Gold mining in Alaska
Gold mining in Alaska, a accompaniment of the United States, has been a above industry and catalyst for analysis and adjustment back a few years afterwards the United States acquired the area from Russia. Russian campaign apparent placer gold in the Kenai River in 1848, but no gold was produced. Gold mining started in 1870 from placers southeast of Juneau, Alaska.[1]
Gold is begin and has been mined throughout Alaska; except in the all-inclusive swamps of the Yukon Flats, and forth the North Slope amid the Brooks Range and the Beaufort Sea. Areas abreast Fairbanks, Juneau, and Nome are amenable for best of Alaska's actual and accepted gold production. About all of the ample and abounding of the baby placer gold mines currently operating in the US are in Alaska.[2] Six avant-garde all-embracing adamantine bedrock mines accomplish in Alaska in 2008; four of those are gold-producing mines (an added gold abundance abeyant assembly in backward 2007). There are additionally some small-scale adamantine bedrock gold-mining operations. Alaska currently produces added gold (in 2007: 673,274 troy oz from lode mines, and 53,848 troy oz from placer deposits) than any accompaniment except Nevada.[3] In 2007, gold accounted for 15% of the mining abundance produced in Alaska. Zinc and lead, mainly from the Red Dog mine, accounted for 73%; silver, mainly from the Greens Creek mine, accounted for 8%; atramentous and aggregates accounted for about 2% each. Alaska produced a absolute of 40.3 actor troy ounces of gold from 1880 through the end of 2007.[4][5]
Active mines
The following are active gold-producing mines and advanced lode exploration or development projects.
Placer mines
Placer mining continues throughout Alaska. In 2007, an estimated 175 placer mines produced 53,848 ounces of gold, an about 15% bead in action and assembly compared to 2006.[4] All of these operations are seasonal, none apply added than a few dozen people. Many of them are ancestors operations with roots extensive aback several generations. One mine, at Nolan Creek, mines arctic gravels by underground methods. A cogent allocation of accepted analysis for lode gold in Alaska occurs in placer gold camps.
Lode (hard rock) mines
Large-scale hard rock mines producing gold
* The Greens Creek mine, endemic and operated by Hecla Mining, amid on clandestine patented claims and on federal acreage in the Admiralty mining district, is primarily a silver-lead-zinc mine, produced 73,000 troy ounces (2.3 tonnes) of gold in 2006 and a agnate bulk in 2007.[6]
* Fort Knox mine, endemic and operated by Kinross Gold on State of Alaska-owned acreage in the Fairbanks mining district, produced 333,000 troy ounces (10.3 tonnes) of gold in 2006 and a agnate bulk in 2007.
* Pogo mine, endemic and operated by Teck Cominco, on State of Alaska-owned acreage in the Goodpaster district, produced 260,000 troy ounces (8.1 tonnes) of gold in 2007, added than bifold assembly in 2006.[4].
* Rock Creek mine, endemic and operated by NovaGold Resources, on abreast endemic acreage in the Nome mining district. Constructed in 2007 and 2008, the abundance began bearing gold in September 2008, but is now on affliction and aliment awaiting cogent modifications to the mill, which has architecture flaws.[7]
Large-scale hard rock gold mines under development (construction)
Kensington and Jualin; adjoining absolute underground gold-in-quartz-veins mines in the Juneau mining commune which are assertive to reopen afterwards $270 actor of analysis and architecture efforts back 2005, awaiting efforts to admittance auctioning of abundance tailings. The ore deposits action on privately-owned patented lands, some abundance facilities, including planned auctioning of abundance tailings absorb accessible land. Initially-issued permits were challenged in court, and eventually vacated. Over 2 actor troy ounces of gold ability in 8.8 actor bags of ore are reported.[4]
Advanced hard rock exploration projects of note
* Donlin Creek, in the Kuskokwim Gold Belt, contains an estimated 29.3 actor ounces of Proven and Probable gold affluence (calculated at a gold amount of $750) and an added 10 actor ounces of gold resource. Donlin is one of the better accepted abortive gold deposits in the world. If developed according to affairs appear in bounce 2009 it will be one of the better gold mines in the world. Applications for permits will activate in 2009 and architecture could activate as aboriginal as 2012[8] A ample and able-bodied alternation of felsic sills and dikes hosts the gold in affiliation with small-scale quartz (and bottom quartz and/or carbonate) veinlets. The sills intrude a blubbery arrangement (5000+ feet) of non-metamorphosed, folded, graywacke, sandstone, and shale. The drop occurs on clandestine acreage endemic by built-in corporations Calista Corporation and The Kuskokwim Corp. Donlin Creek LLC, equally-owned by Barrick Gold and NovaGold Resources, holds a charter on the acreage and operates the project.
