Swift Creek Mine, Ruby Mining District, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Swift Creek Mine	Mine
Ruby Mining District	Mining District
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Some confusion about Willow Creek exists because the USGS Ruby quadrangle topographic map (1952, minor revisions in 1984) has mislabeled Willow Creek as Swift Creek and renamed the former Swift Creek as Lion Creek.probably switched the labels of Swift and Willow Creeks. Larger scale maps appear to be correct.
Location: Swift Creek is a south-flowing headwater tributary of Basin Creek. Coordinates given are for the approximate center of location 10 if Cobb (1972 [MF405]), in section 26, T. 12 S., R. 16 E. of the Kateel River meridian. The location is accurate to 1/2 mile. An error was identified on the USGS Ruby Quadrangle 1:250,000 scale map (1952, minor corrections in 1984), where Swift Creek has been renamed Lion Creek, and Willow Creek, the eastern headwater tributary of Basin Creek has been renamed Swift Creek. This error was not identified on the Ruby (B-6) Quadrangle map or earlier uneditted maps.
Geology: Most of the bedrock underneath Swift Creek is graywacke (Eberlein and others, 1977). Some prospecting along Swift Creek took place around 1915 (Mertie and Harrington, 1916). A few holes were sunk about 1 mile from the mouth of the stream; bedrock was at 35 feet in the upstream holes and was deeper than 75 feet 1/2 mile downstream (Mertie and Harrington, 1916). Gold was found on a false bedrock of clay-rich gravel. The gold was fine, bright, and very slightly rounded. Although considerable magnetite was present, few, if any, sulfides were found in the placer gravels (Mertie and Harrington, 1916). Work in 1915 consisted of open-cut mining at the head of the creek; farther downstream miners sluiced off 10 to 12 feet of muck and then mined 6 to 8 feet of gravel (Mertie and Harrington, 1916). Mining continued intermittently on Swift Creek until at least 1991 (Mertie, 1936; Eakins and others, 1985; Green and others, 1989; Bundtzen and others, 1990; Swainbank and others, 1991; Bundtzen and others, 1992).
Workings: Work in 1915 consisted of open-cut mining at the head of the creek, and sluicing off 10 to 12 feet of muck and then mining 6 to 8 feet of gravel farther downstream (Mertie and Harrington, 1916). Intermittent mining of Swift Creek continued until at least 1991 (Eakins and others, 1985; Green and others, 1989; Bundtzen and others, 1990; Swainbank and others, 1991; Bundtzen and others, 1992).
Age: Quaternary?

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

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	RB014

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References