Mineral Investigations in the Koyukuk Mining District, Northern Alaska, Analytical Results, 2001

A mineral resource investigation of the Koyukuk Mining District in northern Alaska was conducted from 1997 to 2001 by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The 11.6-million-acre study area comprises the upper portion of the Koyukuk River drainage basin. The objective of the investigation was to evaluate the mineral resources and mineral development potential of the district. Field work consisted of mapping and sampling mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences and reconnaissance sampling in areas containing no documented sites. This investigation is part of the Bureau's ongoing statewide mining district evaluation program.

This report contains a compilation of all samples collected by the BLM during the Koyukuk Mining District study. Information includes sample location and analytical results for 2,098 rock, soil, stream sediment, pan concentrate, and placer concentrate samples. These sites include gold placers, goldbearing quartz veins, silver-lead-zinc massive sulfides, copper porphyries, tungsten-copper skams, tin greisens, podiform chromite, and coal.

Significant results from this study include identification of anomalous gold values in pan and placer concentrate samples collected at Wild Lake, Chicken Creek, Swede Creek, Little Swede Creek, Hammond River bench, and Kanuti Kilolitna River. Rock samples collected near Nolan Creek, Vermont Creek, Chandalar Copper Belt, Horace Mountain, and Indian River are also anomalous in gold.