* Pebble Copper, apparent in the mid-1980s, is one of the better accepted copper-gold porphyry deposits in the world. It is amid on Accompaniment of Alaska-owned land. The drop contains measured+indicated+inferred assets of 72-billion pounds of copper, 94-million ounces of gold, and 4.8-billion pounds of molybdenum, aural 9.1 billion tonnes of ore. Tens of actor of dollars are spent annually on the project, an antecedent mining plan is accepted in 2009, with allowing appointed for 2010.[9][10]
* Nixon Fork abundance in the McGrath Mining District. First exploited in 1907, this underground operation exploits high-grade gold skarn ore bodies forth contacts amid Cretaceous granitoid and metamorphosed Paleozoic sediments. The mine, afterwards decades of inactivity, alternate to assembly for several years in the mid-1990s, and afresh in 2006 and 2007, back a cogent aberration amid absolute and predicted headgrades occurred. An adapted ability appraisal is awaiting added work.
* The Niblack prospect, a zinc-copper-silver-gold VMS drop on southeastern Prince of Wales Island, in the Ketchikan Mining District. Ore occurs as massive sulfide bodies hosted in a bounded rhyolite belt aural a amalgamation of acutely askew and metamorphosed agitable and sedimentary rocks. In the aftermost ten years, cogent underground and apparent analysis occurred at this early-1900s minesite. A contempo appraisal letters a abreast apparent adumbrated ability of 4073 kg of gold, 59,424 kg of silver, 14,810 metric bags of copper, and 30,474 metric bags of zinc independent in 1,424,000 metric bags of ore; and added accepted assets of 3,919 kg of gold, 55,295 kg of silver, 31,235 metric bags of copper, and 106,192 metric bags of zinc aural 1,893,000 metric bags of ore.[11] Added analysis is planned.
* Dozens of added cogent analysis efforts for gold, beyond the state, contributed to the absolute of over $310 actor dollars spent on mineral analysis in Alaska in 2007.
Historical lode and placer gold mines
Southeast Alaska
Porcupine district
Over 81,000 ounces of placer gold came from the Porcupine commune abreast Haines. Porcupine Creek, about 20 afar (32 km) arctic of Haines, is the armpit of an 1898 gold discovery; the brook has been intermittently placer mined anytime since. Outside of the Porcupine basin alone a few added creek; Glacier, Nugget, and Cottonwood, produced cogent gold. The breadth about Reid Inlet, in avant-garde Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, hosted several adamantine bedrock gold prospects, including the LeRoy mine, which exploited quartz veins for about 10,000 ounces of gold production. The district, which includes Skagway and Haines, is belted to the arctic and east by Canada. To the west is the Pacific Ocean and the Chichagof Commune lies to the south.
Juneau district
In 1880 a bounded inhabitant, Chief Kowee, appear to prospectors Joe Juneau and Richard Harris the attendance of gold in what is now called Gold Creek in Silver Bow Basin. The burghal of Juneau was founded there that year. The bang sparked the Juneau gold blitz which resulted in the development of abounding placer and lode mines including the largest, in their time, gold mines in the world: the Treadwell circuitous of lode mines on Douglas Island (across a attenuated sea approach from Juneau) and the AJ lode mine, in Juneau itself.
Over 7 actor ounces of lode gold and 80,000 ounces of placer gold accept been recovered from the Juneau district.
Admiralty district
Most of the gold recovered from the Admiralty mining commune (which consists of Admiralty Island) is a by artefact of argent and abject metal mining. The Alaska Empire underground lode abundance recovered gold from quartz veins in metamorphic rocks. Discovered and staked in the 1920s, assembly of about 20,000 tonnes of 0.25 ounce-per-ton gold ore occurred in the mid-1930s. The Funter Bay underground lode abundance produced about 500 thousand tonnes of copper-nickel-cobalt ore, after gold, from a Mesozoic gabbro-norite pipe. No cogent placer mining was done on Admiralty. About 500,000 ounces of gold, about all from the currently-operating Greens Creek lode argent mine, accept been recovered from the Admiralty district.
Chichagof district
Approximately 800,000 ounces of gold accept appear from the Chichagof district. Chichagof, Yakobi, Baranof and abate islands comprise the district.[12] Numerous lode and placer affairs and mines abide in the district. Major assembly came from underground lode mines base gold-in-quartz veins.
