Unnamed Occurrences (ARDF - CA025; on south fork of Quartz Creek), Fairhaven Mining District, Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Unnamed Occurrences (ARDF - CA025; on south fork of Quartz Creek)	- not defined -
Fairhaven Mining District	Mining District
Northwest Arctic Borough	Borough
Alaska	State
USA	Country

This site is one of numerous occurrences of argentiferous galena, sphalerite, pyrite and arsenopyrite in an 18-mile-long, 2- to 5-mile-wide zone of altered andesite surrounding the Quartz Creek quartz monzonite pluton. The altered zone trends N 15 W, across the drainage basins of Quartz Creek and the Kiwalik River, parallel to prominent lineaments in the area.
Location: This site represents several occurrences in a 1.5-mile-long area along the south fork of Quartz Creek. The map site is in the center of the area, in section 5, T. 1 N., R. 13 W., of the Kateel River Meridian. Cobb, 1972 (MF-389), locations 5, 6, and 7, and Miller and Elliott (1969), figure 2, locations 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, and 21.
Geology: The hook-shaped, Late Cretaceous Quartz Creek quartz monzonite pluton is surrounded by a quartz-sericite-tourmaline altered zone in Jurassic-Cretaceous andesitic volcanic rocks. Sulfide-bearing tourmaline-quartz rock in altered quartz monzonite contains disseminated grains and masses of galena, sphalerite, pyrite, and arsenopyrite. Several gossans up to 4 feet wide in the quartz monzonite contain visible galena. Calcite veins cutting a fine-grained felsic intrusion contain pyrite, galena, and sphalerite. The following analytical results are from Miller and Elliott (1969). Location 11: 7 ppm Ag, greater than 1% As, 500 ppm Co, 300 ppm Cu, 1% Pb, and 200 ppm Zn. Location 12: 7 ppm Ag, greater than 1% As, 300 ppm Cr, 150 ppm Cu, 0.7% Pb, and 700 ppm Zn. Location 18C: 50 ppm Ag, greater than 500 ppm Cd, 2,000 ppm Cu, greater than 2% Pb, and greater than 1% Zn. Locations 19 A and B: up to 200 ppm Ag (5.8 ounces Ag per ton), up to 300 ppm Cd, up to 1,000 ppm Cu, greater than 2% Pb, and greater than 1% Zn. Location 21: 150 ppm Ag, 700 ppm Cu, 15 ppm Mo, greater than 2% Pb, and greater than 1% Zn.
Workings: The area has been mapped and examined by the U.S. Geological Survey and various exploration companies.
Age: Late Cretaceous.
Alteration: Quartz, tourmaline, and sericite alteration along closely-spaced fracture zones.

Commodities (Major) - Ag, Pb, Zn; (Minor) - Au, Cu
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Sulfides in altered quartz monzonite and andesite.

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	CA025

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References