Slate Creek Mine (placer), Koyukuk Mining District, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Slate Creek Mine (placer)	Mine
Koyukuk Mining District	Mining District
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Many of the references to and descriptions of Slate Creek do not differentiate between the upper creek (in the Chandalar quadrangle) and the lower creek (in the Wiseman quadrangle). Most probably refer to the lower part of the creek, which produced most of the gold. See also: Myrtle Creek and Slate Creek in the Wiseman quadrangle (see Cobb, 1981,OFR 81-732B, for a list of references for these occurrences in the Wiseman quadrangle). Alaska Kardex No. 031-26, 031-109 (Kardex is a card file mining claim information system located at the State of Alaska DNR Public Information Center in Fairbanks).
Location: Slate Creek is a west-flowing tributary to the Middle Fork Koyukuk River, and the confluence of the two is at the old town of Coldfoot. The reference point, approximately 15 miles southwest of Poss Mountain, is about at the center of early mining activity on the upper creek (NE1/4 sec. 26, T. 28 N., R. 11 W., of the Fairbanks Meridian). It is approximately the same location as the symbol indicating recent mining in Brosg
Geology: Much of the descriptive information available for Slate Creek does not distinguish between the lower part of the creek that lies in the Wiseman quadrangle and the upper part of the creek that lies in the Chandalar quadrangle. Reed (1938) reported that no deep channel was found on Slate Creek although placer gold was found on Slate Creek in the present channel and in high benches. On the upper creek (the part in the Chandalar quadrangle) the present channel was worked in the short canyon just below the reference point (about 2 miles east of the Myrtle Creek landing strip), and the old-timers were said to have rockered out $8 per day (gold at $20 per ounce). The present channel and a low left-limit bench were also worked from a short distance above the canyon for a distance of 1 1/2 miles. The bench was said to have bedrock only a few feet above the bedrock in the present channel. Bedrock is described as mica schist and slate or phyllite with small bodies of quartz and cut by several altered diorite dikes (this description may apply principally to the lower two-thirds of the creek). Upper Slate Creek lies along the boundary between Devonian quartz-muscovite schist and a Devonian(?) sequence of graywacke, phyllite, and volcanic rocks and chert (Brosg
Workings: Mined mostly by simple hydraulic and hand methods; bulldozer and sluice plate in use in 1974. Stripping reported in preparation for mining in 1993.
Age: Quaternary.
Production: Most of the production was apparently from below the junction with Myrtle Creek (Wiseman quadrangle), and any production figures probably reflect that production. Production between 1900 and 1909 said to be worth $3,000 (gold at $20 per ounce) (Maddren, 1913).

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

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	CH007

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References