Apex-El Nido mine
The Apex-El Nido produced conceivably 50,000 ounces of gold from a mile of underground apparatus base polymetallic quartz veins.[13]
Hirst-Chichagof mine
From 1922 to 1933 the Hirst-Chichagof produced 133,000 ounces of gold and 33,000 ounces of argent from polymetallic quartz veins assaying about 1 ounce of gold per ton. There are over a mile of underground workings, extensive 2,000 anxiety (610 m) beneath the surface. Significant affluence remain, which accept admiring analysis efforts in the 1980s and 1990s.[13
Chichagof mine
The Chichagof abundance opened in 1905 and by 1942 had yielded 660,000 ounces of gold and 195,000 ounces of argent from quartz veins assaying over 1 oz gold per ton. There were several afar of apparatus on 5 levels. Six shafts accomplished a best of 2,750 anxiety (840 m) beneath sea level. Between 1981 and 1988 several thousand anxiety of fresh apparatus were dug, and engineering and ecology studies were done, but the activity was abandoned.[13]
Petersburg-Sumdum district
15,000 ounces of gold from placers, came from the Petersburg-Sumdum commune which consists of; Zarembo, Etolin, and Wrangell Islands, and the acreage amid the Juneau and Ketchikan districts. Many baby lode deposits were amid in the backward 1890s and aboriginal 1900s. The best cogent lode ambassador was the Sumdum Chief, which was apparent in 1889 and operated until beat in 1903. 24,000 ounces of gold were extracted from two quartz veins averaging ore of about 0.39 ounces per ton of both gold and silver. The abundance accomplished a abyss of 1,200 anxiety (370 m) and had a ten-stamp mill. In Windham Bay, a array of mineral affirmation backing were circumscribed in the 1920s; the Jensen abundance was the best advantageous of these, bearing about 50 ounces of gold. Several aeriform tramways, bags of anxiety long, affiliated assorted adits and mills.[14]
Ketchikan district
Approximately 58,000 ounces of lode gold and 4000 ounces of placer gold accept appear from the Ketchikan district, consisting of Dall, Prince of Wales, Revillagigedo, and abate islands, as able-bodied some mainland, in the southernmost-part of Alaska.[12] Numerous actual lode mines and affairs for abject metals, uranium, attenuate apple elements (REE's), iron, and platinum accumulation elements (PGE's), as able-bodied as gold abide in the Ketchikan district. Major gold assembly came from underground lode mines exploiting: gold-bearing quartz veins in metamorphic rocks (such as the Gold Standard, Sea Level, Dawson, Golden Fleece, and Goldstream mines); skarns (at the Jumbo and Kassan Peninsula copper-gold mines); benumbed mafic-ultramafic plutons, as at the Salt Chuck silver-gold-copper-PGE mine; and VMS deposits such as Niblack.A high-yielding abundance in Ketchikan Commune is the Golden Fleece Mine, amid about 0.2 mile arctic of the arctic end of James Lake on Prince of Wales Island, latitude: 55.152179, longitude: -132.056635. The abundance was best alive from 1901 to 1905.[15],[16],[17],[18],[19]
Interior Alaska, north of the Yukon River
Chandalar District
The Chandalar commune is the breadth about the high arising of the Chandalar River, includes some southern foothills of the Brooks Range, and extends to the acme of the Brooks Range. Discovery of placer gold in 1906 was bound followed by lode discoveries. Best of the placer-producing creeks cesspool the breadth of lode mineralization.[20] The commune produced about 48,000 ounces of placer gold and 17,000 ounces of lode gold.
Little Squaw Creek
Little Squaw Creek drains an breadth cut by abounding aureate veins. Some of the placers in the basin are awfully rich. By 1916 best of the bank placers were arena out so miners confused their absorption to the placer alluvion mines (underground operations). The best notable of these is the Little Squaw Bench, including the Mellow Bench. Approximately 29,000 ounces of gold were recovered averaging 1.0 oz/cubic backyard of gold in the gravels with spikes of up to 4.6 oz/cubic yard. Some alone nuggets were over 10 ounces.[21]
Little Squaw and Mikado lodes
In 1909 to 1915 development and underground gold mining occurred at the Little Squaw, with a few hundred anxiety of apparatus congenital and a few dozen ounces of gold recovered. The adjacent Mikado abundance enjoyed agnate efforts about 1913. In the 1960s , 1970s and 1980s added assignment was done. These after efforts apparently recovered added than 10,000 ounces of gold.[21] Significant efforts resumed in 2006, and are ongoing, to analyze the Little Squaw placer and lode deposits.[22]
Koyukuk-Nolan district
The commune encompasses the high Koyukuk River basin including the Alatna and Kanuti rivers and the apple of Bettles. The commune extends from the southern abut of the Brooks Range to the arctic Ray Mountains, and is anon west of the Chandalar district. Abundant of the commune is now in Gates of the Arctic National Park. Gold was apparent in placer deposits in the commune in 1901. About 350,000 ounces of placer gold accept been won from the area, conceivably 85% of it from abreast Wiseman. Mining continues today in the district. Abundant of the commune is underlain by bedded Paleozoic rocks, a schist belt extends forth the southern foothills of the Brooks Range. Cretaceous plutons intrude metamorphic rocks in the southern allotment of the district. Pleistocene ice bedding from the Brooks Range and cirque glaciers in the Ray Mountains covered abundant of the college elevations. Glaciers are now belted to the accomplished cirques of the Brooks Range.[23]
Nolan Creek
Miners produced 135,000 ounces of gold from Nolan Creek amid 1904 and 1999. Some of the placer gold is mined by underground methods in arctic gravels. A 42-troy ounce nugget, Alaska's twentieth-largest, came from Marys Bench on Nolan Creek. Placer mining action continues, with a assets of 114,760 ounces of gold appear in 2000.
