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Nixon Fork Mine And Mill

Medfra, Alaska

63.2303°N 154.7668°W

Mine Overview

The Nixon Fork Mine And Mill is near Medfra, Alaska. Historically the site has been part of the Mcrath Mining District. The Nixon Fork Mine And Mill is a underground mining operation. Initial production took place in 1995. Mine operations consist of underground workings. There is one known shaft. The mining method is combined methods. The ore mined is composed of chrysocolla, chalcocite and scheelite with waste material consisting primarily of zeolite, epidote and limonite. Associated rock in this area is quartz monzonite from the Eocene epoch 56.00 to 33.90 million years ago.

Site identification and general characteristics. Learn about USGS mines.

  • Copper, Gold, and Silver Primary Commodity
  • Bismuth, Thorium, and Tungsten Secondary Commodity
  • Site Record Type?
  • Mine Development Status?
  • Beneficiation Mill Plant Type?
  • Flotation Plant Subtype?
  • Underground Operation Type?
  • Combined Methods Mining Method?
  • Flotation Milling Method?
  • Ore Mineral In Place Discovery Method?
  • 1995 First Year Of Production?
  • Significant Significance?
  • Metallic Site Commodity Type?
  • Small Mine Size?
Nixon Fork Mine And Mill Near Medfra, Alaska

Nixon Fork Mine And Mill Near Medfra, Alaska

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Mine Names

  1. Name? Status?
  2. Nixon Fork Current
  3. Nixon Fork Mine Current
  4. Whalen Mine Current
  5. Crystal-Garnet Mine Previous
  6. Mespelt Previous
  7. Crystal Previous
  8. Garnet Previous
  9. High Grade Previous
  10. Mespelt Inclined Shaft Previous
  11. Recreation Previous
  12. Keen Previous
  13. Twin Shaft Previous
  14. Mespelt Main Shaft Previous
  15. Garnet Trench Previous
  16. Parsons & Strand Previous
  17. Southern Cross Previous

Owner Name and Address

Nevada Goldfield Incorporated

Colorado
Type
Owner
Stake
Majority

Nixon Fork Mining Incorporated

Alaska
Type
Operator

Commodities

Additional textual information about a site or mine.

  1. Commodity Type Importance
  2. Copper Metallic Primary
  3. Gold Metallic Primary
  4. Silver Metallic Primary
  5. Bismuth Metallic Secondary
  6. Thorium Metallic Secondary
  7. Tungsten Metallic Secondary
  8. Uranium Metallic Secondary

Notes

ORE MATERIAL CONTAINS UNIDENTIFIED URANIUM/THORIUM MINERALS.

ORE MATERIAL CONTAINS AURIFEROUS CHALCOPYRITE.

ORE MATERIAL CONTAINS AURIFEROUS PYRITE.

ORE MATERIAL CONTAINS UNIDENTIFIED URANIUM/THORIUM MINERALS.

Deposit

MODEL NAME = COPPER-GOLD SKARN (COX AND SINGER, 1986; MODEL 18B).

SEE NIXON FORK CRYSTAL (MD061) AND WHALEN GLORY HOLE (MD071) MINES.

USGS CRIB A002052 USGS CRIB A002051 USGS CRIB D002709.

Location Info

  1. Continent Country State County
  2. North America The United States Alaska n/a

Meridian / Township / Range Description

  1. Meridian? Township? Section? Aliquot?
  2. Kateel River Meridian T.26S R.21E Sec. 24 -
  3. Kateel River Meridian T.26S R.21E Sec. 13 -

Land Status

Land status information.

  1. Land Status? Admin Area?
  2. Blm Administrative Area -

Mining Districts

Formal or informal mining district names.

  1. District
  2. Mcrath Mining District

Workings

Workings at the site.

