Galena Prospect, Nome Mining District, Nome Census Area, Alaska, USAi

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

The prospect could be explored along the basal contact of the massive marble that overlies schist. Before erosion, there may have been nearly continuous mineralized horizons between the Quarry prospect (NM135) and this deposit.
Location: The Galena prospect is at an elevation of about 800 feet on the ridge crest along the west side of Washington Creek, an east tributary to Sinuk River. It is 1.2 miles northeast of where the Nome-Teller road crosses Washington Creek and about a half mile south of hill 955. This is locality 5 of Cobb (1972 [MF 463], 1978 [OFR 78-93]).
Geology: The Galena prospect was discovered before 1915 (Eakin, 1915 [B 622-I, p. 366-373]). It was visited by Mertie in 1916 (1918 [B 662-I, p. 445), who reported a total of nine claims and some propecting work, primarily for iron. Joint-controlled (N 15 W, vertical) galena-quartz mineralization in crystalline limestone was present on the Sunrise claim; disseminated sphalerite with pyrite and lilac-colored fluorite was present on the Oso claim; and disseminated galena with quartz was identified on the Fox and Williams claims. Botryoidal limonite (goethite) was reported from the Kentucky claim. The prospect was also visited by Mulligan and Hess (1965) and Herreid (1966, p. 8-10). Herreid found as much as 5.8 percent zinc adjacent to a silicified zone in marble that was traced for more than 200 feet on a trend of N 10 W; he also found 1.0 percent lead and 0.85 ounce of silver per ton in samples from an old trench. Petrographic descriptions of 15 samples from the Galena prospect were reported by Mulligan and Hess (1965). The prospect is located within a soil geochemical anomaly more than one-half mile long. The anomaly is subparallel to the contact of the massive marble unit and underlying schist (Herreid, 1970, figure 1). In some cases, for example, Herreid's sample 98, the location is sufficiently removed from the marble to suggest mineralization is present in the underlying schist. Herreid (1970) reported several soil samples containing more than 1,000 ppm zinc and a maximum value of 405 ppm lead; as much as 7 ppm molybdenum was present in the samples. Like the Cub Bear prospect nearby (NM133), the Galena propect appears to have characteristics transitional between the Sinuk-area iron deposits (such as the Monarch prospect, NM017) and the fluorite-barite-zinc-lead deposit at the Quarry prospect (NM135). The Galena prospect is on strike with, and in a similar structural and stratigraphic setting to, the Quarry prospect (NM135) about 2 miles to the southeast.
Workings: The prospect was located and explored by shallow shafts, short adits and trenches before 1915 (Eakin, 1915 [B 622-I, p. 366-373]; Mertie, 1918 [B 662-I, p. 425-449]; Cathcart, 1922). Herreid conducted geologic mapping and soil sampling of the area (1966, 1970). An early report (Mertie, 1918 [B 662-I, p. 425-449]) indicated that considerable gold was present in a galena-quartz vein, but samples collected by Herreid (1966) contained a maximum of 0.02 ounce of gold per ton.
Age: Post mid-Cretaceous, the age of metamorphism of the host schist and marble.
Alteration: Possible dolomitization, silicification, and oxidation.
Reserves: Shallit (1942; Mullgan and Hess, 1965, table 3) estimated that the iron oxide deposits at the Galena prospect include 100 long tons containing 30 to 45 percent iron and 10,000 long tons containing 10 to 20 percent iron.

Commodities (Major) - Fe, Pb, Zn; (Minor) - Ag, Au, F
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Iron oxide and some quartz-sulfide veins and replacements in marble and schist.

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	NM130

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References