLR 98-19]). There are silver anomalies as high as 3 ppm and mercury anomalies as high as 1,680 ppm in the Deep Creek portion of the grid. Deep Creek shows no recognizable signature in airborne geophysics. Two reconnaissance core holes were drilled at the Deep Creek prospect by WGM Inc. during 2001, and no significant mineralization was encountered (Ventures Resources, 2002).
Workings: Geochemical reconnaissance on the Deep Creek trend during 1996 by WGM Inc. consisted of widely spaced soil sampling along ridge tops adjacent to known prospects (WGM Inc., 1998 [DLR 98-19]). There are silver anomalies as high as 3 ppm and mercury anomalies as high as 1,680 ppm in the Deep Creek portion of the grid. Deep Creek shows no recognizable signature in airborne geophysics. Two reconnaissance core holes were drilled at the Deep Creek prospect by WGM Inc. during 2001 and no significant mineralization was encountered (Ventures Resource Corp., 2002).
Age: Dating by 40Ar/39Ar of hydrothermal mica from the margin of a gold-bearing quartz-arsenopyrite vein at the nearby Flume Creek prospect (EA009) gives a plateau age of 100 +/- 3 Ma, probably the age of gold deposition (Newberry and others, 1996). Similarities to this prospect suggest the Deep Creek prospect may be of the same age.

Commodities (Major) - Ag, Au; (Minor) - Hg, Sb
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Possibly Comstock epithermal veins (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 25c?).

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	EA017

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References