Hammond River
Mining occurred on the Hammond River, a accessory of the Koyukuk River, from about 1900 to at atomic 2000. Exact assembly is unknown, it is estimated at about 30,000 ounces. Most of the gold was recovered by underground afloat of a arctic abysmal paleo-channel. Much of the gold was coarse: the third (146 troy oz.), fourth (137 troy oz.), 14th (61 troy ounces), and 17th (55 troy ounces) better gold nuggets in Alaska were begin on the Hammond.
Hughes District
The Hughes commune includes the basin of the lower Koyukuk River (below the Kanuti). Much of the breadth is a swampy, lake-studded lowland, from which rises angled hills to elevations of several thousand feet.
Melozitna District
Placer mines in the Zane Hills on Bear Creek, a accessory of the Hogatza River, are the better antecedent of gold from the district. Placer deposits amassed abreast the apple of Hughes and Indian Mountain are the added cogent antecedent of placer gold from the district. The commune has produced about 245,000 ounces, with traces of copper, lead, zinc, tin, argent and platinum.[23]
Interior Alaska, south of the Yukon River
Kaiyuh District
Illinois Creek Mine
The abundance is amid in the alien Kaiyuh Mountains of west-central Alaska about 40 afar (64 km) south of the Yukon River apple of Galena. The Illinois Creek lode gold-silver abundance exploited a shear-hosted gold drop which was partly bidding as blush anomalies arresting from aircraft. Amid on Accompaniment of Alaska land, it was apparent in the 1980s. In February 1996 a achievability abstraction was completed, with the drop estimated to accommodate about 350,000 ounces of gold and 2,500,000 ounces of silver. Architecture began the abutting month, but was apoplectic by winter altitude in November. By then, with the development fractional and six-million added than the absolute abundance construction-and-operating account of 26-million dollars already spent, USMX, the mining aggregation that endemic Illinois Creek, was millions of dollars in arrears on invoices and abbreviate on cash[24]. New costs accustomed architecture to resume in 1997; the abundance caked its aboriginal gold in June 1997. In 1998 the aggregation entered bankruptcy. In 1999 the Accompaniment of Alaska affected ascendancy of the mine. A mine-to-reclaim adjustment amid the accompaniment and a newly-involved mining architect resulted in the affirmation and cease of the abundance by 2005. A band is in abode to accommodate ecology ecology for 30 years.[25].Ruby-Poorman District
The Ruby-Poorman Commune produced about a bisected actor ounces of gold, all from placer mines. Some of the better gold nuggets begin in Alaska are from the district, which lies south of the Yukon River.[26] The placers are mostly acutely buried, and best were originally formed with shafts and drifts. Dozens of creeks in the commune were mined, abounding added buck gold prospects. Cassiterite, platinum, scheelite, allanite, and built-in bismuth accept been recovered forth with gold from placer mines in the district.[27]
Hot Springs District
This district, which produced about 576,000 ounces, includes placer mines at Manley and Eureka.
Rampart district
Nearly 200,000 ounces of gold was recovered from placer mines in the district.
Circle district
Over 1 actor ounces of gold accept been recovered from placer deposits in the Circle district. Uplands with bags of anxiety of about balmy abatement are underlain by a circuitous metamorphic alluvium intruded by a ample ambit of ablaze rocks. Many gold occurrences are known, but no gold lodes are identified. Placer mining has been appear for every year back 1894.[23]
Eagle district
This baby commune includes the apple of Eagle on the Yukon River, and borders Canada. About 50,000 ounces of gold, all from placer deposits, has been recovered from the commune back gold was apparent in 1895 on American Creek and the Seventy-mile River.[23]
Tolovana-Livengood district
Livengood is about 50 afar (80 km) northwest of Fairbanks on the Dalton Highway. In July, 1914 Jay Livengood and N.R. Hudson apparent gold on Livengood Creek. Hundreds of bodies accustomed in the commune the afterward winter. A column appointment existed at Livengood from 1915 to 1957. Alone a few dozen bodies alive at Livengood today, some alone seasonally. A array of creeks in the commune were mined. Many gold lode occurrences are accepted and analysis continues for accessible pittable lode deposits. Over 500,000 ounces of gold accept been recovered from placers in the district.[28]
Early development and assembly was from almost bank pay in tributaries of Livengood Creek. By 1939, large, acutely active (80 to 110 feet), thawed, bank placer deposits on the northwest absolute of Livengood Creek basin were defined. The pay band assorted from 100 to 1,000 anxiety (300 m) advanced and was at atomic 6 afar (9.7 km) long. Gold affluence of over 1 actor ounces were authentic by conduct above-mentioned to 1940. A absterge operated abreast the boondocks of Livengood in 1940, 1946 and apparently added years.[29]
Alaska's 12th-largest (73 troy ounces) and 16th-largest (56 troy ounces) nuggets were begin in the district, on Dome Creek.
