Smith Creek Mine, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Smith Creek Mine | Mine |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | Census Area |
| Alaska | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
64° 15' 13'' North , 141° 4' 44'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Location: Smith Creek is a 12-mile-long south tributary of the lower Fortymile River, located about 3 miles west of the Canadian border and about 2 miles south of the Eldon landing strip. Pay was found for at least 2 miles along Smith Creek. The coordinates are placed about 1 mile upstream of the mouth of the creek, in section 6, T. 8 S., R. 34 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The location is accurate within 1 mile. Smith Creek is locality 54 of Eberlein and others (1977).
Geology: The rocks along most of Smith Creek are Paleozoic gneiss, schist, amphibolite, quartzite, and marble (Foster, 1969 [B 1271-G]). Dioritic to granodioritic gneiss and graphitic quartzite and quartz-muscovite schist of the Nasina Series of Devonian to Mississippian age crop out at the head of Smith Creek (Mortensen, 1988; Mortensen, 1999). Extensive terrace gravel deposits occur on both sides of the lower portion of the Fortymile River (see EA071), including in the Smith Creek valley. Gold-bearing gravels were found for at least 2 miles along Smith Creek and its benches, but the creek was not regarded as rich (Powers, 1935). Mining occurred on Smith Creek in 1932 (Smith, 1934 [B 857-A]), and two men were working on Smith Creek in the mid-1930's (Powers, 1935). There was prospecting on Smith Creek in 2000 (R.L. Flynn, unpub. data, 2000). Placer gold has also been produced on the lower Fortymile River near the mouth of Smith Creek.
Workings: Gold-bearing gravels were found for at least 2 miles along Smith Creek and its benches, but the creek was not regarded as rich (Powers, 1935). Mining occurred on Smith Creek in 1932 (Smith, 1934 [B 857-A]), and two men were working on Smith Creek in the mid-1930's (Powers, 1935). There was prospecting on Smith Creek in 2000 (R.L. Flynn, unpub. data, 2000). Placer gold has also been produced on the lower Fortymile River (see EA071) near the mouth of Smith Creek.
Age: Quaternary.
Commodities (Major) - Au
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
1 valid mineral.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| Au | Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS - Alaska: | EA089 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Yukon-TananaVolcanic Arc
- Yukon-Tanana upper DomainDomain
USA
- Alaska
- Fortymile Mining DistrictMining District
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