Thorpe Mine, Willow Creek Mining District, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Thorpe Mine | Mine |
| Willow Creek Mining District | Mining District |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Borough |
| Alaska | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
61° 44' 34'' North , 149° 25' 29'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Fishhook | 4,679 (2011) | 9.9km |
| Tanaina | 8,197 (2011) | 12.9km |
| Meadow Lakes | 7,570 (2011) | 16.1km |
| Lakes | 8,364 (2011) | 16.3km |
| Buffalo Soapstone | 855 (2011) | 17.3km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mat-Su Rock and Mineral Club | Palmer, Alaska | 23km |
Mindat Locality ID:
200340
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:200340:8
GUID (UUID V4):
556e015b-b7e2-4eb6-82d9-4b16b57015d3
Thorpe is the only productive mine in the Willow Creek district in schist rather than intrusive rocks (Ray, 1954).
Location: Along the West Fork of Grubstake Gulch, marked with a quarry symbol and labeled 'Thorpe Mine' on the Anchorage C-7 1:63,360-scale topographic map. Accurate within 400 ft. Locality 19 of Ray (1933, plate 11), locality 1 from Cobb (1972), and locality 1 of MacKevett and Holloway (1977).
Geology: Quartz stringers and veins up to 3.5 ft wide in shear zones that cut foliation and bedding of Jurassic (?) quartz-albite-chlorite (+/- garnet-biotite) pelitic schist bedrock. Veins strike N 50 W, and dips 53 NE (Ray, 1954). Shear zones at Thorpe mine have different attitudes from those of productive veins in tonalite commonly found in region. Veins in schist at Thorpe were the probable source of placer gold in Willow Creek and Grubstake Gulch. Assays show $25.92 Au (Au at $20.67/oz). The gold occurs principally as native metal, but it contains more silver than that from the veins (to the north) in the quartz diorite (Ray, 1933).
Workings: Staked prior to 1924. Developed by several hundred feet of workings; open cuts and several adits, however only one crosscut was accessible in 1950. Reportedly a mill and tram were installed prior to 1942. Ray (1933) reported assays to show $25.92 Au (Au at $20.67/oz).
Age: Jurassic (?) or younger; veins cut Jurassic (?) pelitic schist.
Production: Mining reported 1924-1925 and 1942-1943, amount of production not known.
Commodities (Major) - Au; (Minor) - Ag
Development Status: Yes; small
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
3 valid minerals.
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| ⓘ | Silver | 1.AA.05 | Ag |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| O | Oxygen | |
|---|---|---|
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Ag | Silver | |
| Ag | ⓘ Silver | Ag |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Gold | Au |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS - Alaska: | AN071 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Wrangellia DomainDomain
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References
