Ganes Creek Mines, Innoko Mining District, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Ganes Creek Mines	Group of Mines
Innoko Mining District	Mining District
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

The upper portion of Ganes Creek, which has also been mined, is in the Iditarod quadrangle.
Location: Ganes Creek is a northeast-flowing tributary to the Innoko River. The junction of Ganes Creek and the Innoko River is approximately 5 miles southeast of the town of Ophir. Extensive early and modern mining has occurred along the length of Ganes Creek; only operations in the lower part of Ganes Creek and at the mouth of Ganes Creek are in the Ophir quadrangle; many operations on upper Ganes Creek are in the Iditarod quadrangle. The coordinates are at the mine approximately 1/2 mile north of the mouth of Ganes Creek, although mining has occurred at various points along the creek. The location is accurate. The site corresponds to locations 22 and 23 of Cobb (1972 [MF 367]).
Geology: The Ganes Creek area is underlain by undivided clastic sedimentary rocks that are cut by quartz veins and by sets of northeast-trending, Cretaceous or Tertiary dikes ranging in composition from rhyolite to andesite (Maddren, 1910; Mertie, 1936; Chapman and others, 1985; Dashevsky, 2000). The Yankee-Ganes Creek fault trends northeast between Yankee Creek (OP021) and Ganes Creek and may be a splay of the Iditarod-Nixon Fork fault. Placer mining has occurred at various points along Ganes Creek: very close to its mouth; about 7 miles upstream; and at several locations in the Iditarod quadrangle. For more information, see the Ganes Creek record for the Iditarod quadrangle. The gold in Ganes Creek is coarse, and sometimes attached to quartz (Maddren, 1910). Five gold nuggets have been found that weigh more than 20 ounces; the largest weighed 122 ounces. The gold averages 846 fine (Smith, 1941). Minerals in pan concentrates from the lower portion of Ganes Creek include magnetite, ilmenite, enstatite, and eckermanite (Bundtzen and others, 1987). Gold is present in benches, alluvial gravel, and in the fractured top few feet of bedrock (Maddren, 1911). The likely sources of the gold are the rhyolite dikes, possibly along with some contribution from monzonite dikes and small intrusive bodies (Bundtzen and others, 1987). Gold was discovered on Ganes Creek during the winter of 1906-1907 (Brooks, 1908); mining was continuous from 1907 until 1946 (Cobb, 1976 [OFR 76-576]). Dredging was intermittent until at least 1965 (Cobb, 1973 [B 1374]). Large-scale, mechanized mining has occurred intermittently from 1965 until the present (2001). A conservative estimate of production from Ganes Creek between 1907 to 1986, including the portion in the Iditarod quadrangle, is 103,000 ounces of gold and 15,420 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and others, 1987). Also see OP019 and OP021.
Workings: Gold was discovered on Ganes Creek during the winter of 1906-1907, and $10,000 to $20,000 in coarse gold was mined that winter (Brooks, 1908). Mining was continuous from 1907 until 1946; from 1923 until 1940 dredges were used (Cobb, 1976 [OFR 76-576]). Eakin (1941) reports that most of the bench placer ground along Ganes Creek was mined out by the end of 1912. Dredges were active intermittently from 1940 until at least 1965 (Cobb, 1973 [B 1374]). Large-scale, mechanical mining has occurred intermittently along Ganes Creek from 1965 to the present (2001).
Age: Quaternary. The likely sources of the gold in Ganes Creek are the Cretaceous or Tertiary rhyolite dikes, possibly along with some contribution from monzonite dikes and small intrusive bodies (Bundtzen and others, 1987).
Production: A conservative estimate of production from Ganes Creek between 1907 to 1986, including the portion in the Iditarod quadrangle, is 103,000 ounces of gold and 15,420 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and others, 1987).

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

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	OP018

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References