West Creek Prospect, Nome Mining District, Nome Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
West Creek Prospect	Prospect
Nome Mining District	Mining District
Nome Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Location: This lode prospect is located on the south side of West Creek (SO029) at an elevation of about 400 feet; it is about 1.6 miles upstream from the confluence of West Creek and Shovel Creek (SO017). It is locality 15 of Cobb (1972, MF 445; 1978, OF 78-181), locality 8 of Asher (1969, DGGS R33), and locality 117 of Gamble (1988).
Geology: Quartz veins in schist have been explored by an adit and 600 or 700 feet of underground workings (Smith, 1908). The quartz veins contain chlorite, small stringers and vugs of pyrite and marcasite, and arsenopyrite. Some gold and arsenopyrite is reported to be disseminated in the country rock (Smith, 1908). The adit trends about S 10 E; a zone of quartz-vein float about 50 feet wide trends S 30 W for 250 feet upslope from the adit (Asher, 1969, DGGS R33). Slickensides are present on both hanging and footwalls (Smith, 1910). A grab sample from the adit dump contained 0.04 ounces Au per ton and a composite grab sample of quartz-vein float contained 0.11 ounces Au per ton and 0.01 ounces Ag per ton (Asher, 1969, DGGS R33). Another composite grab sample of quartz on the adit dump contained 0.15 ppm Au, 5,100 ppm As, and 26 ppm Sb (Gamble, 1988). The country rock is described as chloritic schist by Smith (1910) and regional mapping indicates that it is part of a metavolcanic assemblage thought to be Ordovician in age (Till and others, 1986). These veins are probably the same age as some other gold-quartz veins of southern Seward Peninsula. The southern Seward Peninsula lode gold deposits formed as a result of mid-Cretaceous metamorphism (Apodoca, 1994; Ford, 1993, Ford and Snee, 1996; Goldfarb and others, 1997) that accompanied regional extension (Miller and Hudson, 1991) and crustal melting (Hudson, 1994). This higher temperature metamorphism was superimposed on high pressure/low temperature metamorphic rocks of the region.
Workings: An adit was driven 350 feet on the main vein and a short crosscut was driven on a small stringer; there is a total of about 600 to 700 feet of underground workings (Smith, 1908). About 350 feet further west, a 300- foot-long adit was driven on similar vein.
Age: Cretaceous?
Alteration: Silicification.

Commodities (Major) - Au
Development Status: No
Deposit Model: Gold-quartz vein in metamorphic rocks; low sulfide-Au quartz vein (Cox and Sing

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	SO030

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References