Underground Workings #1

  • Type: Underground
  • Mining Method: Combined Methods
  • Status of Mining Method: Actual

Workings

EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT TOOK PLACE INTERMITTENTLY FROM 1920 TO 1961. AFTER A HIATUS OF ABOUT 25 YEARS, ACTIVITIES RESUMED IN 1984 WHEN BATTLE MOUNTAIN MINING COMPANY LEASED CLAIMS FROM TED ALMASY AND MARGARET MESPELT, THE OWNERS. IN 1989, CENTRAL ALASKA GOLD COMPANY TOOK OVER THE LEASES AND BY 1994, HAD DEFINED 91, 200 TONS (85, 348 TONNES) OF ORE IN SEVERAL HIGH GRADE BODIES GRADING 1. 42 OUNCES/TON (48. 2 GRAMS/TONNE) GOLD AND ABOUT 2. 00 PERCENT COPPER. NEVADA CONSOLIDATED GOLDFIELDS RESUMED PRODUCTION IN OCTOBER, 1995 AFTER A PRODUCTION HIATUS OF 34 YEARS. (BUNDTZEN AND OTHERS, 1996 ). THE NIXON FORK MINE HAS BEEN MINED FROM AT LEAST 8 SHAFTS WITH EXTENSIVE BRANCHING LEVELS AND FROM A FEW PITS AND TRENCHES; DEEPEST MINING WAS AT 460-FEET (140 M) LEVEL OF GARNET SHAFT IN 1961 (HERREID, 1966 ). SOME REFERENCES REPORT WORKINGS AS DEEP AS 600 FEET BELOW SURFACE. MOST SHAFTS ARE ABOUT 100 FEET (30 M) DEEP, WITH 2-3 LEVELS; THIS INCLUDES TWO INCLINED SHAFTS DRIVEN IN EARLY 1930'S. CURRENTLY (1998) THE MINE IS BEING WORKED THROUGH A SPIRAL DECLINE. THE ORE BODIES CURRENTLY BEING EXPLOITED ARE STEEPLY INCLINED, STRUCTURALLY CONTROLLED CHIMNEYS. MAXIMUM ASSAYS OF 24. 34 OUNCES/TON GOLD, 17. 26 OUNCES/TON SILVER, 11. 69 PERCENT COPPER, AND 1. 4 PERCENT BISMUTH HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE LITERATURE (MERTIE, 1936).

Geology

THE NIXON FORK GOLD MINE IS A SERIES OF SMALL, RICH CONTACT METAMORPHIC DEPOSITS IN LIMESTONE WITHIN 100-150 M OF A COMPOSITE MONZONITE STOCK. THE MONZONITE PHASE HAS YIELDED A 40K-40AR BIOTITE AGE OF 68. 0 MA (MOLL AND OTHERS, 1981; BUNDTZEN AND MILLER, 1997 ). YOUNGER QUARTZ PORPHYRY BODIES CUT THE MONZONITE ALONG STRUCTURES AND FORM A DISTINCTIVE BORDER PAHASE OF THE MONZONITE PLUTON. THE MINEABLE ORE BODIES ARE COPPER-GOLD SKARNS THAT OCCUR IN IRREGULAR, STRUCTURALLY CONTROLLED ZONES IN CARBONATE HOST ROCK WITH MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS OF 66 FEET (20 METERS) ALONG STRIKE, 230 FEET (70 METERS) ALONG RAKE, AND ARE UP TO 16 FEET (5 METERS) WIDE (FREEMAN, 1996 ). GANGUE MINERALS IN THE SKARN ZONES INCLUDE ABUNDANT GARNET, DIOPSIDE, EPIDOTE, AND APATITE. THE ORE BODIES ARE LENTICULAR, AND ARE WITHOUT WELL DEFINED WALLS; SOME ARE PROBABLY HYDROTHERMAL REPLACEMENT BODIES THAT POSTDATE SKARN FORMATION. MOST METALLIC VALUES AND SKARN OCCUR AS EXOSKARN 10 TO 30 FEET INTO THE MARBLE FRONT; MINOR METALLIC BEARING ENDOSKARNS OCCUR WITHIN SATTELITE BODIES OF MONZONITE; HOWEVER, MOST OF THIS MINERALIZATION IS NOT ORE GRADE. ORE CONSISTS OF AURIFEROUS CHALCOPYRITE AND PYRITE WITH SUBORDINATE BORNITE AND A LITTLE CHALCOCITE THAT HAS BEEN PARTLY TO THOROUGHLY OXIDIZED TO A MIXTURE OF FREE GOLD AND SECONDARY COPPER MINERALS. THE EXCEPTION TO THIS EXTENSIVE 'SUPERGENE' OXIDATION PROCESS IS THE CRYSTAL AND GARNET LODES (MD061 ), WHICH CONSIST MAINLY OF UNOXIDIZED CHALCOPYRITE, PYRITE AND BORNITE IN A CALCITE, SIDERITE AND ZEOLITE GANGUE. GOLD FINENESS FROM THE VARIOUS NIXON FORK ORE BODIES RANGE FROM 715 TO 794 WITH SILVER BEING THE MAJOR IMPURITY. THE NIXON FORK MINE IS RENOWNED FOR IT'S HIGH GRADE GOLD ORES. MERTIE (1936) AND HERREID (1966) REPORT ASSAY VALUES FROM BOTH SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND WORKINGS OF UP TO 24. 34 OUNCES/TON GOLD, 17. 26 OUNCES/TON SILVER, 11. 69 PERCENT COPPER, AND 1. 40 PERCENT BISMUTH. FROM 1920 TO 1997, THE MINE HAS PRODUCED (FROM ALL OPERATORS) 119, 956 OUNCES (3, 730 KG) OF GOLD, 19, 566 (608 KG) OUNCES OF SILVER, 1, 235, 443 POUNDS (560, 396 KG) OF COPPER, FROM ABOUT 99, 765 TONS (90, 506 TONNES) OF ORE. THE SILVER AND COPPER PRODUCTION FIGURES ARE INCOMPLETE AND CONSIDERED CONSERVATIVE.

