RECONNAISSANCE OF BEACH SANDS,

BRISTOL BAY, ALASKA

By Robert V. Berryhill

report of investigations 6214

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Stewart L. Udall, Secretary

BUREAU OF MINES

Marling J. Ankeny, Director
This publication has been cataloged as follows:

Berryhill, Robert V

Reconnaissance of beach sands, Bristol Bay, Alaska.

[Washington] U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Mines [1963]

ii, 48 p. illus., tables. 27 cm. (U. S. Bureau of Mines. Report

of investigations, 6214)

1. Sand-Alaska. I. Title. II. Title: Beach sands. (Series)

TN23.U7 no. 6214 622.06173

U. S. Dept. of the Int. Library
CONTENTS

Page

Abstract..... ........ .......... * *..... ....... **....* **.* ......... * 1

Introduction... 0.0....*. .-. 0.0..**. 00 .... .... ........ *... ......... 1

Acknowledgments ..... ......... .o..*.. ............ ........ ... ............. .. 2

Location and accessibility.... .............................. . 2

Physical features and climate...... . ...... ...... 0. ...... ..... 6

History and production... o.... ..o ..... .*.o.o....... .6... o.o .... o. 8

Property and ownership. ........ . ................... .... ....... 9

General geology and description of the deposits.. 9

Work by the Bureau of Mines................ .................. ,..... 10

Field investigations... . ....... .... .. ... ..... . . 10

Laboratory investigations....... ...... ..... .-. 00,...... .... 10

Sampling methods and equipment .. 11

Calculation of sampling result s . .... .- .... 0. . ..... 13

Areas investigated..... .. .............................. 13

Platinum......,..... ..o.*....# ....... o.............,..,........ .13

Hagemeister Strait ................. .. . . . . .17

Hagemeister Strait-Togiak Bay.y.... . . 19

Nushagak Pen insu.............. 23

Egegik.... .. ..... e....,,. ... 27

Cinder River. . ......... 31

Port Heiden.. ........ 0... ,. . 33

Ilnik...... ....... 000000000-.6... .. 000.0..... 00...., -....... 36

Port Moller ....... o..... ,.o**ooooo# ... ,,,.. ... ... 39

Nelson Lagoon ........ ... . , , .00000. ........ . . . 42

Moffet Point... ..... ,.... .... 45

Conclusions................... .... ...4.0*............................ 0000-0. 48

ILLUSTRATIONS

Fig.

1. Index map of Alaska ...... 3...... 3

2. Index to location of figures...i gr.......*.. ............ 4

3. 00-0m...,..,........

14

4. Hagemeister Strait .... 00...... 00000.0.Ooo..Oo..0.0.00.. 18..

5. Hagemeister Strait-Togiak Bay........... .... ,.... .. 0.00.000 ... , 20

6. Togiak oo ...... ......... 21,,.. 

7. Nushagak Peninsula (samples 944-21)....... ... o... o.. .. o..... *. 24

8. Nushagak Peninsula (samples 122-137) .. .. .......... .. 25

91. ei.. ........................... . 29

10. Cinder River .... 0... 0... 00 00 ... . .o.0 ... ,0 .0.. 32

11. Port Heiden....... ... 0. .... .00.0.0.0 0. ...0.0 .. 34

12, Ilnik. . o.o~~ .* o s * o o. o ... o o o..o~~o . o........ O.. 37

13. Port Moller. ... -. 6090060..0.... o *..O.. ...... ,... 40
TABLES

Page

1. Bore-sampling equipment...... ............................. ...... . 12

2. Petrographic analyses of pan concentrates from the Platinum area.... 15

3. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Platinum areaa...... 16

4. Petrographic analyses of pan concentrates from the Hagemeister

Strait are. ...... . ... o .... a...*..... 17

5. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Hagemeister

Strait area ......... o.*...*........ ,.., 19

6. Petrographic analyses of pan concentrates from the Hagemeister

Strait-Togiak Bay area,.*... .... e. r.*. ........ ...... o ... 22

7. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Hagemeister

Strait-Togiak Bay area., ..... rea.. .. ... . ..... ... & ... 23

8. Petrographic analyses of pan concentrates from the Nushagak

Peninsula are ... o ... r..oo .. eoa~~ .. oo.o... 27

9. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Nushagak

Peninsula area ............ .. ,0.00.0S..0- ..... ,.. 27

10. Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from the Egegik area.... 30

11. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Egegik area......... 31

12. Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from the Cinder

River area.. oo o.o.o.o..o.oo.oo..o.ooooo..oo . 33

13. Auger-hole sampling results from the Cinder River area............. 33

14. Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from the Port Heiden

area.. . * o o ~ o . . o ~ . o o o . o ... 35

15. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Port Heiden area.... 36

16. Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from the Ilnik area..... 38

17. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Ilnik area. .... 39

18. Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from the Port Moller

area ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

19. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Port Moller area.... 42

20. Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from the Nelson Lagoon

arer..o...ooooeao . .#*o .. o~.o~oo .. o 44

21. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Nelson Lagoon area.. 45

22. Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from the Moffet Point

auero ad hespn esults fromof oint are... 47

23. Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Moffet Point area.. 47
RECONNAISSANCE OF BEACH SANDS, BRISTOL BAY, ALASKA

by

Robert V. Berryh i 1

ABSTRACT

Reconnaissance studies of beach deposits along approximately 220 miles of

the shoreline of Bristol Bay, Alaska, were made to determine if more detailed

investigations were warranted. In addition to preliminary mapping of the

deposits, samples were obtained from auger borings spaced at 1-mile intervals

in key areas; shovel samples were collected to supplement the borings. Most

samples were roughly concentrated in the field; magnetic separation tests,

petrographic analyses, and determinations for radiometric equivalent uranium,

gold, platinum, iron, and titanium were made in the Bureau of Mines laboratory

at Juneau, Alaska.

Spot samples from some beaches along the shores of the Alaska Peninsula

indicate small deposits containing up to 10 percent recoverable titaniferous

magnetite; some larger deposits were indicated to contain from 1 to 2 percent

total heavy metal, principally as titaniferous magnetite. Significant amounts

of other commercial minerals were not detected.

