Application of

GIs

Technology for Resource Estimation ofOffshore Placer Deposits in Nome, Alaska

Scott

~uang',

ang

hen',

Scott

~aybrie?,

Ky[e

~rennan"

ABSTRACT

Data hm bout 3200 drill holes

the offshore area at Nome, Alaska was digitized and processed. Most

drill

hole files have associated lithology, gold value, and blow count descriptions for each

drill

hole. Thegold intensity was

used

to present the potential gold resource

the study

area

on the world wide web. Aweb page was created that gives background information on the project, descriptions about the Nome area,maps of the claim blocks that include

all

the normalized slices of gold deposits, and links

other relevantsites on the web. The site is located

httD://mineral.uafsme.alaska.edu/nome~roiect~nomehome.htm

INTRODUmION

Beach and offshore resources of heavy refkctory minerals are widespread along the coast of Alaska, Theresources demonstrated at Nome are, however, the richest yet found in Alaska. They have been exploitedbut also contain significant demonstrated resources

that

may

developed in the future. ~ecause-ofheextent and richness of the Nome resources, they also have been studied and documented extensively.~omeas been one of the most active

areas

of placer mining in the State of

Alaska

since the late1800's. Major gold production took place there as recent as 1990. Production waned because of limitedtechnology and because the gold offshore could not

economically retrieved.

1994, the USGS MarineGeology Plan identified the Bering Sea, Alaska, as a region wananting a systematic investigation for itsheavy

mineral

potential. Developing the mineral sources in this region would encompass a vast

array

offactors as well as the cooperation of federal and state government agencies and the

mineral

industry.Given that new technology such

Geographic Information System (GIs)

widely available, it should

applied to the development of the mineral sources

the Bering

Sea,

Alaska GIs

can

easily used tointegrate various geologic, geochemical, geophysical, topological, and other maps

with

digital

data

sets toexpedite mineral resource exploration and reserve estimation. It is expected that by applyingGIstechnology with the available information a better understanding

can

be obtained of the geological,geophysical, and geochemical characteristics of near-shore mineral deposits as well as the geologic systemsunder which they formed

aqi

how they accumulated

the Bering Sea region.The Department of Mining and Geological Engineering, School of Mineral Engineering at theUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks received a research grant hm he Minerals Management Services, U.S.Department of the Interior in 1998. The study applies Geographic Information System (GIs) technology toa systematic investigation of the Nome area in order to determine the resource potential for offshorestrategic heavy metals, specifically the gold deposits. The

first

phase of this project included datacompilation and analysis and web site developmentAssembly and Cornpilatioh of Information.One of the

tasks

involved the collection and compilation of information related to geologic characteristics,geochemical and geophysical signatures, borehole data, economic considerations, oceanographic factors,1 Department of Mining and Geological Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks,

99775-58002 Shannon and Wilson, Inc. Fairbanks,

99707

3 Shannon and Wilson, Inc. Anchorage,

995 18

submarine topography, and potential environmental impacts. Search of literatures using internet also wascarried out with an emphasis on the GIs application.Another large data source, perhaps the most important information for this study, came from a hugeamount of

data

that was collected by Western Gold Exploration and Mining Company, Limited Partnershrp(Westgold). Westgold operated the bucketline dredge BIMA hm 1985 through 1990. The BIMA wasused

dredge gold from the ocean floor at the Nome Offshore Placer Project.Development of GIS StructureThis project

used

a hierarchical structure with its

data

storage and retrieval for its geographic informationsystem. Input activities involved the digitization of maps of geperal, geologic, bathymetric, and contouredgold values. The creation of these digital maps was an involved process because most current GIsoperations

still

involve manual conversion of analog data to digital format. The maps had to be

sorted,

digitized, and edited so that they were compatible in ARC format. ARC/TNF0@Version 7.1 for andWindows

and Arcview were the two ARC programs

used

this

project.Delivery of Web-based ResultsSeveral formats

are

used

to give the results of

this

project. Research reports, papers, and student theses

are

the primary outlets of information. Many relevant maps illustrating potential maps have been generated.All of the

data

is on computers, and a major part of it is available onthe web site of the School of MineralEngineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks.NOME OFFSHORE GEOLOGY