AGE IS PROBABLY LATE CRETACEOUS, BASED ON ISOTOPIC AGE OF MONZONITE (MOLL AND OTHERS, 1981).

Materials

Minerals or other materials present in the mine.

  1. Role? Material?
  2. Gangue/Waste Calcite
  3. Gangue/Waste Chlorite
  4. Gangue/Waste Epidote
  5. Gangue/Waste Garnet
  6. Gangue/Waste Limonite
  7. Gangue/Waste Quartz
  8. Gangue/Waste Sericite
  9. Gangue/Waste Siderite
  10. Gangue/Waste Zeolite
  11. Ore Azurite
  12. Ore Bismuth
  13. Ore Bornite
  14. Ore Chalcocite
  15. Ore Chalcopyrite
  16. Ore Chrysocolla
  17. Ore Electrum
  18. Ore Gold
  19. Ore Malachite
  20. Ore Pyrite
  21. Ore Scheelite

Rocks

Geological materials at the site.

  1. Class? 1st Order Name? 2nd Order Name? 3rd Order Name? 4th Order Name? Most Specific Name? Begin Time End Time Description?
  2. Associated Rock Plutonic Rock Granitoid Quartz Monzonite - Quartz Monzonite Eocene Eocene -
  3. Associated Rock Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) Felsic Volcanic Rock Quartz Latite - Quartz Latite - - -
  4. Host Rock Sedimentary Rock Carbonate Limestone - Limestone - - -
  5. Mineralization - - - - - Upper Cretaceous Upper Cretaceous -

Alteration

Mineralogical and chemical alteration at or near the site, which may help to indicate the geographic extent of the geological processes producing the mine.

  1. Type? Alterations
  2. Local Oxidation Of Sulfides Probably Resulted In Some Supergene Enrichment Of Gold Values

Exploration

STATUS IS ACTIVE

Holdings

Mineral rights ownership information.

  1. Type?
  2. Located Claim; Other; Patented

Model

Mineral deposit model of the site.

  1. Name? USGS Model Code? BC Model Code? Mark 3 model code?
  2. SKARN COPPER 18B - -

Production

Production information

  1. Production Year? Amount Mined? Material? Comment
  2. 1995-1996 1070395.19 grams Gold ore production oct-95 to 12/31/96 42126 metric tons ore, 47408 troy ounces per year gold
  3. 1995-1996 1474553.82 grams Gold ore production oct-95 to 12/31/96 42126 metric tons ore, 47408 troy ounces per year gold
  4. 1996 1070395.19 grams Gold copper production fy 1996 117009 pounds; gold production fy 1996 34414 troy ounces; ore production fy 1996 (1.59 opt) 27006 short tons of ore; silver production fy 1996 10181 troy ounces
  5. 1996 1474553.82 grams Gold copper production fy 1996 117009 pounds; gold production fy 1996 34414 troy ounces; ore production fy 1996 (1.59 opt) 27006 short tons of ore; silver production fy 1996 10181 troy ounces

