This prospect is within the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Location: This prospect is near Rainbow Creek on the north side of Elliott Creek valley (Moffit and Maddren, 1909, p. 64); it is at an elevation of about 4,100 feet in the SW1/4 section 35, T. 2 S., R. 7 E., of the Copper River Meridian. This prospect is approximately located, perhaps to within one-half mile. It is included in locality 65 Cobb and Matson (1972) and locality 55 of Winkler and others (1981 [OFR 80-892-B]).
Geology: Bornite and chalcopyrite occur in calcite veins as much as 2 inches thick in irregularly fractured Triassic Nikolai Greenstone (Mendenhall and Schrader, 1903; Moffit and Mertie, 1923). A composite high-grade sample was reported to contain 25 percent copper (Mendenhall and Schrader, 1903). The Nikolai Greenstone and overlying Chitistone Limestone are deformed into a large, asymmetric anticline with its axis approximately parallel to Elliott Creek. The copper mineralization is believed to be related to the regional mineralizing event that produced the rich Kennecott copper deposits in the McCarthy quadrangle (MacKevett and others, 1997).
Workings: This prospect was explored with open cuts, some as early as 1902 (Mendenhall and Schrader, 1903).
Age: The copper mineralization is believed to be related to the mineralizing event that produced the rich Kennecott copper deposits in the McCarthy quadrangle to the east (MacKevett and others, 1997). This event is interpreted to have accompanied Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous deformation and metamorphism (MacKevett and others, 1997, p. 88).

Commodities (Major) - Cu; (Minor) - Ag
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Veins, disseminations, and fracture fillings in greenstone; probably related to

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

ⓘ Silver

Mineral List

ⓘ Bornite

ⓘ Calcite

ⓘ Chalcopyrite

3 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Bornite

Formula: Cu₅FeS₄

References:

(2008) Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) Open-File Report 2008-1225. US Geological Survey

ⓘ Calcite

Formula: CaCO₃

References:

(2008) Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) Open-File Report 2008-1225. US Geological Survey

ⓘ Chalcopyrite

Formula: CuFeS₂

References:

(2008) Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) Open-File Report 2008-1225. US Geological Survey

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘ	Bornite	2.BA.15	Cu₅FeS₄
ⓘ	Chalcopyrite	2.CB.10a	CuFeS₂
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘ	Calcite	5.AB.05	CaCO₃

List of minerals for each chemical element

C	Carbon
C	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
O	Oxygen
O	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
S	Sulfur
S	ⓘ Bornite	Cu₅FeS₄
S	ⓘ Chalcopyrite	CuFeS₂
Ca	Calcium
Ca	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
Fe	Iron
Fe	ⓘ Bornite	Cu₅FeS₄
Fe	ⓘ Chalcopyrite	CuFeS₂
Cu	Copper
Cu	ⓘ Bornite	Cu₅FeS₄
Cu	ⓘ Chalcopyrite	CuFeS₂

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	VA031

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent

Wrangell MountainsMountain Range

North America PlateTectonic Plate

Wrangellia DomainVolcanic Arc

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

Cobb, E.H., and Matson, N.A., Jr., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Valdez quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-438, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. MacKevett, E.M., Jr., Cox, D.P., Potter, R.W., III, and Silberman, M.L., 1997, Kennecott-type deposits in the Wrangell Mountains, Alaska--High-grade copper ores near a basalt-limestone contact, in Goldfarb, R.J., and Miller, L.D., eds., Mineral deposits of Alaska: Economic Geology Monograph 9, p. 66-89. Mendenhall, W.C., and Schrader, F.C., 1903, The mineral resources of the Mount Wrangell district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 15, 71 p. Moffit, F.H., and Maddren, A.G., 1909, Mineral resources of the Kotsina-Chitina region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 374, 103 p. Moffit, F.H., and Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1923, The Kotsina-Kuskulana district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 745, 149 p. Winkler, G.R., Miller, R.J., MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1981, Map and summary table describing mineral deposits in the Valdez quadrangle, southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-892-B, 2 sheets, scale l:250,000.

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