Ward Mine, Serpentine Mining District, Nome Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Ward Mine	Mine
Serpentine Mining District	Mining District
Nome Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Location: The Ward Mine, which consists of 8 patented claims, is at an elevation of 1,160 feet on the northwest-trending ridgecrest, between the drainages of Bismark Creek and the headwater reach of the Serpentine River (Sainsbury and others,1969). This is in the north-central Teller C-1 quadrangle just south of the boundary with the Teller D-1 quadrangle. Cobb and Sainsbury (1972) show the Ward mine as locality 15 and an unnamed locality (16) to be located on the ridgecrest between Bismark Creek and the headwater reach of the Serpentine River. Their locality 16 is actually closer to the Ward Mine than locality 15. A lode occurrence at locality 15 of Cobb and Sainsbury (1972) could not be verified. Cobb (1975) summarized relevant references to the Ward Mine under the name 'Ward (Copper Co.).'

Geology: The lode deposit at the Ward Mine is a type of mineral occurrence that is repeated at many locations along a north-trending marble belt that extends southward from this location to the Iron Creek and Casadepaga River areas of southern Seward Peninsula. It has been described as a zone of silicification in marble above a thrust contact with underlying metapelitic schist (Sainsbury and others, 1969; Sainsbury, 1975, p. 90-94). The silica-rich rocks have been metamorphosed and commonly have a laminar fabric. Copper-bearing minerals, mostly malachite but also including azurite and in places chalcopyrite and possibly bornite, are disseminated in the silica-rich rocks. The minor sulfides tend to be along faint laminae and joints (Sainsbury and others, 1969, p. 22). Malachite and azurite also occur in small veins and veinlets in the silica-rich rocks. Sainsbury and others (1969; p. 37) report a spectrographic analysis of copper-bearing rocks from the Ward deposit. This sample contained 1,500 ppm copper, 100 ppm tin, and 300 ppm zinc. Mercury, gold, and arsenic were also reported to be anomalous. The summary characterization of this type of Seward Peninsula mineral deposit by Sainsbury (1974, p. 90-94) contains inconsistencies with some descriptions of these deposits. Their origin is uncertain and other possibilities should be considered. One possibility is that the silica-rich rocks are quartzites and that there is a stratigraphic control to the Ward deposit and similar occurrences elsewhere on Seward Peininsula. Quartzite at the base of the regional carbonate assemblage is recognized elsewhere in the Kougarok Mountain area (Puchner, 1986, p. 1777).

Workings: The deposit has been explored by surface pits, trenches, shallow shafts, and short adits.

Age: Unknown; if stratigraphic controls are important then it is probably Paleozoic in age. Otherwise the Ward deposit could be Jurassic or Early Cretaceous (age of regional deformation).

Alteration: The development of silica-rich rocks at the base of marble overlying metapelitic rocks, by whatever process, characterizes the deposit.

Production: Forty tons of high-graded material containing 30 to 40% Cu were produced between 1906 and 1916.

Reserves: Not defined.

Commodities: (Major) - Cu.

Development Status: Yes, small.

Deposit Model: Copper-bearing mineralization in silica-rich zones at base of marble overlying metapelitic rocks.

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	TE071

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References