Shovel Creek Mine, Selawik Mining District, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USAi

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

Stream gradient approximately 250-300 feet per mile.
Location: The Shovel Creek placer mine is at an elevation of about 1,200 feet on this northwest-flowing tributary of Ingruksukruk Creek. The coordinates are for the mine symbol on Shungnak B-4 topographic map. The map site is in section 9, T. 11 N., R. 5 E., of the Kateel River Meridian. Cobb (1972, MF-448), location 17.
Geology: Shovel Creek heads in the Upper Cretaceous Purcell Mountain quartz monzonite pluton, and crosses a contact between Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous andesitic volcanic rocks and the quartz monzonite. No large zones of altered rock were observed in the area, but abundant cobbles of black tourmaline and of albitized quartz monzonite containing tourmaline veinlets occur in the placer tailings and stream gravels. The quartz monzonite appears to be altered adjacent to the veinlets. Analyses of two tourmaline-rich cobbles show 700 and 1,000 ppm copper but no detectable gold. Indications are that the placer gold may have come from the quartz-tourmaline veins (Miller and Ferrians, 1968).
Workings: The creek has been placer mined on a small scale. The site was examined and some rock samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during the 1960's. One hundred lode claims were staked in the vicinity in 1972 (Grybeck, 1977).
Age: Quaternary.
Alteration: Albitization of quartz monzonite adjacent to tourmaline veinlets.

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

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	SH007

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References