INTRODUCTION

Although the more accessible beaches along the 6,640-mile coastline of

Alaska were thoroughly prospected for gold by early day miners, little attention was given to less valuable minerals found as heavy sand in the concentrate of beach deposits. The abundance of such heavy sand was sometimes noted

in reports of beach-placer operations and was reflected in place names such as

Black Sand Island (near Yakutat). Only a few attempts were made, however, to

determine more exactly the character and abundance of the heavy minerals.

Because of the steadily increasing interest in placer deposits as possible

commercial or strategic sources of monazite, ilmenite, rutile, magnetite, and

other industrial minerals, the Bureau of Mines, in 1957, initiated a program

of spot sampling of key beach areas to determine if more detailed studies of

beach deposits were warranted. During parts of the 1957 and 1958 field

'Mine examination and exploration engineer, Alaska Office of Mineral Resources,

Bureau of Mines, Juneau, Alaska.

Work on manuscript completed October 1962.
2

seasons, spot samples were taken from beach deposits along approximately 247

miles of the Gulf of Alaska shoreline; sampling results have been published.2

This report describes the methods and results of the program as conducted

in the Bristol Bay region during parts of the 1958 and 1959 field seasons.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Fieldwork in the Bristol Bay region was aided by use of Federal Aviation

Administration facilities at Cold Bay. The many services and courtesies

extended by fishermen along the coast were greatly appreciated.

Special acknowledgment is made to the bush-plane pilots who serviced the

field crew working in the region. Through their efforts, exacting schedules

were maintained, often under extremely adverse weather conditions.

LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY

Bristol Bay is in southwestern Alaska about 250 miles southwest of

Anchorage, Alaska (fig. 1). This region is between the Aleutian Range on the

south and the Ahklun and Kilbuck Mountains on the northwest. The area investigated comprises approximately 625 miles of coast along Bristol Bay, extending from Goodnews Bay (latitide 590 05' N and longitude 1610 55' W) on

Kuskokwim Bay to Moffet Point (latitude 550 27' N and longitude 1620 35' W)

on the Alaska Peninsula (fig. 2).

Virtually all travel to and from the region is by air. The air traffic

center, the King Salmon Air Base, is 16 miles inland from the fishing community of Naknek at the head of Bristol Bay. Multimotored passenger and cargo

planes from Anchorage usually refuel at King Salmon and continue either west to

Dillingham and Platinum or south down the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian chain.

Platinum, 180 airline miles west of King Salmon on the shore of Kuskokwim

Bay, is the westernmost community in the area investigated. It has an airstrip on which DC-3 or equivalent-size airplanes can land. A roadhouse, general store, and post office adjacent to the airstrip provide facilities for

the traveler; fuel oil in bulk is available, and a U.S. Weather Bureau Station

is maintained. The town derives its name from the platinum-placer mining in

the area. A few native families live at Platinum, but the major native community is 12 miles northeast at Goodnews where school facilities are available.

The community of Platinum is west of the Bristol Bay region; the western limit

is Cape Newenham.

Dillingham, at the head of Nushagak Bay 65 miles west of Naknek-King

Salmon, is the largest town in the region; it has a permanent population of

about 500. During the peak of the fishing season, lasting from late June to

mid-July, as many as 1,500 people inhabit the Nushagak fishing district. The

2Thomas, Bruce I., and Robert V. Berryhill. Reconnaissance Studies of Alaskan

Beach Sands, Eastern Gulf of Alaska. BuMines Rept. of Inv. 5986, 1962,

40 pp.
3

0 200 400 600

0 ~~~~~~Scole, Miles

.4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4

4.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~S <~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ bee, I 9 FAIRBAN AKS ca N A D A

FIGURE 1. Index Map of Alaska.

town has two hotels, four general stores, a cafe, a theater, a post office,

and a modern school system. An airstrip, about 3 miles west of town, will

accommodate a DC-3 or equivalent aircraft. A small airstrip on the edge of

town is used by the local bush pilots and private aircraft owners. Fresh-food

supplies are flown in directly from Anchorage or via King Salmon. An Alaska

! Native Service hospital at Kanakanak, 4 miles south of Dillingham, provides

medical care for the native population in the Bristol Bay region.

Naknek, one of the major fishing communities in the area, is situated at

the head of Bristol Bay on Kvichak Bay at the mouth of the Naknek River.

Naknek is connected with the King Salmon Air Base by a well-maintained gravel

road. Naknek has a population of about 225, two general stores, a post office,

an other services necessary for an active fishing community of its size. King

Salmon has a post office, a general store, a cafe, and two hotels to serve the

needs of the traveler.

The Bristol Bay region is bounded on the east and south by the Alaska

Peninsula. Port Heiden is the first major embayment on the peninsula south of
Goodn~ews +

> <~~ \ At/ ~ g7 Dill1 Ingham \ W

Go~de s Ba \' Kanakanak

FIGURE C) 7

Naknek

4 * o .~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~K ng

i o a5Samon

580~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~8

0~~~~~~~~~~

o ignikSa 

,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~,T V. N<A-- -

62° 158

FIGURE 2. - Index to Location of Figures. Adapted from Geological Survey map.
5

King Salmon; here, an airfield is operated as an alternate refueling station

by the Reeve Aleutian Airways for their Aleutian schedules. The village of

Meshik (40 people) on the north shore of Port Heiden is 4 miles from the airfield and is the only community in the area; it has no stores or roadhouses.

Substantial fishing communities have developed on the tidal estuaries of

the Egegik and Ugashik Rivers, which are intermediate between King Salmon and

Port Heiden. Egegik and Ugashik (plus the downriver village of Pilot Point)

do not have major airfields. Mail an other supplies are obtained through

bush-aircraft service based at King Salmon. These villages were not used as a

-A base of operations during this investigation, and the extent of facilities

available to the traveler is unknown. During the fishing season, food and

supplies can be obtained at the fish canneries.

