Redmond Creek; Mosquito Creek Prospect, Fairbanks District, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, USA

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Location: The confluence of Junction Creek (BD021) and Mosquito Creek produces Redmond Creek. Redmond Creek flows north towards the Salcha River, approximately 5 miles north of Birch Lake on the Richardson Highway. The creek is approximately 11 miles long and has several tributaries. The Alaska Division of Mining Kardex file system reports placer mining on Redmond Creek near the confluence of Junction Creek and Mosquito Creek. The approximate center of the mining activity is in SW1/4NW1/4 section 29, T. 6 S., R. 6 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. There are references to additional placer mining along Redmond Creek, but it is unclear where. An unimproved road provides access to the Redmond Creek and Junction Creek drainages. It is locality 33 of Menzie and Foster (1979), who summarized relevant references under the name 'Redmond Creek'.
Geology: The Richardson area is characterized by gentle slopes and broad, alluvium-filled valleys (Prindle and Katz, 1913, p. 140). The area is unglaciated and largely overlain by windblown silt, sand, and loess, locally up to 50 meters thick (Foster and others, 1979). The bedrock in the region comprises greenschist to amphibolite facies schist, marble, and gneiss that have been intruded by various igneous bodies (Bundtzen and Reger, 1977, p. 29). The schist and marble are probably Paleozoic, and the gneiss has a probable protolith of Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks (Weber and others, 1978). The intrusive bodies in the area range in composition from rhyolite to andesite. The most commonly observed igneous rock in the area is fine-grained rhyolite containing quartz and feldspar phenocrysts (Olson and others, 1985). At the nearby Democrat Lode (BD014), the rhyolite contains arsenopyrite, gold, and pyrite, and is albitic, clay, and sericite altered (R.J. Newberry, oral communication, 1998). Structurally, the Richardson region is cut by a northwest-trending fracture system termed the Richardson Lineament. However, in the Redmond Creek and Junction Creek area, the structures tend to bend more to the west (Swainbank and others, 1984). The lineament appears to correspond to the distribution of the rhyolite and other intrusive bodies and placer gold deposits (Bundtzen and Reger, 1977, p. 29). Also, the lineament tends to separate gneissic rocks to the northeast from schistose rocks to the southwest (Swainbank and others, 1984). At the confluence of Mosquito Creek and Junction Creek, the depth to bedrock is reported to be 40 to 50 feet (Ellsworth, 1910). The placer gold mined from the Redmond Creek area ranged from 639.5 to 785 in fineness (Menzie and Foster, 1979). Placer gold was first discovered in the Richardson district in 1905. Mining initially occurred on Tenderfoot Creek and soon expanded to nearby creeks and associated tributaries. After peak gold production in 1908, mining in the area declined (Olson and others, 1985). The Alaska Division of Mining Kardex file system records active claims on Redmond Creek as recent as 1980. From 1905 through 1921, production for the Richardson district was approximately 95,000 ounces of gold and 24,000 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and Reger, 1977). Since 1980, the district has produced approximately 10,000 additional ounces of gold from intermittent mining (Olson and others, 1985). It is unclear how much gold was produced from Redmond Creek.
Workings: Placer gold was first discovered in the Richardson district in 1905. Mining initially occurred on Tenderfoot Creek and soon extended to nearby creeks and associated tributaries. After peak gold production in 1908, mining in the area declined (Olson and others, 1985). The Alaska Division of Mining Kardex file system records active claims on Redmond Creek as recent as 1980.
Age: Quaternary
Production: From 1905 through 1921, production for the Richardson district was approximately 95,000 ounces of gold and 24,000 ounces of silver (Bundtzen and Reger, 1977). Since 1980, the district has produced approximately 10,000 additional ounces of gold from intermittent mining (Olson and others, 1985). It is unclear how much gold was produced from Redmond Creek.

Commodities (Major) - Au
Development Status: None
Deposit Model: Placer Au (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

References

Bundtzen, T.K., and Reger, R.D., 1977, The Richardson lineament--A structural control for gold deposits in the Richardson mining district, Alaska, in Short notes on Alasakan Geology, 1977: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geologic Report 55, p. 29-34. Chapin, Theodore, 1914, Placer mining in the Yukon-Tanana region: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592-J, p. 357-362. 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. Olson, B.G., Burton, J., Wolff, E.N., and Swainbank, R.D., 1985, Mining and minerals in the golden heart of Alaska: Fairbanks North Star Borough Publication, 80 p. Prindle, L.M., and Katz, F.J., 1913, Detailed description of the Fairbanks district, in Prindle, L.M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 59-152. Saunders, R.H., 1965, A geochemical investigation in the Richardson area, Big Delta quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Mines and Minerals Geochemical Report 3, 11 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:63,360. Swainbank, R.C., Burton, J.P., and Metz, P.A., 1984, Bedrock geology of the Richardson mining district, Alaska: University of Alaska, Mineral Industry Research Laboratory Open-File Report 84-2, 60 p., 4 maps, scale 1:40,000. 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.