Fairbanks district
Placer mining began abreast Fairbanks in July 1902, afterwards Felix Pedro (real name Felice Pedroni), an Italian immigrant and Tom Gilmore apparent gold in the hills arctic of the Tanana and Chena Rivers in 1901. The commune was and is a above ambassador of gold from both placer and lode deposits: placers accept produced over 8 actor troy ounces (250 tonnes) of gold, lodes accept yielded over 4 actor ounces.[30
Goodpaster district
Only a few thousand ounces of gold from placer mines, and a few hundred ounces from lode gold mines were produced from the Goodpaster commune afore the analysis of Pogo. The commune is west of the Fairbanks and south of the Circle district.
Pogo mine (operating)
The afresh apparent and congenital Pogo abundance is amid on a hillside aloft the Goodpaster River, about 85 afar (137 km) south-east of Fairbanks, Alaska. The drop was apparent in 1994 by the Sumitomo companies on acreage endemic by the State of Alaska. A clandestine 49-mile (79 km) alluvium alley and ability band now connects the abundance to the Richardson Highway aisle abreast Delta Junction. The abundance is an underground operation that exploits two ample (several-meters thick) and high-grade (averaging about 0.5 ounces of gold per ton of ore) gold-bearing quartz veins. Approximately bisected of the tailings are alternate underground, the blow are disposed of on the surface. The abundance is operated by Teck-Cominco, the aforementioned aggregation operating the world's better zinc mine; the Red Dog abundance in northwest Alaska. The aboriginal gold dore bar at Pogo was caked on February 12, 2006. 190 bodies were active at the abundance in 2007.
In aboriginal 2007 Pogo independent affluence of 5.6 actor ounces of gold in ore allocation 0.41 opt gold. Projected abundance activity is ten years.
Fortymile district
The 1886 analysis of gold on Franklin's Bar on the Fortymile River affected off Interior Alaska's aboriginal gold rush. The mining bang ushered in a beachcomber of adjustment that always afflicted the place, not alone for its fresh association but for the Athabascan Indians who active this arena continued afore them. The miners who prospected about every brook in the arena eventually extracted added than a half-million ounces of gold from the Fortymile, including a 56.8 troy ounce nugget, Alaska's 15th-largest.[31] Reports of starvation and anarchy amid the miners resulted in the Army sending troops to the Eagle breadth to accommodate law administration in 1899. Soldiers anon began assignment on a aisle from Valdez to Eagle.[32]
Chisana-White River district
Gold was aboriginal apparent in the Chicken Brook arising in 1896, 10 years afterwards the gold analysis on the Fortymile River. The F.E. Company, a accessory of the U.S. Smelting Refining & Mining Co., acquired best of the claims during the 1940s and dredged 2 afar (3.2 km) of the brook from 1959 to 1967. Since then, several ancestors operations accept mined on the creek. It is estimated that over 100,000 ounces of gold has been produced from the Chicken Brook drainage.
The alpha of the end of the Fortymile Gold Blitz came in August 1896 back George Carmack appear the aboriginal gold bang forth the Klondike River in Canada. Within a few years the once-booming towns in the Fortymile arena were alone and forgotten. Some of the aboriginal Fortymile miners alternate to the breadth afterwards the Klondike Gold Blitz passed. From 1887–1890 the Upper Yukon arena was the richest and best advantageous mining breadth in the region. During those three years the breadth produced 1,200,000 ounces of gold, accounting for 5 percent of Alaska's absolute gold production.[33]
Kantishna district
The Kantishna Gold Rush began anon afterwards The Nome Nugget printed the banderole “FOUND HIGH GRADE GOLD” on September 9, 1903. Amid on the arctic flanks of Denali (Mt. McKinley), the Commune was a adamantine abode to accomplish a mine. Nevertheless, some of the better gold nuggets begin in Alaska accept been begin in the area, including the 9th better (92 troy ounces). 92,000 ounces of placer gold and 8000 ounces of gold from lode mines has appear from the district.[31] Today, the commune is amid aural Denali National Park and Preserve.[34]
Southwestern Alaska
Kuskokwim Gold Belt
Marshall-Anvik District
The Kuskokwim Gold Belt (KGB, additionally accepted as the Kuskokwim Mineral Belt) is a ample about geologically and geographically authentic swath of country arcing for about 300 afar (480 km) beyond southwest Alaska. It lies northwest of the Alaska Range and is almost centered on the Kuskokwim River basin. Geologically it is bedeviled by flysch of Cretaceous-age Kuskokwim Group sediments and a array of ablaze rocks. It additionally includes a array of alien terranes. In 1913, Alfred H. Brooks declared it as, "a added or beneath burst belt of gold-bearing rocks which stretches northeastward from Goodnews Bay alongside to the lower advance of the Kuskokwim, against the Iditarod District, and a cardinal of streams traversing this belt backpack aureate gravels."[35] The KGB lies mostly aural the southwestern allotment of the Tintina Gold Province or "Golden Arch" which lies almost amid the Denali-Farewell and Kaltag-Tintina accountability systems and arcs up from southwest Alaska, through axial Alaska, and bottomward beyond the Yukon Territory to British Columbia.[36][37][38][39]
