Hot Springs Creek Occurrence, Serpentine District, Nome Borough, Alaska, USA

Location: The location of this occurrence is very approximate; it can only be located to within one or two miles. Moxham and West (1953) note cinnabar 'in concentrates panned from a shallow gully in the south side of the eastern fork of Hot Springs CreeK'. Hot Springs Creek is a tributary of the Serpentine River with headwaters in the Oonatut Granite Complex (Hudson, 1979). The location description suggests that the occurrence is in an area underlain by Oonatut Granite; the presence of cinnabar has not been confirmed and the locality was not shown by Cobb (1972; MF 417). Cobb (1975; OFR 75-429) summarized references to this locality under the name 'Hot Springs Cr.'.
Geology: Moxham and West (1953) note cinnabar 'in concentrates panned from a shallow gully in the south side of the eastern fork of Hot Springs CreeK'. Hot Springs Creek is a tributary of the Serpentine River with headwaters in the Oonatut Granite Complex (Hudson, 1979). The location description suggests that the occurrence is in an area underlain by Oonatut Granite; the presence of cinnabar here has not been confirmed. In general, only the central, late-forming part of the Oonatut Granite Complex is hydrothermally altered (Hudson, 1979). This is an evolved tin granite complex (Hudson and Arth, 1983) and its accessory mineral content (apatite, allanite, sphene, and zircon) is responsible for its slightly elevated levels of uranium and thorium (Moxham and West, 1953). The weathering of the granite has contributed these minerals to alluvial gravels in the area.
Workings: None.
Age: Not known; the Oonatut Granite is Late Cretaceous (about 70 my, Hudson, 1979) but if cinnabar is present it may be different in age.

Commodities (Major) - Hg; (Minor) - Radioactive minerals
Development Status: No
Deposit Model: Placer cinnabar concentration (?)

References:
Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Bendeleben quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-417, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Cobb, E.H., 1975, Summary of references to mineral occurrences (other than mineral fuels and construction materials) in the Bendeleben quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 75-429, 123 p. Hudson, T.L., 1979, Igneous and metamorphic rocks of the Serpentine Hot Springs area, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1079, 27 p. Hudson, T.L., and Arth, J. G., 1983, Tin granites of Seward Peninsula, Alaska: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 94, p. 768-790. Moxham, R.M., and West, W.S., 1953, Radioactivity investigations in the Serpentine-Kougarok area, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 265, 11 p.