Eva Creek Mine, Bonnifield Mining District, Denali Borough, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Eva Creek Mine	Mine
Bonnifield Mining District	Mining District
Denali Borough	Borough
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Location: The Eva Creek mine is located in sec. 13, T. 10 S., R. 7 W., Fairbanks Meridian. The coordinates given are for a placer-mining operation that was active on Eva Creek in 1916, about one-quarter mile above the mouth of Wilson Creek. This mine is locality 65 of Cobb (1972 [MF 410]). (Note that there is another Eva Creek in the Fairbanks district near Ester (FB050) that also has been placer mined for gold.)
Geology: The first attempt at mining on Eva Creek took place in 1915, when a small quantity of gold was found by two men who opened a small cut in the stream bed of the upper valley (Maddren, 1918, p. 385). Mining also took place in 1916, from 1920 to 1921, from 1933 to 1938, and in 1940 (Cobb, 1976 [OFR 76-662, p. 44]). Ralph Simonson operated a placer mine on the creek in 1989 (Bundtzen and others, 1990, p. 37). The schist in the area is the California Creek Member of the Totalanika Schist; it consists of quart-orthoclase-sericite schist and augen gneiss (Wahrhaftig, 1970 [GQ-810]). A rock unit composed of iron-oxide-cemented gravels that strike northeast and dip 23 SE is above the schist, and under the stream gravels in the upper creek (Maddren, 1918, p. 385-386). Wahrhaftig (1970 [GQ-810]), mapped the middle and lower part of Eva Creek as the Nenana Gravel. Placer gold was mined from Eva Creek in 1916, from 1920 to 1921, from 1933 to 1938, and in 1940 (Cobb, 1976 [OFR 76-662, p. 44]). Scarce wolframite and rare scheelite were also found in placer concentrates (Joesting, 1942 [ATDM Pamph. 1]). The gold varies from 831 to 846 fine (Glover, 1950).
Workings: The first attempt at mining on Eva Creek took place in 1915, when a small quantity of gold was found by two men who opened a small cut in the stream bed in the upper valley (Maddren, 1918, p. 385). In 1916, another placer operation was undertaken, about a quarter mile above the mouth of Wilson Creek (Maddren, 1918, p. 385). Here, three men built an automatic dam and ground sluiced a 3- to 4-foot-thick cut in stream gravels. Mining also took place from 1920 to 1921, from 1933 to 1938, and in 1940 (Cobb, 1976 [OFR 76-662, p. 44]). Ralph Simonson operated a placer mine on the creek in 1989 (Bundtzen and others, 1990, p. 37).
Age: Quaternary placer.
Production: Information on placer production is not available.

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

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	FB133

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References