Paxson's Occurrence, Chistochina District, Valdez-Cordova Borough, Alaska, USA
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Geology: Chrysocolla and chalcocite occur in highly vesicular, purplish-brown metabasalt of the Nikolai Greenstone of Late Triassic age (Rose and Saunders, 1965). The chrysocolla and chalcocite are most abundant near a fracture or fault at the north side of the exposure and appear to die out near the south side of the vesicular zone. The mineralized zone strikes N75E and dips about 35NW. Faulting apparently truncates the mineralized rock at both the north and south sides of the exposure. A chip sample across a thickness of 10 feet of the mineralized zone assayed 6.9 percent copper but no gold or silver (Rose and Saunders, 1965).
Workings: This occurrence has been prospected by hand-dug pits. A chip sample across a thickness of 10 feet of the mineralized zone assayed 6.9 percent copper but no gold or silver (Rose and Saunders, 1965). The grade is encouraging, but the mineralization appears to be limited in every direction except into the hillside.
Age: Late Triassic or Cretaceous.
Alteration: The vesicular basalt host rock is altered to chlorite and epidote; copper mineral(s) are oxidized.
Commodities (Major) - Cu
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Basaltic Cu (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 23).
Mineral List
2 entries listed. 2 valid minerals.
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References
Berg, H.C., and Cobb, E.H., 1967, Metalliferous lode deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1246, 254 p. MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous mineral deposits in the eastern part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-A, 99 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000. Martin, G.C., 1920, The Alaska mining industry in 1918: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-A, p. 1-52. Mulligan, J.J., 1974, Mineral resources of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline corridor: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8626, 24 p. Nokleberg, W.J., Lange, I.M., Roback, R.C., Yeend, Warren, and Silva, S.R., 1991, Map showing locations of metalliferous lode and placer mineral occurrences, mineral deposits, prospects, and mines, Mount Hayes quadrangle, eastern Alaska Range, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1996-C, 42 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000. Rose, A.W., and Saunders, R.H., 1965, Geology and geochemical investigations near Paxson, northern Copper River basin, Alaska: Alaska Division of Mines and Minerals Geological Report 13, 35 p.