Karshner Creek Occurrence, Hot Springs Mining District, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Karshner Creek Occurrence	Occurrence
Hot Springs Mining District	Mining District
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Location: This site represents the location of a pan sample of sediment from Karshner Creek near its junction with Hot Springs Slough, just above the town of Manley Hot Springs. The site is in the east half of section 17, T. 2 N., R. 15 W., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The site corresponds to location 37 in Cobb (1972, 1977), and to location 22 in the Tanana quadrangle in Eberlein and others (1977).
Geology: Karshner Creek drains an area underlain by Tertiary granite, Cretaceous, marine clastic sedimentary country rocks, and a zone of contact-metamorphosed strata (hornfels) peripheral to the granite (Chapman and others, 1982). This site represents a pan sample of stream sediment collected less than a quarter mile from the hornfels zone. The significance of this site is that Karshner Creek is the only one outside the Tofty tin belt from which brookite and monazite have been collected (Waters, 1934). The bulk of the pan sample contained components from the breakdown of the granite; no gold or precious metal minerals were identified. Minerals identified in the sample include tourmaline, magnetite, andalusite, brookite, zircon, monazite, and common rock-forming minerals (Waters, 1934). Tourmaline was abundant in this sample. Mining claims were staked and there was prospecting for gold and rare-earth metals along Karshner Creek from 1971 to 1974 (Alaska Kardex files).
Workings: This site represents a pan sample of stream sediment collected less than a quarter mile from a hornfels zone. The significance of this site is that Karshner Creek is the only one outside the Tofty tin belt from which brookite and monazite have been collected (Waters, 1934). The bulk of the pan sample contained components from the breakdown of the granite; no gold or precious metal minerals were identified. Minerals identified in the sample include tourmaline, magnetite, andalusite, brookite, zircon, monazite, and common rock-forming minerals (Waters, 1934). Tourmaline was abundant in this sample. Mining claims were staked and there was prospecting for gold and rare-earth metals along Karshner Creek from 1971 to 1974 (Alaska Kardex files).
Age: Quaternary.

Commodities (Major) - REE
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Placer derived from carbonatite(?) deposits (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 10).

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	TN115

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References