Clear Creek

Location: Alaska, United States (64.839, -162.301 approx.)

Commodities: rare earth elements; uranium

Deposit model: disseminated U-REE · unclassified

Geology

“Although it is likely that the uranium- and thorium-bearing minerals in the southern and eastern parts of the Darby Mountains are largely disseminated in the granite, local concentrations of the radioactive elements may have formed through hydrothermal activity in a late stage of consolidation of the granite magmas. This is suggested by the common association of topaz and, locally, fluorite with the radioactive minerals. The association of topaz and traces of cassiterite with the uraniferous niobate mineral in the Clear Creek-Vulcan Creek area suggests also that these minerals may be genetically related to lode tin occurrences or pegmatitic phases of the granite.” (West (1953))

Exploration and site history

• History: The only work of the Geological Survey in the Darby Mountains prior to this investigation was done by two parties; that of Mendenhall (1901) who in 1900 mapped both topographically and geologically the Koyuk River valley and parts of the Darby Mountains on an exploration-reconnaissance scale; and that of Smith and Eakin (1911), who in 1909 mapped the area between Nulato and Council on a similar scale. Exploration in the region may have included reconnaissance stream sediment sampling and radiometric surveys. (West (1953))

Record imported from USGS USMIN ver. 4.0 (June 2019). Developments after that date appear on facility records, not here; see the methodology.