Aniak District
The KGB includes all or genitalia of the celebrated Aniak/Tuluksak, Anvik, Bethel, Goodnews Bay, Iditarod-Flat, Innoko, Marshall, McGrath, Ruby, and Tolstoi mining districts, as able-bodied as newly-realized gold-rich areas.[40] Over 3.2 actor ounces of gold accept been recovered from the belt.[41]
The aboriginal mineral analysis by the Russians in Alaska (a cinnabar-stibnite deposit) occurred in the Aniak commune in 1838. Pay gold was begin in 1901 on tributaries of the Kuskokwim River in the Aniak district.[36]
Donlin Creek (feasibility stage)
Placer mining began on benches and tributaries on the east ancillary of Crooked Creek and its accessory Donlin Creek in 1910; a family-scale placer-mining operation continues today. Granitic barricade swarms acid the shales and sandstones of the Kuskokwim Group rocks in the hills east of high Crooked Creek were accustomed by USGS geologists in 1915 as the apparent antecedent of the placer gold.[42]
In the 1970s Calista Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation, as allotment of its acreage admission beneath ANSCA called the acreage east of Crooked Creek, based on its mineral potential. In 1986 avant-garde asperous analysis of the Donlin breadth began with WestGold's efforts, which were alone afterwards two years, due not to the abridgement of gold, but to the adverse (technically difficult to abstract from the rock) attributes of the gold. PlacerDome active a charter with Calista and began analysis at Donlin in 1995. That accomplishment continues today, accepting acquired to a 50:50 affiliation amid Barrick Gold and NovaGold Resources, in cooperation with Calista, the landowner. Over 150 actor dollars accept been expended on exploration, engineering, and ecology studies.
If eventually exploited, the abundance will be an accessible pit several afar wide. Latest estimates (April 2009) address that Donlin contains 29.3 actor ounces of accurate and apparent gold affluence (calculated at a gold amount of $750) and an added 10 actor ounces of gold resource.[8] The gold occurs aural the clear filigree of arsenopyrite associated with added metal sulfides in veins, veinlets, and disseminations mainly in the felsic dikes, but additionally in beneath accepted adapted mafic dikes and in the sediments.[36]
Iditarod District
The Iditarod commune lies amid the lower Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers: the Aniak commune abuts it to the south. A gold blitz followed the analysis of gold on Otter Creek in 1909. Over 1.5 actor ounces of placer gold and a few thousand ounces of lode gold accept been recovered from the Iditarod area, authoritative it one of the added important gold-mining districts in Alaska. Much of the gold-producing arena in the commune was circumscribed by the Morgan-Guggenheim consortium.
Tolstoi District
The arising basin of Tolstoi Creek, a north-flowing accessory of the Dishna, almost defines the district. The commune lies amid the Iditarod and Innoko districts. Placer gold and platinum were apparent by afloat in arctic gravels 35 anxiety abysmal on Boob Creek in the winter of 1915-1916. A gold blitz occurred in the commune the afterward winter. Historic assembly of 11,000 ounces of gold, as able-bodied as some byproduct platinum, is recorded for the district.[43]
Innoko District
The arising basin of Tolstoi Creek, a north-flowing accessory of the Dishna, almost defines the district. The commune lies amid the Iditarod and Innoko districts. Placer gold and platinum were apparent by afloat in arctic gravels 35 anxiety abysmal on Boob Creek in the winter of 1915-1916. A gold blitz occurred in the commune the afterward winter. Historic assembly of 11,000 ounces of gold, as able-bodied as some byproduct platinum, is recorded for the district.[43]
The Aniak commune lies to the south, the Tolstoi commune to the west. Almost 3/4 actor ounces of placer gold has been won from Innoko River and its tribuaries in the district. Lode gold assembly of 150 ounces is additionally recorded. Cripple, Colorado, Yankee, Ganes, Ophir, and Little Creeks had arresting placer mines: a third of the districts assembly came from Ganes Creek. Gold-bearing porphyritic advancing rocks adjoining to the Ganes Creek and Colorado Creek placers are agnate in agreement and age to the barricade swarms at 29-million ounce Donlin Creek.
Ganes Creek
The acreage is amid about 40 km west of McGrath, and 440 km northwest of Anchorage. Ganes is acclaimed for bearing amazing gold nuggets including the 5th (122 troy ounces) and 13th-largest (62.5 troy ounce) in Alaska. The attendance of cobble-size quartz with sulfide boxwork and base gold advance that the placer gold is primary, basic from basement sources. Historic assembly abstracts from Ganes Creek are in balance of 250,000 oz. gold; an added estimated ability of 736,000 oz. of placer gold exists on patented claims.[44]
McGrath-McKinley district
Almost 200,000 ounces of lode gold and over 130,000 ounces of placer gold has appear from the district. The commune lies on the northeast ancillary of the Aniak district.
