Pasco Creek Prospect, Fairbanks District, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, USA

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Location: Pasco Creek is roughly 5 miles long and drains southeast into the Salcha River. The Alaska Division of Mining Kardex file system reports placer mining at the base of Paldo Creek. The approximate center of the mining activity is in SW1/4NW1/4 section 9, T. 3 S., R. 11 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. A tractor trail and a landing strip provide access to the lower Pasco Creek drainage. It is locality 29 of Cobb and Eberlein (1980), who summarized relevant references under the name 'Pasco Creek'.
Geology: The bedrock in the region is primarily schist, gneiss, some granite, and minor amounts of serpentinite and limestone. The intrusive bodies in the area range in composition from granodiorite to quartz monzonite with Cretaceous to Tertiary K-Ar ages (Weber and others, 1978). The gravels in the region average 18 to 20 feet in thickness and contain a variety of schist, gneiss, granite, and vein quartz (Prindle, 1906). Brooks (1908) reported the fineness of the gold to be higher than that mined in the Richardson district. Placer gold was first discovered in the Salcha River area in 1905. Prospecting initially occurred on Butte Creek (BD006) and soon extended to nearby Caribou Creek (BD009), and Gold Creek (BD015) and associated tributaries. Live water and thawed ground presented the biggest obstacles during prospecting (Prindle, 1906; B 284). The first claims on Pasco Creek were staked in 1954 (Cobb and Eberlein, 1980). Subsequently, there have been active claims in 1976, 1977, and 1980 (Eberlein and others, 1977). The Alaska Division of Mining Kardex file system records active claims on Pasco Creek as recent as 1986. There is evidence of surficial mining operations, but the period of activity is unknown (Eberlein and others, 1977). It is unclear how much gold was produced from Pasco Creek.
Workings: Placer gold was first discovered in the Salcha River area in 1905. Prospecting initially occurred on Butte Creek (BD006) and soon extended to nearby Caribou Creek (BD009), and Gold Creek (BD015) and associated tributaries. Live water and thawed ground presented the biggest obstacles during prospecting (Prindle, 1906; B 284). The first claims on Pasco Creek were staked in 1954 (Cobb and Eberlein, 1980). Subsequently, there have been active claims in 1976, 1977, and 1980 (Eberlein and others, 1977). The Alaska Division of Mining Kardex file system records active claims on Pasco Creek as recent as 1986. There is evidence of surficial mining operations, but the period of activity is unknown (Eberlein and others, 1977).
Age: Quaternary
Production: It is unclear how much gold was produced from Pasco Creek.

Commodities (Major) - Au
Development Status: Undetermined.
Deposit Model: Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

References

Brooks, A.H., 1906, The mining industry in 1905: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 284, p. 4-9. Brooks, A.H., 1908, The mining industry in 1907: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 345-A, p. 30-53. Brooks, A.H., 1916, The Alaskan mining industry in 1915: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 642, 279 p. Cobb, E.H., 1977, Placer deposit map of central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-168-B, 64 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000. Cobb, E.H., and Eberlein, G.D., 1980, Summaries of data on and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Big Delta and Tanacross quadrangles, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-1086, 77 p. Eberlein, G.D., Chapman, R.M., Foster, H.L., and Gassaway, J.S., 1977, Map and table describing known metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral deposits in central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-168-D, 132 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000. Ellsworth, C.E., 1910, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 442-F, p. 230-245. Ellsworth, C.E., and Parker, G.L., 1911, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 480-F, p. 173-217. Menzie, W.D., and Foster, H.L., 1979, Metalliferous and selected nonmetalliferous mineral resource potential in the Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-529-D, 61 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Prindle, L.M., 1906, Yukon placer fields: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 284, p. 109-127. Prindle, L.M., 1913, A geologic reconnaissance of the Circle quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 538, 82 p. Weber, F.R., Foster, H.L., Keith, T.E.C., Dusel-Bacon, Cynthia, 1978, Preliminary geologic map of the Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-529-A, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.

Mineral List

Gold

1 entry listed. 1 valid mineral.