Crystal Creek Occurrence, Yakataga District, Valdez-Cordova Borough, Alaska, USA

Location: This occurrence is along the logging road west of Icy Bay. It is 1 mile northwest of the Icy Bay landing strip, near where the logging road parallels Crystal Creek and crosses the west boundary of section 28, T. 22 S., R. 22 E., of the Copper River Meridian. It is sample locality 152 of Foley and others (1995). The map location is probably accurate to within one-half mile.
Geology: Foley and others (1995) collected one sample at this location. It is probably from a raised beach on a Holocene marine terrace. Spiral concentrate from this sample contained less than 0.028 gram of gold per ton, 0.52 percent titanium, and 230 ppm zirconium. Thomas and Berryhill (1962) collected reconnaissance beach samples (IB004, IB006-010) from the Icy Bay area that contained trace to small amounts of magnetite, ilmenite, chromite, zircon, rutile, garnet, sphene, xenotime, and gold. The magnetic fraction of their samples contained as much as 6.2 pounds of iron and 1 pound titanium oxide per cubic yard. The non-magnetic fraction contained as much as 6.4 pounds, but mostly less than 2 pounds, of titanium oxide per cubic yard.
Workings: Reconnaissance characterization of beach samples has been completed in this area.
Age: Holocene.

Commodities (Major) - Au, Ti; (Minor) - Cr
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a - beach)

References:
Foley, J.Y., La Berge, R.D., Grosz, A.E., Oliver, F.S., and Hirt, W.C., 1995, Onshore titanium and related heavy-mineral investigations in the eastern Gulf of Alaska region, southern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 10-95, 125 p. Thomas, B.I., and Berryhill, R. V., 1962, Reconnaissance studies of Alaskan beach sands, eastern Gulf of Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations 5986, 40 p.