Fourth of July Creek; July Creek Mine, Bonnifield District, Denali Borough, Alaska, USA

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Location: The Fourth of July Creek mine is located in the NW1/4 sec. 21, T. 10 S., R. 5 W., Fairbanks Meridian. Placer mining took place in the lower one-quarter mile of the creek. Fourth of July Creek is a tributary of the Totatlanika River and enters it just above Murphy Canyon; the site is about 13 miles southeast of Rex Dome. The mine is locality 73 of Cobb (1972 [MF 410].
Geology: Fourth of July Creek (referred to as July Creek by Maddren, 1918) is a small stream that discharges into the Totatlanika River about one-half mile above the head of Murphy Canyon. The creek is incised in schist, and the lower half mile is narrow and bounded by steep walls 100 to 150 feet high (Maddren, 1918, p. 393). About one-quarter mile above the mouth of the creek, the schist is intruded by a dike that trends northeast across the gulch. The most profitable mining took place in stream gravels from below this dike to the mouth of the creek (Maddren, 1918, p. 394). Much of the gold mined from the creek was rough; some was attached to vein quartz . The largest nugget mined was worth about $25 (about 1.2 ounces) (Maddren, 1918, p. 394). Most of the mining took place in 1910 and 1911; total production owas$10,000 in gold (Maddren, 1918, p. 394).
Workings: Mining by pick and shovel took place in 1910 and 1911 along the lower one-quarter mile of Fourth of July Creek (Maddren, 1918, p. 393-394).
Age: Quaternary placer.
Production: Gold woth $10,000 was mined by pick and shovel in the summers of 1910 and 1911. The largest nugget mined was worth about $25 (about 1.2 ounces) (Maddren, 1918, p. 394).

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

References

Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-410, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Cobb, E.H., 1976, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-662, 174 p. Joesting, H.R., 1943, Strategic mineral occurrences in interior Alaska, supplement to pamphlet no. 1: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Pamphlet 2, 26 p. Maddren, A.G., 1918, Gold placers near the Nenana coal field: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662-G, p. 363-402. Overbeck, R.M., 1918, Lode deposits near the Nenana coal field: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662-F, p. 351-362.

Mineral List

Gold	Jamesonite

2 entries listed. 2 valid minerals.