Sweetcake Creek Mine, Council Mining District, Nome Census Area, Alaska, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Sweetcake Creek Mine | Mine |
| Council Mining District | Mining District |
| Nome Census Area | Census Area |
| Alaska | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
64° 55' 55'' North , 163° 44' 27'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| White Mountain | 196 (2017) | 32.0km |
Location: Sweetcake Creek is a north tributary to Ophir Creek (SO053). The mouth of Sweetcake Creek (not named on current USGS topographic maps) is about 0.8 miles upstream of the confluence of Ophir Creek and the Niukluk River. Placer mining took place in the lower mile of Sweetcake Creek at elevations of about 150 feet. This is locality 119 of Cobb (1972, MF 445; 1978, OF 78-181).
Geology: The first placer mining in the Ophir Creek area occurred on Sweetcake Creek soon after gold was discovered here in 1898 (Collier and others, 1908). A stratigraphic section near the mouth of Sweetcake Creek included, from top to bottom: 5 feet of fine micaceous sand, 2 feet of gravel and sand, and 1 foot of angular schist, pay gravel on bedrock (Collier and others, 1908). The gravels of Sweetcake Creek contained abundant mineralized quartz and calcite fragments. It is reported that gold worth $36,000 (about 1,800 ounces) was recovered in 1898 from one claim (Collier and others, 1908) and total production from the creek is probably a few thousand ounces (Cobb, 1978, OF 78-181). The lower part of Sweetcake Creek crosses a low bench as it nears Ophir Creek but early mining was on a narrow paystreak along the active drainage. Bedrock in the area is part of a lower Paleozoic metasedimentary assemblage (Till and others, 1986).
Workings: Small-scale surface mining took place before WW I over the lower mile of the creek.
Age: Quaternary.
Production: It is reported that gold worth $36,000 (about 1,800 ounces) was recovered in 1898 from one claim (Collier and others, 1908) and total production from the creek is probably a few thousand ounces (Cobb, 1978, OF 78-181).
Commodities (Major) - Au
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Placer Au-PGE (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: | SO052 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Brooks-Seward DomainDomain
- Nome ComplexAccretionary Complex
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