South from Port Heiden the next community and multimotored aircraft landing field is at Port Moller. The indigenous population of the Port Moller

area, approximately 30 people, is about equally divided between those living

on the north side of the bay adjacent to the cannery and those living at

Nelson Lagoon on the south side of the bay. There is no post office or store,

but supplies may be purchased from the cannery, and temporary housing may be

obtained.

Port Moller-Nelson Lagoon is the southernmost community on the north

shore of the Alaska Peninsula. The next inhabited area to the southwest is

Fort Randall on Cold Bay. There, an airbase constructed during World War II

is being operated by the Federal Aviation Administration; the population is

composed of people maintaining the various service facilities. Northwest

Orient Airlines for several years has used the Cold Bay airfield as an alternate refueling stop on their Orient schedule; they maintain a hotel, store,

and cafeteria on the field. Canadian Pacific Airlines and Reeve Aleutian

Airlines use the field as a refueling stop. Reeve also maintains a small

cafeteria and quarters for passengers between flights. The State Magistrate

for the Unga recording district is stationed at Cold Bay; a post office is

also maintained. Excepting jet and aviation fuels, there are no facilities

available for fuel in bulk.

Oceangoing vessels carry freight between the Bristol Bay communities and

west coast ports when consignments aggregate enough tonnage to justify delivery. The Alaska Steamship Co. schedules from three to five freighters a

season to the region. There are no deep-water harbors in Bristol Bay, and the

ships must anchor well offshore; all freight must be lightered from ship to

shore, a distance of a few hundred yards at Dillingham and several miles at

Naknek. At present, the major tonnage of freight comes into the bay region by

ship; the remainder comes by air.

The region is entirely dependent upon air and water transportation; it

has less than 150 miles of gravel roads. Except for the Naknek-King Salmon

road, no roads exist between communities, and no highway system connects the

region with central Alaska.
6

Most of the travel within the region is done in small airplanes with

wheel landing gear. Good landing areas are plentiful along the hard-packed

beaches, and every community has a small craft airstrip. The area probably

has one of the highest aircraft per capita rates in the nation. Many of the

pilot-owners have obtained commercial aviation licenses and are available for

short-term charter flights; however, these pilots are usually not available

during the height of the fishing season, particularly in July. Several regular bush pilots at both Dillingham and King Salmon service the coastal area

on a nonscheduled basis. Western Alaska Airlines, with operations from

Dillingham and King Salmon, maintain regular bush schedules to various villages. Aircraft necessary for access within the region are available for

charter. Wheel planes are used along the coast, and float planes are generally used inland, landing on both rivers and lakes. During the investigation,

small aircraft with wheel landing gear were available at Dillingham, King

Salmon, and Cold Bay. In 1958, a three-place helicopter was available for

charter at King Salmon.

During the summer months, fishing boats move along the coast. This means

of travel is slow and uncertain because of the large tides, frequent storms,

and continually shifting offshore bars and shoals; sometimes onshore landings

may be made through the surf but often are difficult or impossible. It would

be inadvisable to rely on boat services, as their movement is necessarily controlled by weather and fish, especially during the height of the fishing season. The fishermen are exceptionally skilled boatmen and are well acquainted

with the coastal waters; they easily navigate the estuaries of the many large

streams that discharge into the bay.

PHYSICAL FEATURES AND CLIMATE

Except for a small segment of beach lying at the southern extremity of

the Kuskokwim River region near Goodnews Bay, all deposits examined during

this investigation lie within the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay regions as

defined by the Bureau of Mines.3

The region comprises three well-defined geographic units: The first and

most prominent is the Alaska Peninsula which includes the Aleutian Mountains,

a southward continuation of the Alaska Range. The second unit is the comparatively low-lying but rugged Kilbuck Mountain system on the western border of

the region. The Kilbuck Mountains on the west and the Aleutian Range on the

east border the third unit consisting largely of wide lowlands fronting on the

head of Bristol Bay. The lowlands are generally flat for some distance inland

from the coast and rise gradually toward the base of the mountains enclosing

the basin.

Extensive glaciation created many large lakes. Lake Iliamna, the largest

in the State, covers an area of 2,000 square miles; it is the headwaters of

the Kvichak River.

3 Ransome, A. L., and W. H. Kerns. Names and Definitions of Regions, Districts,

and Subdistricts in Alaska (Used by the Bureau of Mines in Statistical and

Economic Studies Covering the Mineral Industry of the Territory). BuMines

Inf. Circ. 7679, 1954, 91 pp.
7

The coastline in the western part of the region lacks sandy beaches

except for the large well-developed spits in the Hagemeister Strait and

Goodnews Bay areas. The coastal waters are attacking bedrock and areas of

glacial moraine; the glacial detritus is generally coarse, and some gigantic

boulders are evident. The Togiak River is the major drainage in this western

part of the region. The long spits developed in Hagemeister Strait and at

Chagvan and Goodnews Bay are indicative of the strong ocean currents.

The coastline bordering Nushagak and Kvichak Bays is composed of dark

gray silts which form broad tidal flats. At some places low morainal hills

provide material for gravel beaches along the coast. Nushagak and Kvichak

Bays are great shallow tidal embayments; shifting channels and shoals are

evident in the middle of these bays and are continually being reworked by

strong tidal currents. Tidal waters have a maximum rise of only 20 to 21

feet, but with low river gradients, the tidal pileup at the river's mouth will

raise the water level for many miles upstream. The coastal foreland rises

from a swampy, treeless lowland with a gradual slope inland over gently rolling benches of silt, sand, and gravel.

South of Kvichak Bay on the northwestern margin of the Alaska Peninsula,

the land is low and the waters shallow. Sand and gravel beaches, sand reefs,

and offshore bars characterize the coast. Pumice and volcanic ash are common

constituents of many bars; Cinder River was probably named for the volcanic

scoria it carries. Extensive sand dunes are indicative of the frequent strong

winds. The lowlands between the sea and mountains consist of small knolls and

shallows characteristic of glacial moraine. Water accumulated in the depressions has created many small lakes, swamps, and marshes.

The coastal plain and low foothills are generally void of timber. A few

small spruce grow along the banks of rivers flowing from the north, but the

region is essentially a tundra country. In wind-protected hollows and gullies,

willows grow to several inches in diameter and up to 8 feet in height. Marsh

grass is common, and a variety of wild hay grows along the crests of sand

dunes paralleling the coast. Most types of animal life common to Alaska are

abundant in the region.

