Pennsylvania Mine, Fairbanks Mining District, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Pennsylvania Mine	Mine
Fairbanks Mining District	Mining District
Fairbanks North Star Borough	Borough
Alaska	State
USA	Country

The Pennsylvania claim was staked in October 1911 by Lawrence J. McCarty and soon became part of the McCarty group of claims which included the Pennsylvania, Willie, Dorothy, Marie, Kentucky and Freegold claims (Times Publishing Company, 1912).
Location: The Pennsylvania mine prospect is located near the head of Wolf Creek northeast of the Pioneer mine (ARDF no. LG155); SE1/4SW1/4 sec. 21, T. 3 N., R. 2 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The location given is on the northwest shaft, on the divide between the head of Wolf Creek and Fairbanks Creek.
Geology: Free gold occurs associated with antimony oxides in white quartz in a shear zone that strikes N 76 W and dips 56 SW (Smith, 1913; B 525). The high grade portion of the shear zone averaged 12 to 15 inches thick. In late 1911, an 8.5 ton sample of material from the claim averaged $100 gold per ton (4.8 ounces of gold per ton). A second lot of Pennsylvania mine ore was custom milled in early 1912 and averaged $52 gold per ton (2.5 ounces of gold per ton). By 1913, the Pennsylvania shaft was deepened to 146 feet and between 1922 and 1931; the west drift on the 50 foot level was extended to a length of 70 feet and stoped through to the surface. This work yielded approximately $10,000 worth of gold (484 ounces) (Hill, 1933). The Pennsylvania mine was examined in 1942 as a possible source of antimony. A one-half ton stockpile of oxidized stibnite near the shaft contained an average grade of 57.01% antimony but the mine did not posses sufficient quantity of this material to warrant additional exploration or development (Killeen and Mertie, 1951).
Workings: By late 1912, the Pennsylvania shaft had been sunk to a depth of 140 feet. Drifting had proceeded 20 feet to the northwest and southeast on the 140 foot level. At the 50 foot level, drifts extended 50 feet northwest and 50 feet southeast with a raise connected to the surface on the southeast drift (Times Publishing Company, 1912). The ore was hoisted using a Little Giant steam hoist and was shipped to the company mill constructed on upper Fairbanks Creek by L.J. McCarty and Emil C. Fursteneau. This mill began operation on September 28, 1912 and consisted of a Little Giant #3 roll mill which fed minus 40 mesh pulp over amalgamation plates (Times Publishing Company, 1912). The tailings were not impounded at this mill. The mill has a capacity of 8 to 20 tons of ore per day (Smith, 1913; B 525). The Pennsylvania shaft had been deepened to 146 feet by mid-1913 (Chapin, 1914). At some point between 1922 and 1931, the western drift on the 50-foot-level was extended to a length of 70 feet and stoped through to the surface. This work yielded approximately $10,000 worth of gold (484 ounces) (Hill, 1933). The shaft and workings were flooded in 1931.
Production: In late 1911, an 8.5 ton sample of material from the claim averaged $100 per ton in gold (4.8 ounces of gold per ton). A second lot of Pennsylvania mine ore was custom milled in early 1912 and averaged $52 per ton (2.5 ounces of gold per ton). The mine was not in production in 1913. The mine was examined in 1922 by Stewart (1922) and Davis (1922) but was not in production at that time. At some point between 1922 and 1931, the western drift on the 50-foot level was extended to a length of 70 feet and stoped through to the surface. This work yielded approximately $10,000 worth of gold (484 ounces, Hill, 1933).

Commodities (Major) - Au; (Minor) - Sb
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Gold- and antimony-oxides in quartz veins.

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Link to USGS - Alaska:	LG156

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References