Barney Creek Mines, Eagle District, Southeast Fairbanks Borough, Alaska, USA

Location: Barney Creek is a small tributary on the north side of the Seventymile River. Barney Creek was mined for about one-half mile upstream from the mouth. The coordinates are the approximate midpoint of this section of the creek, in section 24, T. 2 N., R. 28 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The location is accurate. Barney Creek is locality 20 of Cobb (1972 [MF-393]), locality 3 of Eberlein and others (1977), and locality 5 of Burleigh and Lear (1994).
Geology: The rocks in the vicinity of Barney Creek are Upper Cretaceous to Pliocene tightly folded conglomerate and plant fossil-bearing shales (Prindle, 1905; Foster, 1976). The gold in the stream and bench placers on Barney Creek was probably reconcentrated from these rocks (Mertie, 1938). Gravel in Barney Creek are 1.5 to 3 feet thick; the gravel is composed of conglomerate pebbles, cobbles, and boulders of quartzite as much as 3 feet in diameter. Gold occurs as thin plates as much as one-quarter of an inch in diameter (Prindle, 1905). Gravel benches as much as 50 feet high are present at the mouth of Barney Creek and between the forks of the creek located about one-half mile upstream from the mouth. These benches were covered with about 3 feet of gravel and 3 feet of sand and muck. The gravel at the forks contained large quartzite boulders that carried gold (Prindle, 1905). Placer gold from Barney Creek has 875 parts of gold and 122 parts of silver per thousand (Mertie, 1942). There has been placer gold production on the Seventymile River (see EA025) downstream of Barney Creek. Barney Creek was first prospected in 1895 and was said to be a good producer in 1896 (Prindle, 1905). There are reports of mining on Barney Creek for most years from 1908 to 1940. A new hydraulic plant was completed on Barney Creek in 1930 but accomplished only a small amount of mining by the end of the season (Smith, 1933 [B 836-A]). Work on Barney Creek in the years just prior to 1936 was confined to a bench on the west side of the creek (Mertie, 1938).
Workings: Barney Creek was first prospected in 1895 and was said to be a good producer in 1896 (Prindle, 1905). There are reports of mining on Barney Creek for most years from 1908 to 1940. A new hydraulic plant was completed on Barney Creek in 1930 but accomplished only a small amount of mining by the end of the season (Smith, 1933 [B 836-A]). Work on Barney Creek in the years just prior to 1936 was confined to a bench on the west side of the creek (Mertie, 1938).
Age: Quaternary.
Production: Placer gold from Barney Creek has 875 parts of gold and 122 parts of silver per thousand (Mertie, 1942).

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

References:
Brooks, A.H., 1909, The mining industry in 1908: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 379-A, p. 21-62. Brooks, A.H., 1915, Mineral resources of Alaska; report on progress of investigations in 1914: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 622, 380 p. Brooks, A.H., 1918, Mineral resources of Alaska, 1916: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662, 469 p. 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. Clark, S.H.B., and Foster, H.L., 1971, Geochemical and geological reconnaissance in the Seventymile River area, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1315, 21 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., 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., 1910, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442-F, p. 230-245. Ellsworth, C.E., and Davenport, R.W., 1913, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 542-F, p. 203-222. 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. Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1930, Geology of the Eagle-Circle district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 816, 168 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. Porter, E.A., 1912, Placer mining in the Fortymile, Eagle, and Seventymile River districts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520-G, p. 211-218. 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., 1909, The Fortymile quadrangle, Yukon-Tanana region, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 375, 52 p. Smith, P.S., 1929, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1926: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 797, p. 1-50. Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1928: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 813-A, p. 1-72. Smith, P.S., 1932, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1929, in Smith, P.S., and others Mineral resources of Alaska, report on progress of investigations in 1929: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 824-A, p. 1-81. Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83. Smith, P.S., 1936, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91. Smith, P.S., 1937, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1935: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 880-A, p. 1-95. Smith, P.S., 1938, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1936: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 897-A, p. 1-107. Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113. 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.