All five species of Pacific salmon spawn in the Bristol Bay region, but

the most important is the red salmon; more red salmon spawn here than anywhere

else in the world. Almost the entire economic life of the region revolves

about catching and processing the salmon as they migrate toward the spawning

lakes.

The Bristol Bay area is not subject to severe annual fluctuations in temperature. Records show that January averages from 14° to 240 F and that July

averages reach the mid-fifties. Snowfall is moderate, and the average annual

precipitation is about 25 inches. The summers are cool and include many

cloudy days. Sudden severe storms may occur at any time, and high winds are

not uncommon. Drift ice begins forming in the bays by November and does not

clear for navigation until June.
8

HISTORY AND PRODUCTION

The first white man to make a systematic survey of the region was Captain

James Cook who entered the bay in 1778 and named it in honor of the Earl of

Bristol. Before and after Cook's visit, the Russians, expanding eastward from

Siberia, succeeded in establishing a fur trade in the bay area. After the

United States purchased Alaska in 1867, the first real interest in the region

by the Americans was in 1884 when an experimental cannery was established. By

1900, cannery operations were established on all the major rivers. During the

early 1900's,gold was sought in the region, but few promising prospects were

found. Placer gold has been mined from small operations in the Iliamna district at the head of Lake Iliamna. Several copper and a few lead prospects

were also explored in the area.4 Placer gold occurs in the Nushagak Hills,5

but no production has been recorded. A cinnabar deposit on Marsh Mountain6

near Aleknagik has been explored.

The only producing mining operation is at Platinum in the western extremity of the area examined. The history and geology of Platinum is well

described in several Geological Survey bulletins.7 The platinum placers were

discovered in 1926, and production on a moderate scale has continued since

dredging began in 1938.

The most promising recent mineral discovery in the Bristol Bay region was

made in the Nushagak River valley where more than 800 20-acre lode claims were

located on an iron deposit. The location of these claims, about 80 air miles

north of Dillingham, renewed mining interest in the region. The deposit was

indicated by an airborne magnetometer survey and proved by diamond drilling in

an area of no outcrops.

The beaches in the region were probably prospected in the early days, but

no substantial placer gold or platinum deposits were found. Gold was

4 Rutledge, F. A., and J. J. Mulligan. Investigation of the Millett Copper

Deposit, Iliamna Lake, Southwestern Alaska. BuMines Rept. of Inv. 4890,

1952, 22 pp.

Smith, P. S. The Lake Clark-Central Kuskokwim Region, Alaska. Geol. Survey

Bull. 655, 1917, 162 pp.

Warfield, R. S., and F. A. Rutledge. Investigation of Kasna Creek Copper

Prospect, Lake Kontrashibuna, Lake Clark Region, Alaska. BuMines Rept. of

Inv. 4828, 1951, 10 pp.

5Martin, G. C., and F. J. Katz. A Geologic Reconnaissance of the Iliamna

Region, Alaska. Geol. Survey Bull. 485, 1912, p. 131.

6Webber, Burr S., Stuart C. Bjorklund, Franklin A. Rutledge, Bruce I. Thomas,

and Wilfred S. Wright. Mercury Deposits in Southwestern Alaska. BuMines

Rept. of Inv. 4065, 1947, pp. 54-57.

7Brooks, A. H., and Others. Mineral Resources of Alaska, Report on Progress

of Investigations in 1919. Geol. Survey Bull. 714, 1921, pp. 207-228.

Mertie, J. B., Jr. Platinum Deposits of the Goodnews Bay District, Alaska.

Geol. Survey Bull. 910-B, 1939, pp. 115-145.

Mertie, J. B., Jr. The Goodnews Platinum Deposits, Alaska. Geol. Survey

Bull. 918, 1940, 97 pp.
9

discovered in beach sands of Togiak Bay in 1914,8 but there is no record of

production. Further interest in these deposits occurred in 1938, and a mild

stampede developed,9 but results were discouraging.

PROPERTY AND OWNERSHIP

Beach deposits in the Platinum and Hagemeister Strait areas have been

covered by placer claims in the past, but there were no known active claims

on beach deposits in the region in 1959. The descriptions of mining claims

held in the region are on file in the Commissioner's offices at Bethel,

Dillingham, Naknek, and Cold Bay.

GENERAL GEOLOGY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPOSITS

The geology of the Bristol Bay region has been described by Spurr,"0

Knappen, 1 1 Mertie,12 and others. The following discussion is a summary of the

geological information contained in the cited publications supplemented by

field observations by Bureau of Mines engineers.

The sands along the tidal zone in the western part of the region are

limited in extent and occur primarily as deposits derived from the effects of

classification by wave action on glaciofluvial material. Locally, strong

ocean currents are abrading, transporting, and redepositing the sands along

the coast as bars and spits. The sea washes alluvial cliffs and hard-rock

bluffs in the Platinum, Togiak Bay, and Nushagak areas.

The Nushagak and Kvichak Bays geographically divide the region. Shorelines of the two bays were not examined because aerial reconnaissance indicated the strand line deposits here to be principally silt, mud, and clay

bordered on the sea by extensive muddy tide flats. Bluffs of glaciofluvial

material occur up to 200 feet in height along the shore of Nushagak Bay; eastward toward Kvichak Bay, the bluffs are lower and gradually disappear.

The eastern part of the region is a geographic and geologic unit. The

lands are low lying and continue inland with very little relief to the mountains of the Aleutian Range. Evidence of glaciation is apparent intermittently along the entire north shore; between the head of Bristol Bay and

Moffet Bay, low sea cliffs of glacial drift are being attacked by the sea.

The north shore of the peninsula is broken by several large bays characterized by extensive sand and gravel spits, sand reefs, offshore bars, and small

8Brooks, A. H., and others. Mineral Resources of Alaska, Report on Progress

of Investigations in 1914. Geol. Survey Bull. 622, 1915, pp. 357-358.

