See also Jay Creek (WI082).
Location: Rye Creek is west-flowing tributary to Flat Creek that joins it about 4 miles south-southwest of Mathews Dome. The mine is on Rye Creek at the west edge of section 21, T. 30 N., R. 17 W., of the Fairbanks Meridian. It is about 0.5 mile upstream from the approximate lower limit of placer mining; placer mining extended upstream to the mouth of Jay Creek (WI082). The location is accurate.
Geology: Placer gold was found at Rye Creek in 1915 (Brooks, 1916) and subsequently gold was mined from the modern channel, a high channel, and a deep channel (Reed, 1938). The total production from Rye Creek as of 1938 was about $55,000 (approx. 2,700 oz.). Nearly half of that was recovered from a 300-foot section of the modern channel below the mouth of Jay Creek (WI082) (Reed, 1938). Mining on the modern channel extended from near the mouth of Jay Creek downstream to where Rye Creek enters Flat Creek valley. A high channel occurs along the right limit of lower Rye Creek, about 0.2 mile north of the modern creek, but it apparently contained little gold. A deep channel also occurs along the right limit of Rye Creek. A shaft was sunk 85 feet to bedrock beside lower Rye Creek and the deep channel was drift mined for a short distance. Additional drift mining was conducted on the deep channel about 0.2 mile below Jay Creek, where the depth to bedrock is about 20 feet. The gravel in Rye Creek is angular, very coarse grained, and contains numerous small boulders. Gold in paying amounts in Rye Creek has not been found above the mouth of Jay Creek. Reed (1938) reports that the bedrock on lower Rye Creek to about 0.5 mile below the mouth of Jay Creek is blue crystalline limestone; above this point, the bedrock is schist. He suspects a fault contact between these two units. Dillon and others (1986) map most of the area around Rye Creek as Skajit Limestone; the uppermost part of the creek flows across chloritic and carbonate rocks. White (1951) reported various accessory minerals in panned samples from Rye Creek; these include ilmenite, andalusite, kyanite, pyrite, zircon, chalcopyrite, monazite, galena, and scheelite.
Workings: The modern channel of Rye Creek was mined by hand methods; the deep channel was drift mined. Kurtak and others (2002) reported mining on Rye Creek and Jay Creek (WI082) as late as 1999.
Age: Quaternary.
Production: Reed (1938) reported that total gold production from Rye Creek to 1938 was $55,000 (approximately 1,600 ounces). Nearly half of that was recovered from a short section just below Jay Creek (WI082) where the gold values were about $3.35 per square foot of bedrock (gold at $35 per ounce).

Commodities (Major) - Au; (Minor) - Cu, Pb, REE, W
Development Status: Yes
Deposit Model: Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

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Commodity List

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Mineral List

6 valid minerals.