Latitude: 62°34'11"N
Longitude: 150°54'18"W
Significant resources may be left in the high channels, bench deposits and tributaries (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978). These placer workings probably contain some gold that is the downstream concentration from veins in the Bradley Scheelite/Bird Creek prospect (TL038). Also see Peters Creek (TL045); other glaciofluvial deposits in the district are at Windy Creek (TL027);and Nugget Creek (TL035), both tributaries to Cache Creek.
Location: C. C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978, Fig.4.2-B(3)) locate the Bird Creek high channel deposit (St. Louis Channel) on a tributary to Peters Creek in the southeast quarter of Section 26, T. 29 N., R. 9 W., of the Seward Meridian.
Geology: Capps (1912) indicates that the present Bird Creek, which flows into Peters Creek, appears to have captured a drainage which at a previous time may have flowed into the ancestral Cache Creek drainage. This Pleistocene glaciofluvial channel, at its base, is almost 100 feet above and sub-parallel to the Bird Creek and rests on broken, decayed slate overlain by a yellow-stained basal gravel and 50 to 75 feet of glacial mud containing angular boulders (Capps, 1912). The channel is auriferous throughout, but especially in the basal gravel (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978; Hawley and Clark, 1973). Concentrates contain pyrite, arsenopyrite, magnetite, scheelite, and a small amount of native copper (Cobb and Reed, 1980). Clark and Hawley (1968) report the fineness of the gold to range between 835 1/2 and 879 1/4, averaging 859. Significant resources may be left in the high channels, bench deposits and tributaries (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978). These placer workings probably contain some gold that is the downstream concentration from antimony, tin and bismuth in arsenopyrite-scheelite- gold-quartz veins in the Bradley Scheelite/Bird Creek prospect (TL038). Also see Peters Creek (TL045); other Pleistocene glaciofluvial placer deposits in the district are Windy Creek (TL027) and Nugget Creek (TL035), both tributaries to Cache Creek. C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) report that lode deposits also occur in the Colby (TL037) and Nugget Creek (TL035) drainages.
Workings: Workings in 1976 consisted of 3 shallow pits, approximately 500 feet by 250 feet, 400 feet by 300 feet, and 400 feet by 200 feet . The St. Louis Channel was mined in the late 1970's and drilled in 1942 by Calumet and Hecla Copper Mining Co. (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978).
Age: Pleistocene.
Production: Values on the pay section are up to $50/yard (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978).
Reserves: Significant resources may be left in the high channels, bench deposits and tributaries (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978).
Commodities (Major) - Au, Cu, W; (Minor) - Bi, Sb, Sn
Development Status: Yes
Deposit Model: Placer Au-PGE (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
References
Brooks, A.H., 1914, Mineral resources of Alaska; report on progress of investigations in 1913: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592, 413 p. C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978, Mineral appraisal of lands adjacent to Mt. McKinley National Park, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 24-78, 277 p., 12 sheets. Capps, S.R., 1912, Gold placers of the Yentna district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 520-F, p. 174-200. Capps, S.R., 1913, The Yentna district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 534, 75 p. Capps, S.R., 1924, Geology and mineral resources of the region traversed by the Alaska Railroad: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755-C, p. 73-150. Clark, A.L., and Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Talkeetna quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-369, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Clark, A.L., and Hawley, C.C., 1968, Reconnaissance geology, mineral occurrences, and geochemical anomalies of the Yentna district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 68-35, 64 p. Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p. Cobb, E.H., and Reed, B.L., 1980, Summaries of data on and lists of reference to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Talkeetna quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-884, 106 p. Joesting, H.R., 1942, Strategic mineral occurences in interior Alaska: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 1, 46 p. MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous mineral deposits in the eastern part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-A, 99 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000. Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1919, Platinum-bearing gold placers of the Kahiltna Valley: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-D, p. 233-264. Reed, B.L., Nelson, S.W., Curtin, G.C., and Singer, D.A., 1978, Mineral resources map of the Talkeetna quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-870-D, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Robinson, G. D., Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., and Lyon, J. B., 1955, Radioactivity investigations in the Cache Creek area, Yentna district, Alaska 1945: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1024-A, p. 1-23. Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64. 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., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1932: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 857-A, p. 1-91. Smith, P.S., 1934, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1933: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 864-A, p. 1-94. Smith, P.S., 1936, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1934: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 868-A, p. 1-91. 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., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-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.
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