9Smith, P. S. Mineral Industry of Alaska in 1938. Geol. Survey Bull. 917-A,

1939, p. 62.

°

0Spurr, J. E. A Reconnaissance of Southwestern Alaska in 1898. Geol. Survey

20th Ann. Rept., pt. 7, pp. 31-264.

'Knappen, R. S. Geology and Mineral Resources of the Aniakchak District.

Geol. Survey Bull. 797, 1926, pp. 161-223.

12 Mertie, J. B., Jr. The Nushagak District, Alaska. Geol. Survey Bull. 903,

1938, 91 pp.
10

islands. The waters of Bristol Bay are shallow, and the waves strike bottom

long before reaching shore. Instead of doing much erosional work, the waves,

undertow, and offshore currents are actively depositing and shifting the beach

materials. Extensive sand dunes are also present along the entire coastline.

The Recent beach and aeolian deposits were those sampled during the

investigation.

WORK BY THE BUREAU OF MINES

Field Investigations

The objective of the Bureau of Mines work was to do the minimum amount of

sampling necessary to determine if heavy minerals were present in sufficient

amount to justify more detailed investigation of selected areas. The work

consisted of spot sampling the beach sands with auger borings or shovel samples; the samples were pan-concentrated in the field, then analyzed physically

and chemically in the laboratory.

The program in the Bristol Bay region began June 5, 1958, recessed from

August 28, 1958 to May 25, 1959, and was completed on July 20, 1959. During

the field investigations, 220 auger holes were drilled by hand in key areas

along approximately 220 miles of coastline. Test holes were spaced at intervals of 1 mile or less along the sand beaches; a total of 65 shovel samples

was collected to supplement the auger test holes. All the travel between

drill holes was on foot; sampling equipment and supplies were backpacked.

Laboratory Investigations

Samples containing appreciable amounts of heavy minerals were treated in

the laboratory as shown by the following flowsheet:

|Screening]|

Tbe | aved

|Concen rct

I E~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | Magnetic e Raiorogr eAic ran enalysis ve separation |examinato eU %

IPul p saved

|Magnetic | onmagnetic|

|fraction || fraction

|Analyses A AcYse| a 

I i ron % oz l/ pIatoin mI

NOTE: eU = Radiometric uranium equivalent,
The samples were weighed upon receipt at the laboratory. The screen,

table, and magnetic separation products were weighed; acid soluble iron,

equivalent TiO2 and eU (radiometric uranium equivalent) analyses were completed. Petrographic examinations were made of the table concentrates to

determine the mineral constituents.

Those samples that contained insufficient heavy mineral to justify table

treatment were screened, and petrographic, acid soluble iron, and eU analyses

were completed on the minus 10-mesh fraction. In most samples, petrographic

analyses indicated too little titanium-bearing mineral to justify further

analyses.

Gold and platinum analyses were made on samples in which more than traces

of these metals had been observed during field concentration. Mineral constituents estimated to comprise more than 10 percent of the petrographic sample were recorded as major amounts. Minerals estimated to comprise between 1

and 10 percent were recorded as minor amounts, and those minerals comprising

less than 1 percent were recorded as trace amounts. Screen oversize products

(plus 10-mesh) were subjected to cursory petrographic analyses; no ore minerals were detected.

Sampling Methods and Equipment

Frequent moves along the coast required the selection of light and easily

portable sampling equipment which would extract fairly representative samples

from semicompacted beach sands. At all places it was necessary to backpack

equipment between boring sites, but moves from area to area were made by small

airplane.

During previous investigations by the Bureau of Mines13 tests were conducted with various types of hand-operated soil-testing equipment; an Iwan

(post-hole) auger was selected as best suited for the spot-sampling program.

Hole depths of as much as 27 feet were obtained with a 3-inch Iwan auger in

semicompacted beach sands. With caution, a fairly uniform open hole (without

casing) can be bored and sampled to this depth within a period of 1-1/2 hours.

The Iwan auger cannot be used to obtain accurate representative samples of

coarse gravel, or from dry, loose or water-saturated sand, although roughly

indicative samples of these materials may usually be obtained.

A water-volume-measurement method was developed to accurately measure the

in-place volume of the sample taken. Field tests proved that 24-inch-circumference 0.002-gage polyethylene tubing inserted in the auger hole and waterfilled provided an accurate measurement of the sample volume. The overall

elapsed time to perform the measurement ranged from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on hole depth, availability of water, and other physical conditions. The

method was developed because the 3-inch auger hole has an irregular cross section owing to sloughing which prohibits a calculation of the in-place volume.

The wide range of particle size found in the different holes caused inaccuracies in applying a fixed-expansion factor to a measured volume loose. The

13Work cited in footnote 2.
12

24-inch-circumference tubing will work in 3-inch-diameter auger holes having a

maximum depth of 20 feet and in which sloughing has occurred up to 2-1/2 times

the diameter of the auger. The method consisted of tying a knot at one end of

a precut length of the polyethylene plastic tubing, placing a cupful of water

into the tube, and dropping the weighted tube to the bottom of the hole. The

tube, acting as a containing element, was filled with a measured amount of

water. The method was used only during the investigation of deposits at Port

Heiden and southward along the Alaska Peninsula. Water measurements were made

in selected auger holes within individual areas to determine an average expansion factor for the area, or when the quantity of contained heavy mineral,

indicated by field concentration, justified the close check of the hole volume.

The percentage of heavy mineral recovered in the pan concentrate was

determined by the panning efficiency of the sampler and by his judgment in

selecting the correct panning end point; the desired end point was 100 percent

recovery of all minerals having a specific gravity of 3.3 or more. During

investigation of a beach deposit on the Gulf of Alaska, laboratory analyses

of pan concentrates and pan tailings indicated that pan concentration recovered about 90 percent of the total acid soluble iron and about 77 percent of

the total titania in samples containing about 180 pounds of these metals per

cubic yard.

A light, compact, and readily portable bore-sampling kit consisting of

the items listed in table 1 was used during the field investigations.

