Spruce Creek Mine, Iditarod Mining District, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Spruce Creek Mine	Mine
Iditarod Mining District	Mining District
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

Location: Spruce Creek is not shown on the current USGS topographic map but it is well known. It is about a mile southwest of and parallel to Julian Creek (ID177). Spruce Creek has been mined for about a mile above its mouth. The coordinates are at the center of the placer which is about 0.5 mile above its mouth and about 0.5 mile west-southwest of the center of section 5, T. 24N., R. 44W. Seward Meridian. The location is accurate.
Geology: The Spruce Creek placer mine is a moderately shallow, but narrow, muck-covered, placer gold deposit. The lower mile of the creek has been mined. The paystreak is about 30 to 60 feet wide and is overlain by about 12 to 20 feet of organic muck (L.E. Wyrick, oral communication, 1986; T.K. Bundtzen, unpublished field data, 1986; Miller and Bundtzen, 1994; Miller, Bundtzen, and Gray, 2005) In addition to gold and abundant cinnabar, ilmenite, garnet, and magnetite have been identified in concentrates. The gold averages 897 fine (Bundtzen, Cox, and Veach, 1987). A plausible lode source for the placer gold is a granodioritic pluton at the head of the creek. A local source for the cinnabar is suggested by the angular fragments of this relatively friable mineral that are found in abundance in the placer concentrates. Placer gold was found in Spruce Creek in 1911 (Brooks, 1912) but most of the exploration began in 1979 when L.E. Wyrick trenched and drilled the placer. Stripping began in 1980 and mining took place from late 1980 to 1983. The mechanized mining was unprofitable due to the narrowness of the creek, the thick overburden, and the marginal amount of gold in the paystreak (L.E. Wyrick, oral communication, 1986). About 274 ounces of gold was produced.
Workings: Placer gold was found in Spruce Creek in 1911 (Brooks, 1912) but most of the exploration began in 1979 when L.E. Wyrick trenched and drilled the placer. Stripping began in 1980 and mining took place from late 1980 to 1983. The mechanized mining was unprofitable due to the narrowness of the creek, the thick overburden, and the marginal amount of gold in the paystreak (L.E. Wyrick, oral communication, 1986).
Age: Undated, but probably Quaternary.
Production: Gold was discovered in 1911 (Brooks, 1912). About 274 ounces) of gold was produced prior to 1984 but mainly from 1981 to 1983 (L.E. Wyrick, oral commun., 1986).
Reserves: There could be still be gold in the gravel under thick overburden in the upper end of the creek (L.E. Wyrick, oral communication, 1986).

Commodities (Major) - Au; (Minor) - Hg
Development Status: Yes
Deposit Model: Placer Au deposit (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	ID176

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References