Stonehouse Creek; Irene Gulch Mine, Fortymile District, Southeast Fairbanks Borough, Alaska, USA
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Geology: Stonehouse Creek flows through a fault-bounded, structurally down-dropped basin that preserves a wedge of Tertiary gabbro and sedimentary rocks (Werdon and others, 2001). Intra-basin, high-angle faults are rarely exposed in outcrop but are inferred from the distribution of geologic units, stratigraphic relations, and airborne resistivity and magnetic data (Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys and others, 1999). The structural basin is bounded to the south and east by the Taylor Mountain batholith of Triassic age and to the north and west by upper Paleozoic greenschist-facies metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks (Foster, 1969; Werdon and others, 2001). In the headwaters of Stonehouse Creek, the upper Paleozoic metamorphic rocks are in high-angle fault contact with theChicken pluton of Jurassic age to the north. Quaternary alluvium and colluvium deposits are extensive within the area of Stonehouse Creek and in the Chicken Creek valley. They consist largely of gravel and lesser silt and sand overlain by muck. Placer gold mining in Chicken Creek (EA128) has exposed numerous Pleistocene mammalian fossils, including mammoth, horse, caribou, and bison (Pinney, 2001). Many of the benches of Quaternary terrace gravel are of possible glaciofluvial origin (Pinney, 2001). Most of the placer mining on Stonehouse Creek has been on benches of terrace gravel on the north wall of the valley; these terraces are as high as 70 feet above the creek. Alluvial deposits along the creek have been mined for placer gold as well. Gravel deposits on benches are 2 to 8 feet thick. The gold is rough and dark colored (Prindle, 1905). Smith (1941 [B 910-C]) reported a gold assay of 802.75 parts of gold per thousand from Stonehouse Creek. Placer concentrates contain mostly magnetite, ilmenite, and pyrite, but they also contain minor specular hematite and scheelite, and numerous grains of cinnabar. Placer gold was produced intermittently from about 1903 to at least 1936 and perhaps at later times as well. Stonehouse Creek and its benches have been mined by drifting, open cuts, and bulldozer and scraper methods (Burleigh and Lear, 1994). At least some of the placer gold may have been derived from quartz and calcite veins (Prindle, 1909) from the nearby Purdy lode gold prospect (EA121). Gold production from 1904 to 1907, including that from Myers Fork (EA124), Lost Chicken Creek (EA131), Stonehouse Creek (EA122), and Ingle Creek (EA111), totaled about 18,835 fine ounces (Eberlein and others, 1977).
Workings: Placer gold was produced intermittently from about 1903 to at least 1936, and perhaps at later times as well. Stonehouse Creek has been mined by drifting, open cut, and bulldozer and scraper methods. Most of the placer mining on Stonehouse Creek has been on benches of terrace gravel on the north wall of the valley; these bences are as high as 70 feet above the creek. Alluvial deposits along the creek have been mined for placer gold as well.
Age: Quaternary.
Production: Smith (1941 [B 910-C]) reported a gold assay of 802.75 parts of gold per thousand from Stonehouse Creek. Gold production from 1904 to 1907 that included that from Myers Fork (EA124), Lost Chicken Creek (EA131), Stonehouse Creek (EA122), and Ingle Creek (EA111) totaled about 18,835 fine ounces (Eberlein and others, 1977). Placer gold was produced intermittently from about 1903 to at least 1936 and perhaps at later times as well. Stonehouse Creek and its benches have been mined by drifting, open cut, and bulldozer and scraper methods (Burleigh and Lear, 1994).
Commodities (Major) - Au; (Minor) - Hg, W
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Mineral List
3 entries listed. 3 valid minerals.
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References
Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Geoterrex-Dighem, and Stevens Exploration Management Corporation, 1999, CD-ROM containing profile and gridded data and section lines of 1997 geophysical survey data for part of the Fortymile mining district, Alaska, southern Eagle and northern Tanacross quadrangles: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Public-Data File 99-9, 2 CD-ROMs. Brooks, A.H., 1909, The mining industry in 1908: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379-A, p. 21-62. Burleigh, R.E., and Lear, K.G., 1994, Compilation of data for Phase I of the mineral resource evaluation of the Bureau of Land Management Black River and Fortymile subunits: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 48-94, 116 p. Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Eagle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-393, 1:250,000 scale, 1 sheet. Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p. Cobb, E.H., 1977, Summary of references to mineral occurrences in the Eagle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-845, 122 p. Eberlein, G.D., Chapman, R.M., Foster, H.L., and Gassaway, J.S., 1977, Map and table describing known metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral deposits in central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-168-D, 132 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000. Ellsworth, C.E., and Parker, G.L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480-F, p. 173-217. Foster, H.L., 1976, Geologic map of the Eagle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series, Map 922, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Joesting, H.R., 1943, Strategic mineral occurrences in interior Alaska, supplement to pamphlet no. 1: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 2, 26 p. Malone, Kevin, 1965, Mercury in Alaska, in Mercury potential of the United States: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8252, p. 31-59. Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1930, Mining in the Fortymile district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813-C, p. 125-142. Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1937, The Yukon-Tanana region Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 872, 276 p. Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1938, Gold placers of the Fortymile, Eagle, and Circle districts, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-C, p. 133-261. Pinney, D.S., 2001, Surficial-geologic map of the Eagle A-2 quadrangle, Fortymile mining district, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Preliminary Interpretive Report 2001-3c, 1 sheet, scale 1:63,360. Powers, J.B., 1935, Brief history of the Fortymile and Eagle Mining Districts to 1935: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Mineral Report MR 60-2, 19 p. Prindle, L.M., 1905, The gold placers of the Fortymile, Birch Creek, and Fairbanks regions, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 251, 89 p. Prindle, L.M., 1908, The Fortymile gold-placer district, in Brooks, A.H., ed., Mineral Resources of Alaska, Report on progress of investigations in 1907: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 345, p. 187-197. Prindle, L.M., 1909, The Fortymile quadrangle, Yukon-Tanana region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 375, 52 p. Purington, C.W., 1905, Methods and costs of gravel and placer mining in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 263, 273 p. Roehm, J.C., 1949, Report of investigations and itinerary of J.C. Roehm[, associate mining engineer, Territorial Department of Mines] in the Fortymile Precinct, Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Investigation Report IR 60-1, 9 p. Saunders, R.H., 1953, Report on the preliminary examination of the Fred J. Jenkins property near Eagle, Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Property Examination PE 60-3, 14 p. Smith, P.S., 1929, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1926: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 797, p. 1-50. Smith, P.S., 1937, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-95. Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113. Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113. Smith, P.S., 1941, Fineness of gold from Alaska placers: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-C, p. 147-269. Smith, P.S., 1941, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1939: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 926-A, p. 1-106. Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102. Smith, W.H., 1968, Geochemical investigation of a portion of the Fortymile district, Alaska: Alaska Division of Mines and Minerals Geochemical Report 16, 17 p. Thorne, R.L., Muir, N.M., Erickson, A.W., Thomas, B. I., Hedie, H. E., and Wright, W. S., 1948, Tungsten deposits of Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigation 4174, 51 p. Werdon, M.B., Newberry, R.J., and Szumigala, D.J., 2001, Bedrock geologic map of the Eagle A-2 quadrangle, Fortymile mining district, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Preliminary Interpretive Report 2001-3b, 1sheet, scale 1:63,360. Williams, J.A., 1950, Mining operations in the Fortymile district, Fairbanks Recording District: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Mineral [Miscellaneous] Report MR 60-3, 5 p.