The Nixon Fork mine (operation suspended)
The Nixon Fork abundance is an underground lode gold-copper abundance amid 32 afar (51 km) northeast of McGrath, Alaska. Placer gold was apparent adjacent in 1917, by 1918 asperous mining was underway, and connected intermittently until 1964. Ore consists of shoots of massive sulfides and built-in gold begin with skarns forth the acquaintance of sedimentary rocks and the Mystery Creek quartz monzonite stock.The abundance was reopened for exploration, permitted, and developed by Nevada Goldfields, Inc. in 1995 and operated until 1999. In 2005 ability and analysis development resumed. Gold assembly occurred in 2006 and 2007, assembly is currently suspended. Assembly has totaled 187,000 ounces of gold, 2,190,000 pounds of copper, and at atomic 11,000 ounces of silver.[45] Two baby ore bodies accept accurate and apparent affluence of about 126,400 tonnes, absolute 133,730 ounces of gold. An added 116,000 tonnes of absolute comminute tailings are appear to accommodate 30,200 ounces of gold.[46]
Goodnews Bay District
The commune is in acute southwestern Alaska, and borders the Bering Sea. About 600,000 ounces of platinum (plus some iridium, osmium, ruthenium, palladium, and rhenium) and 27,000 ounces of gold were won from placer deposits in the Salmon River from 1934 to 1976. Present affluence are unknown, but are the accountable of advancing exploration. The antecedent of the platinum-group elements appears to be in the Red Mountain and Susie Mountain ultramafic rocks. Extensive geochemical and geophysical surveys during the accomplished several years accept articular areas with as abundant as 0.1 ounce per ton platinum in the soils, but no assets has been demonstrated.
Seward Peninsula
Surveyors acceptance to the 1865 Count Bendeleben campaign exploring a avenue beyond Siberia, the Bering Sea, and Alaska for a communications cable appear gold in the Fish River breadth of the Seward Peninsula. But it was not until the 1898 $1500-to-the-pan bang on Anvil Creek that gold-seekers came to the region.[47]
Nome (Cape Nome) district
Placer gold deposits on Anvil Creek and on the Snake River, a few afar from the approaching armpit of Nome, were apparent in 1898 by Jafet Lindeberg, Erik Lindblom and John Brynteson, the "Three Lucky Swedes". Word of the bang acquired a above gold blitz to Nome in the bounce of 1899. Construction of a fresh asperous gold abundance at Rock Creek was completed, and start-up procedures accomplished in backward 2008. Efforts at the fresh abundance are abeyant due to comminute architecture inadequecies and difficulties affair authoritative requirements. NovaGold's Rock Creek activity includes the Rock Creek abundance and comminute circuitous seven afar (11 km) arctic of Nome, and closing added millfeed from the celebrated underground Big Hurrah abundance armpit 42 afar (68 km) east. Over 3.6 actor ounces of gold accept been recovered from the Nome district, about all of it from placer deposits.
Council-Solomon District
Over a million ounces of gold are reported recovered from the district
Fairhaven Inmachuk District
The Fairhaven-Inmachuk commune lies arctic of the Solomon Commune and extends arctic to Kotzebue Sound of the Chukchi Sea. The commune (including Candle) produced about 600,000 ounces of gold with accessory amounts of chromium, copper, lead, platinum, bismuth, tungsten, mercury, molybdenum, silver, and rare-earth elements.[48]
Kougarok district
The commune is the axial allotment of the Seward Peninsula, clarification into the Imruck Basin. Gold was apparent in 1900 and assembly from placer mines continues to this day. 177,000 ounces of gold accept been recovered from the Kougarok district.
Koyuk district
84,000 ounces of placer gold came from the district, the southeastern allotment of the Seward Peninsula. Major producers were; the Ungalik River and its tributary, Bonanza Creek, which produced cogent by-product tin, and Dime Creek, which additionally produced cogent platinum. The commune encompasses the basins of the Koyuk, Inglutalik, Ungalik, and Shaktoolik Rivers, all clarification into northeastern Norton Sound.
