St. Paul; McCann; Thomas; Mickley and Hagel Mine, Fairbanks District, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, USA

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Location: The Saint (St.) Paul mine is located in the SE1/4 sec. 31, T. 1 N., R. 2 W., Fairbanks Meridian. This mine is on the west fork of Eva Creek, about 1.3 miles southeast of the top of Ester Dome. The coordinates given are for the mill and lower tunnel that are at an elevation of 1,150 feet. The upper tunnel and surface workings are at an elevation of about 1,500 feet. This is locality 15 of Cobb (1972 [MF 410]).
Geology: An auriferous vein of massive, vitreous quartz, about 3 feet thick, strikes N. 40 E. and dips 38 NW. (Mertie, 1917, p. 409-410). The quartz and the schist country rock are decayed, shattered, and iron-stained. Stibnite and its alteration products are found along the footwall; the gold content is lower where stibnite is present. The mine and a mill with a capacity of 20 tons per day operated throughout 1917 (Chapin, 1919, p. 323). In 1918, 150 feet of tunnel was driven. However, none of the ore was milled; the the mill operated on ore from the Billy Sunday and Mohawk mines (FB064 and FB061, respectively) (Martin, 1920, p. 40). A little mining also took place in 1919 (Brooks and Martin, 1921, p. 81). By 1931, the lower tunnel near the mill was about 300 feet long and trended north-northeast (Hill, 1933, p. 129). Material on the dump consisted entirely of quartz-mica schist. The upper tunnel, caved by 1931, was about a quarter of a mile north of the lower tunnel, and was driven 250 feet on a vein that ranged in thickness from 3 to 4 feet. The vein above the tunnel has a dip of 45 W., but it steepens to 70 degrees in a winze below the tunnel. All the ore above the tunnel level for its full length had been stoped; it produced about 1,000 tons of ore with an average value of $30 in gold per ton (about 1.45 ounces of gold per ton). The dump from the upper tunnel is composed largely of iron-stained biotite schist with a considerable amount of clay gouge and quartz. There were also some large pieces of stibnite-arsenopyrite-quartz ore and a few pieces of high-grade gold quartz. A grab sample from crushed material on this dump that presumably came from the vein assayed 72 cents in gold per ton (about 0.03 ounce of gold per ton (Hill, 1933, p. 129). Glover (1950) reported that the gold is 806 fine.
Workings: A mine and a mill with a capacity of 20 tons per day operated in 1917 (Chapin, 1919, p. 323). In 1918, 150 feet of tunnel was driven. None of the ore was milled and the operated on ore from the Billy Sunday and Mohawk mines (Martin, 1920, p. 40). A little mining also took place in 1919 (Brooks and Martin, 1921, p. 81). By 1931, the lower tunnel near the mill was about 300 feet long and trended north-northeast (Hill, 1933, p. 129). The upper tunnel, caved by 1931, was about a quarter of a mile north of the lower tunnel, and was driven 250 feet on a vein that ranged in thickness from 3 to 4 feet. In 1997, Silverado Gold Mines, Ltd., drilled and trenched the St. Paul zone (Swainbank and Clautice, 1998, p. 8).
Alteration: The quartz and the schist country rock is decayed, shattered, and iron-stained and stibnite and its alteration products are found along the footwall of th evein (Mertie, 1917).
Production: A mine operated thoughout 1917, and the ore was processed in a mill with a capacity of 20 tons per day (Chapin, 1919, p. 323). In 1918, one hundred fifty feet of tunnel was driven, but none of the ore was milled; the mill operated on ore from the Billy Sunday and Mohawk mines (FB064 and FB061, respectively) (Martin, 1920, p. 40). A little mining also took place in 1919 (Brooks and Martin, 1921, p. 81). By 1931, all the ore above the lower tunnel level, for its full length, had been stoped; it produced about 1,000 tons of ore with an average value of $30 in gold per ton (about 1.45 ounces of gold per ton) (Hill, 1933, p. 129).
Reserves: In February, 2000, Silverado Gold Mines, Ltd., reported that the property contained a resource of 359,992 ounces of gold: 16,338 ounces proven, 81,354 ounces probable, and 262,300 ounces possible (Silverado Gold Mines, Ltd., Ester Dome project web site, February 17, 2000; http://www.silverado.com). [Link dead. Jul 2011]

Commodities (Major) - Au; (Minor) - Sb
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Schist-hosted gold-quartz vein

References

Brooks, A.H., and Martin, G. C., 1921, The Alaska mining industry in 1919: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 714-A, p. 59-95. Chapin, Theodore, 1919, Mining in the Fairbanks district: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 692-F, p. 321-327. Chapman, R.M., and Foster, R.L., 1969, Lode mines and prospects in the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 625-D, 25 p., 1 plate. 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. Glover, A.E., 1950, Placer gold fineness: Alaska Territorial Department of Mines Miscellaneous Report 195-1, 38 p. Hill, J.M., 1933, Lode deposits of the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 849-B, p. 29-163. Killeen, P.L., and Mertie, J.B., 1951, Antimony ore in the Fairbanks District, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 51-46, 43 p. Martin, G.C., 1920, The Alaska mining industry in 1918: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 712-A, p. 1-52. Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1918 (1917), Lode mining in the Fairbanks district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 662-H, p. 403-424.

Mineral List

Arsenopyrite

Gold

Pyrite

Stibnite

4 entries listed. 4 valid minerals.