See Spring Ridge (MD047), Bear Pass (MD044), Beaver (MD048), and Big Gate (MD050) Mississippi Valley Type occurrences in Medfra quadrangle. The Starship prospect is on land selected or conveyed to Doyon Ltd. For further information, contact Doyon Ltd. at 210 1st Ave., Fairbanks, Alaska, 99701.
Location: The Starship prospect is located about one mile (1.5 km) northeast of the Bear Pass prospect on a northwest facing ridgeline at an elevation of 2,150 feet (655 m) in Section 20, T. 23 S., R. 25 E., of the Kateel River Meridian. Location is known to within about 125 feet (38 m).
Geology: The Starship prospect consists of a smithsonite-bearing solution breccia in dolomite and limestone of the Paradise Fork Formation of Dutro and Patton (1982); this is unit 'Sic' of Andrews and Rishel (1982). Zone of mineralization measures about 15 feet by 100 feet (4.5 m by 30 m) and is mainly in rubble crop. Age of host unit is Silurian (inferred), based on fossil control. (Patton and others, 1980; Dutro and Patton, 1982; Schmidt, 1997). The age of the mineralization is unknown. Grab samples from surface explorations of high grade mineralization contain up to 23.25 percent zinc and 0.14 percent cadmium. Mineralized rubble crop distribution indicates a relatively small and discordant mineral body.
Workings: The Starship prospect was found by WGM Inc. and Patino Ltd. in the late 1970s during base metal exploration on lands selected by Doyon Ltd (Andrews and Rishel, 1982). Grab samples from surface explorations of high grade mineralization contain up to 23.25 percent zinc and 0.14 percent cadmium. Mineralized rubble crop distribution indicates a relatively small and discordant mineral body.
Age: Age of host unit is Silurian (inferred), based on fossil control. (Dutro and Patton, 1982). The age of mineralization is unknown.
Alteration: Secondary dolomite.
Reserves: None.

Commodities (Major) - Zn; (Minor) - Cd
Development Status: No
Deposit Model: Southeast Missouri Pb-Zn (Cox and Singer, 1986; model no. 32a) or Mississippi V

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

ⓘ Cadmium

Mineral List

ⓘ Smithsonite

1 valid mineral.

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Smithsonite

Formula: ZnCO₃

References:

(2008) Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) Open-File Report 2008-1225. US Geological Survey

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘ	Smithsonite	5.AB.05	ZnCO₃

List of minerals for each chemical element

C	Carbon
C	ⓘ Smithsonite	ZnCO₃
O	Oxygen
O	ⓘ Smithsonite	ZnCO₃
Zn	Zinc
Zn	ⓘ Smithsonite	ZnCO₃

Other Databases

Link to USGS - Alaska:	MD043

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent

North America PlateTectonic Plate

Farewell-McGrath DomainDomain
Farewell TerranePassive Margin

USA

Alaska
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
  - McGrath Mining DistrictMining District

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References

Andrews, Tom, and Rishel, John, 1982, Annual Report for 1981, Reef Ridge I-to-XIII Project Areas, Kuskokwim Block, Alaska: Anchorage, Alaska, WGM Inc., Project Report 4, 45 p., 2 sheets, scales 1:63,360 and 1:20,000. (Report held by Doyon, Limited, Fairbanks, Alaska.) Dutro, J.T. Jr., and Patton,W.W. Jr., 1982, New Paleozoic formations in the northern Kuskokwim Mountains, west-central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1529-H, p. H13-H22. Patton, W.W. Jr., Moll, E.J., Dutro, J.T., Jr., Silberman, M.L., and Chapman, R.M., 1980, Preliminary geologic map of the Medfra quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-811, one sheet at 1:250,000 scale. Schmidt, J.M., 1997, Shale-hosted Zn-Pb-Ag and barite deposits of Alaska, in Goldfarb, R.J., and Miller, L.D., eds., Mineral deposits of Alaska, 1997: Economic Geology Monograph 9, p. 35-65.

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