TABLE 1. - Bore-sampling equipment

Description Quantity Size

Iwan auger .................. 1 3 in

Aluminum pipe with coupling . ... 6 . ...... 1 in by 5 ft

Pipe coupling ............................... 5 1 in

Pipe wrenches . . 2 14 in

Pipe die nut . . 1 1 in

Tee handle for auger . . 1

Gold pans ................... 3 16 in

Washtub, galvanized .............. 1 No. 2

Graduated water container . .......... 1 0.05 cu ft

Continuous roll 24-in circumference,

0.002-gage polyethylene tubing . ...... 2 300 ft

Bore-hole records show the location, depth of hole, and material at the

bottom of the hole. Most of the holes penetrated sand and bottomed in watersaturated sand or loose gravel. The boring from each hole was measured loose

in a gold pan and then was reduced to a rough concentrate by panning. The

rough concentrate was shipped to the Bureau of Mines laboratory at Juneau for

additional concentration and analyses.

A few shovel samples were taken from natural concentrations of black

sands; they were not concentrated in the field but were shipped as bulk samples to the laboratory. Shovel samples were also substituted for auger holes

where boulders or coarse gravel made auger sampling impractical.
13

Calculation of Sampling Results

The auger holes were not of uniform diameters because of sloughing from

the walls; therefore, a volume computed by using the diameter of the auger and

depth of hole is considered unsatisfactory. The measured volume loose (pan

count times volume per pan) of the boring was used instead to determine the

approximate in-place volume. Field measurements indicated that beach sand had

a swell factor of about 1.48; the in-place volume of samples 1 through 179

(taken during the 1958 field season) was computed using this swell factor.

During the 1959 field season, the in-place volumes of several samples

within individual areas were obtained by water-volume measurement. An averageexpansion factor was then calculated for each area, and the in-place volumes

for the remaining samples were computed; individual area swell factors varied

from 1.30 to 1.39. Contained metals were calculated to pounds per in-place

cubic yard.

Areas Investigated

Platinum

Except for sandy gravel spits on Goodnews and Chagvan Bays, beach deposits in the Platinum area are shallow and narrow, consisting essentially of a

thin, sandy gravel veneer overlying coarser alluvial material. The sea is

attacking bedrock at the base of Red Mountain. Here, for about 1-1/4 miles,

the beach is strewn with large boulders embedded in loose sand and gravel.

Access to the beach deposits south of Platinum (fig. 3) is obtained by using

a four-wheel-drive vehicle and on foot. Those deposits north of Platinum are

reached using an outboard-motor-driven boat.

Twenty-four auger-hole and twenty-three shovel samples were taken between

the north spit of Goodnews Bay and Chagvan Bay. Select shovel samples (24 and

34) of thin-sand veneers representing only a few cubic yards of material were

taken to indicate the maximum gold-platinum potential. The absence of yardage

containing notable heavy minerals indicated detailed physical and chemical

analysis of all samples would not be justified. Samples selected from natural

surface concentrations, where found throughout the area, were composited and

pan-concentrated; the concentration contained 33.8 percent acid soluble Fe,

12.1 percent Cr2 0 , no eU, and less than 0.02 troy ounces per ton of Pt, Au,

and Ag; petrographic analysis detected only those minerals found in the augerhole and shovel samples. The mineral constituents of pan concentrates are

shown in table 2. A summary of sampling results is shown in table 3.
14

0 IC no GoodneXs

33t p t' M 3~~~~~ y a'\ 

3 2 6 - < < L N D E G E \N)rthaSpit 5 1 0~~~~

402 \ 0 Md.i 

FIGURE~~~~~~22, 3. N 55055 - Pltnm ~ dpe romGoogclSrvymp Shovel Sample a 5 4 cam

Dril cole in Mie

FIGUR ampe 3.-Paiu.AatdfomGooiauvymp
15

TABLE 2. - Petrographic analyses of pan concentrates from the Platinum area

Mineral _ Sample

constituent' 1 2 3 4 5 61718 9 10 i11 12 13 114 |15 16 17

Magnetite ......... 1 1 1 2 3 3 33 3 - 2 1 1 1 1 1

Chromite .......... 1 1 1 2 3 - - - 3 - - 2 1 1 1 1 1

Zircon ............. 2 32 3 - 3 - 3 3 - 3 3 3

Garnet ............. 3 3 2 3 3 - - - 3 - - 2 2 2 3 3 -

Limonite . ....... 3 3- - - - - - - - - - 2 2 2 2 2

Staurolite ........ - - - - - - - .... - - _ 3 - - 3 - -

Augite............. 2 22 2 3 - - - 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2

Epidote ............ 3 3 2 3 3 - - - - 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 3

Hypersthene .. 2 21 1 2 -- 2 3 2 - 1 1 2 2 3 2

Hornblende .. 3 32 3 3-- 2 3 3 - 3 3 2 2 2 -

Olivine . ........ 2 3 2 2 3 3- - - - - 1 1 1 1 2 2

Chlorite ........... 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1

Feldspar ......s a ... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

Quartz ............. 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 111 1 1

- -- - - ~Sample...

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Magnetite . ...... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1

Chromite . . 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1

Zircon ............. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet ............ 3 3 - 3 3 - 3 3 3 - - 3 3 3 3

Limonite . . _ 3 3 - - 3 3 - - 2 2 - - 3 3

Staurolite ......... - - - - 3 - - - 3 - - -

Augite ............. 1 1 2 2 2 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1

Epidote .. 2 - - 3 - 3 3 3 - - - 3 3 3 1

Hypersthene........ 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 2

Hornblende . ...... 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 3 3

Olivine . ....... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 3

Chlorite . ....... 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 3 3

Feldspar . ....... 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Quartz ..... . .. 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1| 2 2 2

Sample

33 341 35 36 137 1 38 39 140 41 142 143 441 5 4647

Magnetite .......... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - - - - 2

Chromite . .......... 1I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2

Zircon ............ . 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet . ....... 2 - 3 2 - 3 3 3 2 - 3 - - - -

Limonite ........... - - 3 3 - - - 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3

Staurolite ......... - _ - _ _ - _ _ - _ - - - - _

Augite . ...... 1 1 1 1 3 2 2 1 3 2 2 1 1 2 2

Epidote ............ - 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 - - 3 - -