AND

STRUCTURESOffshore sediments consist of varied lithologies, the majority of which have been mapped onshore. Theselithologies include:

red

granite and

quartz

monzonite, which

are

common with abundant chlorite schist,marble, marble schist, limestone, graphitic schist, graphitic-siliceous calc-silicate rock, biotite schist, and

rare

polished round, green

quartz

pebbles (Howkins, p.19, 1992). Fine grain marine sediments deeply buryoffshore bedrock east of Nome; to the west offshore bedrock is just below the sea bottom. Figure 1 is amap of the sediment on the ocean floor.Glaciation

Drift

hmpast glaciations covers most of the area, the most extensive of which is a surface

drift

sheetdeposited during the Nome River glaciation of the middle Pleistocene (Bundtzen et al., p. 2, 1994). Thesubsequent Stewart River, Salmon Lake, and Mount Osborn glacial

periods

were much smaller andrestricted

higher elevations and mountain valleys (Howkins, p. 26, 1992).At least twice in history, glaciers have advanced past the Nome coast. The first event occurred in theearly Pleistocene, and the second event was theIllinoian Glaciation. Between the mouths of the NomeRiver and Rodney Creek, glaciers extended several miles seaward beyond the present coastline. Theseglaciers eroded mineralized bedrock and alluvial placers

the hills north of Nome. These glaciers alsosheared into underlying marine sediments, leading to layering of glacial till and marine clayey silt. Thisglacial action led to the emergent beach deposits

the

Nome area being a major source of the gold (NelsonandHopkins, pp. 7-8, 1972).Sediment-eontrolled StructuresEight major sediment-controlling structures are given in Figure 2. The Back Trough feature is composed ofsand and gravel facies sediments with some occurrences of mud. The Central Core is the dominantstructural element. It is composed mainly of diamict facies sediments and shows an asymmetrical outline.Sediment in the Fore Trough is mud-rich and has a low gold content. The

Thrust

Zone is an area ofdisplaced mud caused by glacial advance over the troughs, hence the name Thrust Zone. The TransitionZone is an extensive atea of

mature

gravel and sand with interbedded mud. The Marine Fringe

theseaward margin of the Central Core with washed sediment composed of gravel and sand facies. East of theCentral Core, the East Flank is composed of typical high-energy shallow marine deposited sediment. TheWest Flank is an

area

dominated by gravels with less distinct boundaries than the East Flank (Howkins, pp.62-74, 1992). Seven identifiable zones

are

given. These include the coastal zone, the Penney River delta,the Transition Zone and Central Core high, the Yukon horst plateau, and the Thrust Zone ridge and theNorton Sound Basin (Howkins,

79, 1992).

ha-ke

GraveueoUldera

sand

Mud

and

Sandy

Mud

Ocean

Floor

Meters

Figure 1. Lithologic map of the ocean floor off the coast of Nome (surficial geology summary digitized&om Howkins, p.

160,

1992).Current net-longshore

drift

in the area

the east This trend

has

also been the case in the past inreference to the submerged beach deposits, through studying pebble size, roundness and quartz content.The bottom sediment distribution near Nome is influenced by several factors, namely present longshoreand offshore currents, subaerial sediment deposits hm ast streams and glaciers, and effects of past waveaction tkom shoreline transgressions and regressions on these subaerial sediment deposits (Nelson andHopkins, p. 9, 1972).Economic GeologyFour types ofland-based metallic mineral resources are found

the Nome

area.

These resources include:

gold-polymetallicquartzcarbonate

eins,stratiform, massive sulfide-barite deposits associated with felsic metavolcanic schist'andmetafelsite centers,massive sulfide-iron deposits hosted in carbonate-dominated terranes of uncertain origin, andheavy mineral placer deposits.Polymetallic Gold Quartz Veins. These veins are the source of most of the significant gold resourcesthat is known in the Nome district. They cut pelitic and mafic schists and carbonates and are believed to bea product of regional metamorphism. The mineralization package with these veins include As-Sb-Ag-Zn-Pb-Cu-W-Au. Example deposits are Rock Creek for gold, Sophie-Gulch for gold and tungsten, the Mt.Distin area for gold and antimony, the Charley Creek area for gold-bismuth-arsenic vein deposits, andothers.There are at least three types of veins that have been recognized.

Chalcopyrite-sphaleritequartz-

carbonate veins are one

type.

They are seen as boudins rolled around F1 fold axes. Saddle reef

quartz-

gold-polysdiide veins are a second type. The third deals

with

brittle vein systems that show distinct

high

angle crosscutting of metamorphic stratigraphy.