Center Creek and Flat; Saturday and Wonder Creeks Occurrence, Nome Mining District, Nome Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Center Creek and Flat; Saturday and Wonder Creeks Occurrence	Occurrence
Nome Mining District	Mining District
Nome Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Location: Locations on Center Creek are confused because Flat Creek and Saturday Creek were in the upper part of Center Creek and Wonder Creek was the middle part of Center Creek. The creek segments and tributaries are now difficult to locate because of extensive mining (NM251). (These drainages probably were extensions of that paralleling the northeast runway of the Nome airport.) This site is probably within one-half mile of the location for Little Creek (NM251). These deposits were included in locality 138 of Cobb (1972 [MF 463], 1978 [OFR 78-93]).
Geology: The upper parts of Center Creek, sometimes called Saturday and Wonder Creek, were developed first as shallow placer deposits in the coastal plain. The situation is as explained by Collier and others (1908, p. 168): 'Saturday Creek is the name given to the upper part of Center Creek which flows into Snake River about a mile above Nome, and Wonder Creek is the middle part of the same stream. This diversity of names is due to the fact that under the local rules . . . one claim was allowed to one man on a creek. This rule was often circumvented by changing the name of the creek at each tributary and locating a claim with each change of the name.' Saturday Creek was located and mined in about 1900. The deposit was shallow, with a 3-foot pay section underneath 2 or 3 feet of muck. Gold was bright, commonly had quartz attached, and was fairly coarse. One nugget of about 0.75 ounce was found. Concentrates contained garnet, magnetite, and some scheelite. Moffit (1913, p. 118-119) included Saturday, Wonder, and Flat Creeks as shallow coastal plain tributaries to Center Creek.
Workings: Shallow deposits were found on segments or tributaries of Center Creek in about 1900. These deposits were exploited quickly. The area was extensively mined and surface drainage changed after discovery of Third Beach near Little Creek.
Age: Quaternary.

Commodities (Major) - Ag, Au; (Minor) - W
Development Status: No
Deposit Model: Shallow alluvial placer gold deposits developed in coastal plain gravels. Deep

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	NM294

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References