Hypersthene .. 1 3 2 2 1 3 3 1 1 - - - - - -

Hornblende ......... 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 1

Olivine . ........ 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1

Chlorite . ....... 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 2 3 - - - - - -

Feldspar . ....... 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 3 - - - -

Quartz . ........ 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2| 2 |3 - - |3

11 = major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and - = not detected.
16

TABLE 3. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the Platinum area

Total Material at Adjusted measured Iron, pounds Gold FPlatinum

Sample depth bottom of volume loose, per cu yd Troy oz

in feet hole cu yd in-place per cu yd 1.... (1) - 0.010 6.1 (2) (4)

2.... 4.4 Gravel .. 014 1.5 (2) (3)

3.... 3.2 do .014 5.5 (2) (4)

4.... 2.9 do .014 1.3 (4) (4)

5.... (1) - .010 3.2 (4) (4)

6.... (l) - .005 (2) (4) (4)

7... (1) .005 (2) (4) (4)

8.... (1) - .005 (2) (4) (4)

9.... (1) - .005 (2) (4) (4)

10 .... (1) .005 (2) (4) (4)

11 .... (1) - .005 (2) (4) (4)

12 .... (1) - .010 2.2 (2) (4)

13 .... 5.8 Gravel . .. 014 2.4 (2) (4)

14 .... 4.0 do .019 3.6 (2) (3)

15 .... 2.7 do .014 1.6 (2) (4)

16 .... 3.7 do .018 8.6 (2) (4)

17 .... 2.3 Water and gravel .007 4.2 (2) 0.0008

18 .... 1.9 Gravel . .. 007 23.0 (2) (2)

19 .... 2.2 do .005 13.3 (4) (4)

20 .... 2.7 do .008 10.2 (2) (2)

21 .... 2.2 do .009 8.0 (2) (2)

22 .... 3.2 Water and gravel .008 38.4 (2) (2)

23 .... 2.2 Gravel. .006 5.6 (3) (2)

24 .... (1) - .010 21.3 (2) .0178

25.... (1) - .010 8.4 (2) (2)

26.... (1) - .010 12.8 (2) (2)

27.... (1) - .010 8.3 (2) (2)

28.... (l) - .010 3.5 (2) (2)

29 .... (l) - .010 3.4 (4) (4)

30 .... 5.7 Mud .013 6.4 (2) (2)

31 .... 7.5 Gravel .035 19.4 (2) (2)

32 .... 2.3 do .005 3.6 (2) .0023

33 .... 2.7 do .006 10.8 (2) (2)

34 .... (l) - .010 11.6 0.0736 .0573

35 .... () - .010 22.2 (2) (2)

36 .... 3.7 Gravel ........... 019 20.9 (2) (2)

37 .... 6.8 Water and gravel .019 8.5 (2) (2)

38 .... 2.2 do .010 13.2 (2) (2)

39 .... 7.3 do .027 4.2 (2) (2)

40 .... 3.6 Gravel . .. 016 30.7 (2) (2)

41.... 2.7 do .007 7.4 (2) (2)

42 .... (1) - .024 3.9 (2) (2)

43 .... (1) - .024 (2) (2) (2)

44 .... (1) - .024 (2) (2) (2)

45 .... (l) - .024 (2) (2) (2)

46 .... (1) - .014 (2) (2) (2)

47 .... I( 1 .014 (2 (2 (2

'Shovel sample. 2 Trace. 3None. 4 No assay.
17

Hagemeister Strait

The beaches of the Hagemeister Strait area (fig. 4) are coarse gravel

intermittently overlain by thin sand veneers; west of Asigyukpak Spit and east

of Estus Point, the sea is attacking bedrock bluffs. The spit at the mouth of

the Osviak River is the only extensive sand deposit in the area; black sands

occurred in only trace amounts.

The area is accessible by means of small aircraft or boat. The beaches

are generally unsuited for use as bush-plane fields; however, skilled pilots

testing the beach in near-landing flight usually find a beach sufficiently

packed for safe landing. There are no inhabitants in the area. Traveling

this section of the coast on foot necessitates fording the tidal estuary at

the mouth of the Osviak River. This estuary may be forded at low tide without too much difficulty.

A total of 13 auger-hole samples and 7 shovel samples was taken as shown.

The mineral constituents of pan concentrates are shown in table 4. A summary

of sampling results is shown in table 5. Trace quantities of flour gold were

noted in most samples west of Asigyukpak Spit. Outcrops consisted of green

schists, greenstone, and altered andesites, pyroxenites, and basalts.

TABLE 4. - Petrographic analyses of pan concentrates from

the Hagemeister Strait area

Mineral Sample

constituent 4849 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 5859160161 62 63 64 65 66 67

Magnetite ........ 3 1 3 2 2 2 2 1 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 3

Ilmenite . ..... - - - - - .- - - - - - - - 3 - - 3 - 3 -

Chromite............ - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - 3 - - - -

Zircon ........... _ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 3 3 - 3 - - 3 -

Garnet .......... _ 3 33333 3 3 3 - 3 - - - -

Limonite ......... - - - - ... - - - - - - 3 3 - - - - 2 - -

Augite ........... 1 2 2 2 1 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 -

Epidote .......... 3 2 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 3 2 2 2 2 - 2 1

Hypersthene ...... 1 2 3 1 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 3 2 1

Hornblende ....... 3 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 -

Olivine .......... 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 - 2 -

Chlorite ......... 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 2 3 3 2 2 3 2 2 1

Feldspar ....... a.. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 2

Quartz .......... . 1 2 3 3 2 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 - 2 2

11 = major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and - = not detected.
18

/y r, O X O I W0 V~ 

/ Osviak(aband)

4 1 /e 00>. ban'd/< Estus Point

_V 'lk ) A f0: , / 6

( / 6 ~~~~~0 Q (~~~~0(

t l t~~~~5 57 Aj R 5'$°- t a /- A 4 <,/54~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/