Port Clarence district
Mainly a tin district, the westernmost Seward Peninsula, 42,000 ounces of placer gold accept been recovered, abundant of it as a by-product of tin mining
Southcentral Alaska
Resurrection Creek
Resurrection Creek
Resurrection Creek was the armpit of Alaska's aboriginal gold blitz over a aeon ago, and placer mining continues today. The Resurrection Creek watershed drains 161 aboveboard afar (420 km2) on the arctic ancillary of the Kenai Peninsula, and the association of Hope, Alaska is amid at the aperture of Resurrection Creek.[49] Charles Miller amid the aboriginal affirmation on Resurrection Creek; again busy it to others for working. By 1893, about a dozen miners were alive claims on Resurrection Creek. In 1894, added claims were accustomed on Resurrection Creek.[50]
Valdez Creek
Gold was apparent abreast Valdez Creek on August 15, 1903. Valdez Creek, a accessory of the Susitna River, is amid in axial Alaska northeast of battleground 81 on the Denali Highway. A 52-troy ounce asset (Alaska's 18th-largest) came from Lucky Gulch, a accessory of Valdez Creek. Cambior's Valdez Creek Abundance recovered over 75,000 ounces of gold annually, authoritative it the better placer operation in Arctic America in 1992. Produced 459,162 ounces of gold from 1984 to 1995. Substantial affluence abide upstream of the alive mine.[51] The abundance has been shut bottomward and the armpit reclaimed, but added small-scale placer and lode deposits abide nearby.[52]
Chulitna-Yentna Mineral Belt
The Chulitna-Yentna mineral belt extends northeastward for 100 afar (160 km) or added forth the southern abut of the west-central Alaska Range. The belt shares tectonic or compositional appearance commensurable with some acclaimed mineral belts of the western Cordillera, including the Juneau gold belt.Chulitna District
Golden Zone Mine
Golden Zone Mine. (Copper, gold, silver, arsenic, zinc). Pipe-like anatomy produced 1,581 ounces of gold, 8,617 ounces of silver, and 21 bags of copper. Recent assignment indicates affluence of the Pipe, Bunkhouse and Chestnut King deposits as 13.3 actor bags allocation 0.095 ounces per ton of gold.[53]
Yentna Cache-Creek District
Gold was apparent in the Yentna District (also accepted as the Cache Creek District) of the high Susitna Valley in 1898, anon followed by affirmation staking. Placer mining was appear in the Cache Creek arising of the Dutch Hills by 1906. Quaternary glaciofluvial deposits, alluvial deposits, and Tertiary conglomeratic white quartz-breccia units accept been mined in the Dutch Hills. About 200,000 ounces (6.2 tonnes) of gold has been produced from these placer deposits.[54]Willow Creek Mining District
Gold was aboriginal appear in what would become the Willow Creek Mining Commune (also accepted as the Independence Mine/Hatcher Pass District) by Robert Hatcher. Hatcher apparent and staked the aboriginal lode gold affirmation in the Willow Creek Valley in September 1906. Through 2006 the commune produced 667-thousand ounces of adamantine bedrock gold and 60-thousand ounces of placer gold.[5
Northwestern Alaska
Drainage basins elimination into Kotzebue Sound of the Bering Sea, including the Noatak River and Kobuk River, ascertain the Kiana, Shungnak, Noatak, and Selawick districts. The Noatak commune is now aural the Noatak National Preserve, alone tiny gold placer assembly was recorded from some tributaries abreast the Noatak headwaters. The Selawick commune has one brook breadth gold was produced by a 2-man operation for ten years during the 1950s and 1960s.
Chulitna-Yentna Mineral Belt
The Chulitna-Yentna mineral belt extends northeastward for 100 afar (160 km) or added forth the southern abut of the west-central Alaska Range. The belt shares tectonic or compositional appearance commensurable with some acclaimed mineral belts of the western Cordillera, including the Juneau gold belt.
Chulitna District
Golden Zone Mine
Golden Zone Mine. (Copper, gold, silver, arsenic, zinc). Pipe-like anatomy produced 1,581 ounces of gold, 8,617 ounces of silver, and 21 bags of copper. Recent assignment indicates affluence of the Pipe, Bunkhouse and Chestnut King deposits as 13.3 actor bags allocation 0.095 ounces per ton of gold.[53]
Yentna Cache-Creek District
Gold was apparent in the Yentna District (also accepted as the Cache Creek District) of the high Susitna Valley in 1898, anon followed by affirmation staking. Placer mining was appear in the Cache Creek arising of the Dutch Hills by 1906. Quaternary glaciofluvial deposits, alluvial deposits, and Tertiary conglomeratic white quartz-breccia units accept been mined in the Dutch Hills. About 200,000 ounces (6.2 tonnes) of gold has been produced from these placer deposits.[54]
Willow Creek Mining District
Gold was aboriginal appear in what would become the Willow Creek Mining Commune (also accepted as the Independence Mine/Hatcher Pass District) by Robert Hatcher. Hatcher apparent and staked the aboriginal lode gold affirmation in the Willow Creek Valley in September 1906. Through 2006 the commune produced 667-thousand ounces of adamantine bedrock gold and 60-thousand ounces of placer gold.[5
Northwestern Alaska
Drainage basins elimination into Kotzebue Sound of the Bering Sea, including the Noatak River and Kobuk River, ascertain the Kiana, Shungnak, Noatak, and Selawick districts. The Noatak commune is now aural the Noatak National Preserve, alone tiny gold placer assembly was recorded from some tributaries abreast the Noatak headwaters. The Selawick commune has one brook breadth gold was produced by a 2-man operation for ten years during the 1950s and 1960s.