Location: The current topographic map of the Ophir Creek area shows Snowball Creek as an east tributary whose mouth is about 5 miles upstream of the confluence of Ophir Creek and the Niukluk River. However, this creek was originally referred to as Dutch Creek and Snowball Creek was its west headwater tributary (Collier and others, 1908). Cobb (1972, MF 445; 1978, OF 78-181) included references to Snowball Creek with Dutch Creek (SO142).
Geology: The original Snowball Creek (the west headwater tributary in this drainage) has been prospected but it is not clear if gold has been discovered and produced (Collier and others, 1908). Bedrock in the area is part of lower Paleozoic metasedimentary assemblage (Till and others, 1986).
Age: Quaternary.

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

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.

ⓘ Gold

Mineral List

ⓘ Native Gold

1 valid mineral.

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Native Gold

Formula: Au

References:

(2008) Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) Open-File Report 2008-1225. US Geological Survey

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:	SO143

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent

North America PlateTectonic Plate

Brooks-Seward DomainDomain
Nome ComplexAccretionary Complex

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., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Solomon quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-445, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Cobb, E.H., 1978, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Solomon quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-181, 185 p. Collier, A.J., Hess, F.L., Smith, P.S., and Brooks, A.H., 1908, The gold placers of parts of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, including the Nome, Council, Kougarok, Port Clarence, and Goodhope precincts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 328, 343 p. Till, A.B., Dumoulin, J.A., Gamble, B. ., Kaufman, D.S., and Carroll, P.I., 1986, Preliminary geologic map and fossil data, Soloman, Bendeleben, and southern Kotzebue quadrangles, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 86-276, 10 p., 3 plates, scale 1:250,000.

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