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Mountain Sheep Prospect, Chistochina Mining District, Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska, USAi
Regional Level Types
Mountain Sheep ProspectProspect
Chistochina Mining DistrictMining District
Valdez-Cordova Census AreaCensus Area
AlaskaState
USACountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
61° 39' 59'' North , 144° 3' 25'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
61.66639,-144.05694
GeoHash:
G#: bfcwcfhbv
GRN:
N42W51
Type:
Prospect
Köppen climate type:
Dfc : Subarctic climate
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Chitina126 (2017)26.3km
Mindat Locality ID:
199020
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:199020:4
GUID (UUID V4):
0


This prospect is within the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Location: This prospect is located near the crest of the divide between upper Copper Creek and Middle Fork Copper Creek (Van Alstine and Black, 1946, plate 30). It is at an elevation of 5,000 feet in the NE1/4 section 25, T. 2 S., R. 7 E., of the Copper River Meridian. This prospect is approximately located, perhaps to within one-quarter mile. It is locality 71 of Cobb and Matson (1972) and locality 57 of Winkler and others (1981 [OFR 80-892-B]). Cobb (1979 [OFR 79-1241]) includes this prospect under the name Mountain Sheep.
Geology: The Mountain Sheep prospect is in Triassic Nikolai Greenstone about 60 feet below its contact with the overlying Triassic Chitistone Limestone (Van Alstine and Black, 1946, p. 130). Disseminated pyrite, bornite, and a little chalcopyrite occur in shattered greenstone. About 1 percent bornite occurs in fractured zones as much as one inch thick. Limonite, malachite, and some azurite locally stain the greenstone. 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: The prospect was explored before 1923 by small open cuts and a 20-foot adit driven before 1923.
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).
Alteration: Oxidation.

Commodities (Major) - Cu
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Vein and fracture fillings in greenstone; probably related to Kennecott-type co

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.


Mineral List


5 valid minerals.

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘBornite2.BA.15Cu5FeS4
ⓘChalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
ⓘPyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘAzurite5.BA.05Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
ⓘMalachite5.BA.10Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Unclassified
ⓘ'Limonite'-

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hⓘ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Hⓘ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
CCarbon
Cⓘ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Cⓘ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
OOxygen
Oⓘ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Oⓘ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
SSulfur
Sⓘ BorniteCu5FeS4
Sⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Sⓘ PyriteFeS2
FeIron
Feⓘ BorniteCu5FeS4
Feⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Feⓘ PyriteFeS2
CuCopper
Cuⓘ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Cuⓘ BorniteCu5FeS4
Cuⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Cuⓘ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:VA040

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate

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., 1979, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Valdez quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 79-1241, 167 p. 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. Van Alstine, R.E., and Black, R.F., 1946, Copper deposits of the Kotsina-Kuskulana district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 947-G, p. 121-141. 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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