Timberline Prospects, Valdez Creek Mining District, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Timberline Prospects	Group of Prospects
Valdez Creek Mining District	Mining District
Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Borough
Alaska	State
USA	Country

This was one of the very few lode gold producers in the Valdez Creek drainage.
Location: The site represents several prospects at an elevation of about 3,950 feet on the west slope of the ridge between Timberline Creek and Valdez Creek. The map site is in the N1/2 of sec. 17, T. 20 S., R. 2 E., of the Fairbanks Meridian. The location is accurate to within 1,000 feet. These prospects are shown as Sites 6 through 10 on Plate I of Smith, 1981.
Geology: The country rock in the area of this site is spotted phyllite, cut by CHLORITIZED DIORITE of probable Cretaceous age. The deposit consists of five veins in shear zones in altered diorite. The largest vein, the Big Caribou, has been traced for 1,000 feet; it is up to 8 feet wide, and contains kidneys and lenses of quartz, arsenopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite. Other veins include the Big Water Hole, Freda G., Valdez Creek 6, and Little Caribou. Veins comprise quartz bands up to 2 feet wide. Some of the sulfides also are disseminated in the diorite. The veins appear to be localized in a conjugate fracture system associated with east-trending fault zones. Samples of the veins contain up to 0.33 ounce of gold per ton (Smith, 1981).
Workings: Surface exploration consists of trenches and pits along the traces of the veins. A short adit was driven which encountered the down-dip extension of the Big Caribou and Little Caribou vein systems. Samples of the veins contain up to 0.33 ounce of gold per ton (Smith, 1981).
Age: Probably Cretaceous or younger.
Alteration: The quartz veins are associated with chloritization of the adjacent diorite.
Production: A small mill was installed in about 1934; it consisted of a jaw crusher, ball mill, classifier, and amalgamating plates. Production was very small.

Commodities (Major) - Ag, Au, Cu
Development Status: Yes; small
Deposit Model: Polymetallic veins (Cox and Singer, 1986, model 22c)

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	HE203

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References