Notes

LODE DEPOSITS WERE SOON DISCOVERED IN THE AREA AFTER THE 1917 DISCOVERY OF PLACER GOLD IN THE HIDDEN CREEK BASIN. IN 1920, T. P. AITKEN PRODUCED THE FIRST ORE-ABOUT 370 TONS (335 TONNES ). IN 1921, THE TREADWELL-YUKON MINING COMPANY, BASED IN JUNEAU, ALASKA, OPTIONED THE PROPERTY FROM AITKEN AND MINED FOR FOUR YEARS AND MILLED 6, 922 TONS (6, 280 TONNES) OF ORE. IN 1925, THE PROPERTY REVERTED TO OWNER E. M. WHALEN, WHO PRODUCED ORE ON A FAIRLY CONTINUOUS BASIS UNTIL 1942. THE PROPERTY PRODUCED INTERMITTENTLY FOR SIX SEASONS FROM 1946 TO 1961. TOTAL PRODUCTION FROM 1920 TO 1961 IS ESTIMATED TO BE 36, 016 OUNCES (933 KG) GOLD, AND 1, 836 OUNCES (57 KG) SILVER FROM 20, 200 TONS (18, 325 TONNES) OF ORE. PRIOR TO WORLD WAR II, COPPER PRODUCTION (AS A BYPRODUCT) WAS NOT ACCURATELY RECORDED; SMELTER RETURNS THAT REPORT A BYPRODUCT OF COPPER ARE AVAILABLE FOR FIVE OPERATING YEARS. IN OCTOBER, 1995, NEVADA CONSOLIDATED GOLDFIELDS RESUMED PRODUCTION OF THE NIXON FORK MINE AND THROUGH THE END OF 1997, PRODUCED 83, 940 OUNCES 2, 610 KG) GOLD, 17, 730 OUNCES (551 KG) SILVER, AND 1, 194, 000 POUNDS (541, 598 KG) COPPER FROM 79, 565 TONS (72, 180 TONNES) OF ORE. FROM 1920 TO THE END OF 1997, THE NIXON FORK MINE HAS BEEN IN PRODUCTION FOR 30 SEASONS, AND PRODUCED 119, 956 OUNCES (3, 730 KG) GOLD, 19, 566 OUNCES (608 KG) SILVER, AND 1, 235, 443 POUNDS (560, 396 KG) OF COPPER FROM 99, 765 TONS (90, 506 TONNES) OF ORE (PRODUCTION DATA FROM ALL PREVIOUS OPERATIONS WAS COMPLIED BY THE REPORTER ). SILVER AND COPPER PRODUCTION FIGURES ARE INCOMPLETE; HENCE TOTALS FOR THESE LATTER METALS ARE CONSIDERED CONSERVATIVE. MINERAL PRODUCTION DATA FOR THE NIXON FORK MINEIS NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR 1998.

Reference

HERREID, 1966

Reserve-resource

AS OF LATE 1997, EXPLORATION HAS REPLACED MOST OF THE ORE MINED FROM 1995 TO 1997. IN DECEMBER, 1997, RESERVES STOOD AT ABOUT 85, 000 TONS (77, 112 TONNES) GRADING APPROXIMATELY 1. 2 OUNCES/TON (41. 1 GRAMS/TONNE) GOLD AND UNDISCLOSED COPPER AND SILVER (SWAINBANK AND OTHERS, 1997).

TOTAL PROVEN + PROBABLE ORE RESOURCES; 12/31/96. ADIT CAPACITY BASE ON MILL TREATED ORE BUDGET OF 40, 100 ST: GOLD-COPPER-BISMUTH RESOURCE IN SEVERAL HIGH-GRADE ORE BODIES.

Nearby Deposits

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  5. Nixon Fork-Crystal Gold Mine

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  7. Riddle Gulch Gold Mine

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  9. Grable And Blackburn Mine

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  10. Ruby Creek Gold-Silver Mine

    • Gold commodity Site type Mine status
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Nearby Places

Nearby Mining Districts

Footnotes

* Mine bounds on map indicate the general area that a mine occupies. For an detailed map, refer to the overseeing BLM field office.

** The mine central point is based on an average of the mine's bounding box(es) and does not necessarily fall on the claim itself.

1 World-class significance is determined by total endowment of the contained commodity. This includes all past production and remaining reserves. Each commodity is considered separately and commodities cannot be combined to arrive at a significant size. The tonnage thresholds are from the mine model grade-tonnage studies. As of June 2008, many entries were classified as significant under less strict rules.

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