Seattle Creek Mine, Hot Springs Mining District, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USAi

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

Location: Placer gold is believed to have been mined on Seattle Creek, near its confluence with Rhode Island Creek. The site is in the southwest quarter of section 7, T. 4 N., R. 13 W., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The location is accurate within a quarter mile. The site corresponds to location 39 of Cobb (1972). The site for Hunter Creek, U.S. Bureau of Land Management MAS number 0020480026, is approximately 1 mile upstream from the ARDF site.
Geology: The country rocks in the area of Seattle Creek are Mesozoic sandstone, siltstone, and shale that are cut by thrust faults and intruded by Cretaceous or Tertiary monzodiorite (Chapman and others, 1982; Reifenstuhl and others, 1998). The local bedrock is graphitic, slaty arkose, overlain by 8 to 30 feet of fine gravel consisting of quartzite, vein quartz, and slate, overlain in turn by 1 to 3 feet of muck (Hess, 1908). Hess postulated that the gold was a placer reconcentration from older gravels. The gold's fineness is approximately 780 (Ed Salter, oral commun., 2000). Very little information about mining on Seattle Creek has been made public. Through the fall of 1904, only $100 worth of gold had been recovered from the creek, equal to less than 5 ounces at $20.67 per ounce. Mertie (1934) reported only sporadic mining at a small open cut in 1931. Strandberg Mines, Inc., and Pringle had active claims on Seattle Creek in 1967 (Heiner and others, 1968). Salter and Associates mined in the area for 28 years (Green and others, 1989), but stopped mining in 1997 due to depressed gold prices (Ed Salter, oral commun., 2000). Although production figures have not been made public, significant amounts of gold probably were recovered in the last few decades of the 20th Century.
Workings: Very little information about mining on Seattle Creek has been made public. Through the fall of 1904, only $100 worth of gold had been recovered from the creek, equal to less than 5 ounces at $20.67 per ounce. Mertie (1934) reported only sporadic mining at a small open cut in 1931. Archie Pringle was mining in 1951 on Rhode Island Creek (TN125) at its confluence with Seattle Creek (Williams, 1951). Pringle had been on this creek since 1933 and reportedly had ground available for 5 or 6 more years of mining. Strandberg Mines, Inc., and Pringle had active claims on Seattle Creek in 1967 (Heiner and others, 1968). Salter and Associates mined in the area for 28 years (Green and others, 1989), but stopped mining in 1997 due to depressed gold prices (Ed Salter, oral commun., 2000).
Age: Quaternary.
Production: Very little information about mining on Seattle Creek has been made public. Through the fall of 1904, only $100 worth of gold had been recovered from the creek, equal to less than 5 ounces at $20.67 per ounce. Mertie (1934) reported only sporadic mining at a small open cut in 1931. Salter and Associates mined in the area for 28 years (Green and others, 1989), but stopped mining in 1997 due to depressed gold prices (Ed Salter, oral commun., 2000). Although production figures have not been made public, significant amounts of gold probably were recovered in the last few decades of the 20th Century.

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

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	TN124

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References