Golden Creek; Shale Creek; Linda Creek Mines, Melozitna Mining District, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Golden Creek; Shale Creek; Linda Creek Mines	Group of Mines
Melozitna Mining District	Mining District
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	Census Area
Alaska	State
USA	Country

This site is the Golden Creek, U.S. BLM MILS location 0020470002 (Oddenino and others, 1995; Interagency Minerals Coordinating Group, 2004).
Location: Golden Creek has been mined for 3 miles in the Melozitna quadrangle and on its eastern continuation in the Tanana quadrangle. The mine is shown on the B-1 U.S. Geological Survey topographic map in the NE1/4 of section 25, T. 2 S., R. 28 E., Kateel River Meridian. The location is accurate to within 200 feet. This site is location 7 of Cobb (1972).
Geology: The rocks in the vicinity of Golden Creek and its tributaries are Precambrian or Paleozoic, greenschist-grade micaceous quartzite and quartz-chlorite-muscovite schist, and subordinate glaucophane-bearing schist, marble, and greenstone (Patton and others, 1977). The closest igneous body is the quartz monzonite and granite Melozitna pluton, whose southern border is about 6 miles north of Golden Creek. Patton and others (1977) date the pluton as Early Cretaceous based on a K-Ar date of 111 +/- 3 Ma. The Kaltag fault, an east-northeast, high-angle structure, is approximately 7 miles south of Golden Creek. Wimmler (1929) reported renewed interest in previously-known occurrences of placer tin on Illinois Creek (MZ017), its tributary Golden Creek, and Moran Creek (MZ016). At different times there were reports that the placers contained considerable cassiterite in the concentrates, as well as gold. According to Chapman and others (1963) placer gold was recovered from Golden Creek, but no cassiterite. 'Tuffy' Eddington worked on Moran Creek (MZ016), Golden Creek, and elsewhere in this area through the 1940's and 1950's (Heiner and others, 1968). Nineteen claims were located by E.R. Farrell, P. Soulombe, and J.A. Elliot in 1955 and the claims may have extended into the Tanana quadrangle (Kardex file 047-001; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water). Cobb (1973) described the gold occurrences in the Melozitna district as thin bench and alluvial gravel deposits. The gradient of Golden Creek is about 50 feet per mile. Most of the recent placer mining in the Melozitna quadrangle has occurred on Golden Creek and its tributaries. In 1978, Phillip and J.S. Ramstad located at least 30 placer mining claims along Golden Creek eastward from its junction with Illinois Creek (Kardex file 047-001; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water). Five claims were also located by Ramstad and Yukon Mining, Inc. in 1978 on Illinois Creek at its junction with Golden Creek. Ramstad's mining activities included digging test pits, drilling test holes with a 5-inch churn drill, digging prospect trenches with a dragline, clearing land, stripping overburden, and bulldozer and dragline mining. Ramstad and Yukon Mining, Inc. worked in the area from 1978 through at least 1994, with over 600 man-days of work in 1988 and 1992; there was active mining in 1993 on Golden Creek (Kardex files 047-001, 047-010, and 047-032; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water; Swainbank and others, 1991; Bundtzen and others, 1992; Swainbank and others, 1993; Bundtzen and others, 1994). Wayne Gibson began open-cut mining on Golden Creek in 1993, mostly in the Tanana quadrangle. In the Melozitna quadrangle, he had 20 claims by 2002 on Golden Creek upstream from Illinois Creek to the junction of Queen Creek, as well as 7 claims along Illinois Creek above and below its junction with Golden Creek (State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, 2002; Szumigala and others, 2004). Gibson planned to use a bulldozer and sluice box during open-cut mining in 2002, but there was no mining in 2003 or 2004 (Brent Martellaro, oral commun., 2004). Some prospecting has also been done on tributaries to Golden Creek. Six state mining claims were located on Linda Creek in 1994 by Neil Beaton Jr., but no mining activity was recorded (Kardex file 047-033; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water). Wayne Gibson located 4 state mining claims on Shale Creek in 1990 just above its junction with Golden Creek (Kardex file 047-031; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water). Gibson tested and sampled the gravels in 1993, and dug 8-foot-deep holes in 1994 to test the material for placer gold. Gibson continued to maintain his claims from 1995 to 1999 (unpublished Alaska Department of Natural Resources Office of the Recorder records).
Workings: Wimmler (1929) reported renewed interest in previously-known occurrences of placer tin on Illinois Creek (MZ017), its tributary Golden Creek, and Moran Creek (MZ016). 'Tuffy' Eddington worked on Moran Creek (MZ016), Golden Creek, and elsewhere in this area through the 1940's and 1950's (Heiner and others, 1968). Nineteen claims were located by E.R. Farrell, P. Soulombe, and J.A. Elliot in 1955 and the claims may have extended into the Tanana quadrangle (Kardex file 047-001; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water). Most of the recent placer mining in the Melozitna quadrangle has occurred on Golden Creek and its tributaries. In 1978, Phillip and J.S. Ramstad located at least 30 placer mining claims along Golden Creek eastward from its junction with Illinois Creek (Kardex file 047-001; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water). Five claims were also located by Ramstad and Yukon Mining, Inc. in 1978 on Illinois Creek at its junction with Golden Creek. Ramstad's mining activities included digging test pits, drilling test holes with a 5-inch churn drill, digging prospect trenches with a dragline, clearing land, stripping overburden, and bulldozer and dragline mining. Ramstad and Yukon Mining, Inc. worked in the area from 1978 through at least 1994, with over 600 man-days of work in 1988 and 1992, and was actively mining in 1993 on Golden Creek (Kardex files 047-001, 047-010, and 047-032; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water; Swainbank and others, 1991; Bundtzen and others, 1992; Swainbank and others, 1993; Bundtzen and others, 1994). Wayne Gibson began open-cut mining on Golden Creek in 1993, mostly in the Tanana quadrangle. In the Melozitna quadrangle, he had 20 claims by 2002 on Golden Creek upstream from Illinois Creek to the junction of Queen Creek, as well as 7 claims along Illinois Creek above and below its junction with Golden Creek (State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, 2002; Szumigala and others, 2004). Gibson planned to use a bulldozer and sluice box during open-cut mining in 2002, but there was no mining in 2003 or 2004 (Brent Martellaro, oral commun., 2004). Some prospecting has also been done on tributaries to Golden Creek. Six state mining claims were located on Linda Creek in 1994 by Neil Beaton Jr., but no mining activity was recorded (Kardex file 047-033; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water). Wayne Gibson located 4 state mining claims on Shale Creek in 1990 just above its junction with Golden Creek (Kardex file 047-031; unpublished record, Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water). Gibson tested and sampled the gravels in 1993, and dug 8-foot-deep holes in 1994 to test the material for placer gold. Gibson continued to maintain his claims from 1995 to 1999 (unpublished Alaska Department of Natural Resources Office of the Recorder records).
Age: Quaternary.
Production: An undetermined amount of gold was recovered from Golden Creek, but no cassiterite (Chapman, 1963).

Commodities (Major) - Au, Sn
Development Status: Yes; medium
Deposit Model: Placer Au-Sn (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a)

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Link to USGS - Alaska:	MZ018

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References