Dollar Creek Mine, Yentna Mining District, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Dollar Creek Mine	Mine
Yentna Mining District	Mining District
Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Borough
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Reed and others (1978) indicate that hydrothermally altered zones similar to those at Dollar Creek are observed along Thunder Creeks (TL032, TL058), at the headwaters of Treasure (TL030), Dutch (TL033) and Bear Creeks (TL017) and at an unnamed locality east of McDoel Peak (TL053).
Location: C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978, Fig. 4.2-B(3)) locate this property on Dollar Creek, a tributary to Cache Creek, just below an auriferous quartz-breccia bench deposit in the northwest quarter of Section 24, T. 28 N., R. 10 W., of the Seward Meridian.
Geology: This property lies on Dollar Creek, a tributary to Cache Creek, just below an auriferous quartz-breccia bench deposit (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978), Fig. 4.2-B(3). At this locality, near the head of the main pay streak of Dollar Creek, Capps (1913) described a basal conglomerate unit of the Tertiary Kenai Group composed of white to dark gray quartz in subangular to angular fragments up to 4 inches in diameter, within a matrix of very fine quartz, white clay and muscovite. Underlying the white quartz conglomerate is a strongly altered graywacke and slate. Clark and Hawley (1968) later suggested that the stream placers and the 60-foot-wide conglomerate probably are derived from hydrothermally altered, gold-bearing, alaskite which intrudes a fault zone and from associated quartz veins. They described the conglomerate as white quartz-breccia. Source of the gold is Dollar Creek is proximal as suggested by Mertie (1919) who reports abundant pyrite in concentrates with 4.03 oz/ton gold and the discovery of a large nugget in the late 1900s worth $90. Clark and Hawley (1968) report the gold fineness ranges from 857 to 871, with an average of 865 with 150 to 500 ppm copper, 100 to 200 ppm lead. C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) report that significant resources remaining in Dollar Creek. The Dollar Creek channel probably represents an old southwest flowing drainage similar to those at Thunder (TL032, 058), Falls (TL030), Nugget (TL035) and Willow (TL042) Creeks (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978). From these older channels gold was reconcentrated into Cache Creek (TL029). Reed and others (1978) indicate that hydrothermally altered zones, similar to those at Dollar Creek, are observed along Thunder Creeks (TL032, TL058), at the headwaters of Treasure (TL030), Dutch (TL033) and Bear Creeks (TL017) and at an unnamed locality east of McDoel Peak (TL053).
Workings: The drainage has been prospected and mined by various small scale surface methods.
Age: Pleistocene and Tertiary (Clark and Hawley, 1968).
Alteration: Capps (1913) describes strongly altered graywacke and slate underlying the white quartz conglomerate. Reed and others (1978) note hydrothermally altered zones similar to Thunder Creeks (TL032, TL058), at the headwaters of Treasure (TL030), Dutch (TL033) and Bear Creeks (TL017) and at an unnamed locality east of McDoel Peak (TL053). Mineralogy of the alteration is not described by either of these authors. However, based on its reported similarity to altered zones at Thunder Creek, it is most likely argillic alteration of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks.
Production: Mertie (1919) reports abundant pyrite in concentrates with 4.03 oz/ton gold and the discovery of a large nugget in the late 1900s worth $90.
Reserves: C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) report significant resources remaining in Dollar Creek.

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

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	TL031

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References