) Gt ob9° zz9~~~~53

/ cS g ~~~~~~L EGEN D

t eme <nzooc./5~~~~2 Drill hole o

> < 9 g ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shovel sample o

/ // °r~~~~~~~~~ 1 2 3 4

> <vo % zC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scale in Miles

Slug_ - - J

Mt \ J - Pyrite Point

,49

48

FIGURE 4. -Hagemeister Strait. Adopted from Geological Survey map.
19

TABLE 5. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from

the Hagemeister Strait area

Total Adjusted Iron| eU Gold,

Sample depth Material at measured Pounds troy

in feet bottom of volume loose, per cu yd oz per

hole cu yd in-place cu yd

4 ...... 8 ........ (1) - 0.010 1.8 (3) (4 )

49 ..............7.9 Gravel . .. 018 6.1 (3) (2)

50 .... 0........... 6.0 Water and gravel .015 .9 (3) (2)

51 .............. (1) - .010 3.8 (3) (2)

5 ....2 ).... .010 4.0 (3) (2)

53 ....... . () .010 7.3 (2 ) (2 )

54 .... o.oo....... 2.9 Water and gravel .008 2.7 (3) (2)

55 ............. 5.8 Gravel. .014 2.5 (3) (2)

56 ............... 4.4 do...... .010 2.9 (3) (4)

57 . ....... o...... 4.9 do. .014 .5 (3) (4)

58............. 3.4 do .014 .5 (3) (2)

59 ............ 2.4 do .011 .8 (2) (4)

60 . .............. 3.7 do .008 3.0 (3) (4)

61 .............. (1) - .010 1.9 (3) (4)

62 ...... ........ 3.8 Water and gravel .010 1.9 (3) (4)

63 ............. . 11.4 Water and sand .029 .9 (3) (4)

64 .............. . 13.6 Gravel. .032 1.0 (3) (4)

65 ............ . . (1) - .010 1.4 (3) (4)

66 .......... . 5.2 ..... Water and gravel .014 1.2 (3) (4)

67 .............. . (1) .010 .8 (3) (4

1 Shovel sample. 2Trace. 3None. 4No assay.

Hagemeister Strait-Togiak Bay

The beaches of the Hagemeister Strait-Togiak Bay area (figs. 5 and 6) are

similar to those found in the southwestern Hagemeister Strait area (fig. 4).

On Tongue Point coarse gravel is overlain by thin sand veneers. Elsewhere the

sea is eroding bedrock and alluvial bluffs. In places beneath the bluffs,

either no beach exists or it is composed of large boulders embedded in a sandy

gravel matrix.

The Hagemeister Strait-Togiak Bay area (figs. 5 and 6) is accessible by

small aircraft or boat. An airstrip at Togiak, the only one in the area, is

suitable for use by small bush planes. The beaches near Tongue Point are

suited for small-plane landings. The strand line cannot be traversed on foot

because sheer shoreline bluffs occur, particularly adjacent to Aeolus

Mountain.

Petrographic examination of bedrock outcrop specimens taken along the

shoreline (figs. 5 and 6) indicated that the predominant rock types were andesite and altered basalt. Fifteen auger hole samples and eleven shovel samples

were taken in the area. Petrographic analyses of the pan concentrates are

given in table 6. A summary of sampling results is shown in table 7.
4,)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~N

040~~~~~~~~~

71 Beach deposit width

Aeolus x

LEGEND 7 5

Drill hole

Shovel sample )

0 1 2 3 4 6 5

Scale in Miles o

GE ME I S T E R

S T R A IT 0

Tongue Point

FIGURE 5. - Hagemeister Strait-Togiak Bay. Adapted from Geological Survey map.
21

\ \ ~~~~~~Beach deposit w i t d i'/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

t I'/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I\~~~~~~~~~9

y~~~~~~~~~~ 90 0~~~~~~~~~~

a,/ 99

_St''/ + t ~~~~~~~~N 5 9 ° °°'-

Drill holeI e

° ShovelI sample 0 0~~9

(P

- 9 1 2

t ~~~~Scale in Miles

FG E6 Tgk a. dpdrm eli lS vy a

FIGRE . -Togak ay.Adatedfro GelogcalSurey4ap
22

Small quantities of flour gold were in the pan concentrates of samples

77, 81, and 86. Sample 86 represents a thin veneer of sands concentrated

below a 40-foot bluff of glaciofluvial material that was the source of flour

gold. Several old hand-dug surface trenches were noted on Tongue Point.

TABLE 6. - Petrographic analyses of pan concentrates from

the Hagemeister Strait-Togiak Bay area

Mineral Sq le

constituent' 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

Magnetite .3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Titaniferous magnetite - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Zircon ................... - - - 3 - 3 3 3 - - - - -

Garnet ................... - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Limonite ................. 3 - - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - -

Pyroxene ................. 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 3

Epidote .................. 2 3 2 3 - 3 - - - 3 3 3 -

Hornblende . . _ 3 - 3 3 3 3 - - 3 3 - 3

Olivine ................... 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 3

Biotite . . ..- - - - - - - - 3 - - -

Chlorite ................. 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 3

Feldspar ............ .1 ...1 1 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 2 3 2

Quartz .............. .2 ... 2 2 3 3 2 3 2 2 3 2 2 3

Rock fragments ........... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

-- Sa2le

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93

Magnetite ... ......- - - - - - 3 3 - 3 3 3

Titaniferous magnetite . 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 - - 2 - - -

Zircon.n .. ..- - - 3 3 3 - - - - - -

Garnet ......... ......... - - - - 3 - - - - 3 - - -

Limonite . . . _ 3 - 3 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Pyroxene . ......... 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3

Epidote . . - - - - 3 3 - - - - - - -

Hornblende . . 3 - 3 3 3 3 - 3 - 3 3 3 3

Olivine . .......... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3

Biotite . . . ..- - - - - - 3 - - 3 3 3

Chlorite . . 3 - 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Feldspar . ......... 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2

Quartz . .......... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Rock fragments . ...... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

= major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and - not detected.
23

TABLE 7. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from the

Hagemeister Strait-Togiak Bay area

Total Material at Adjusted measured Iron eU

Sample depth bottom of volume loose, Pounds per cu yd

in feet hole cu yd in-place

68 . ........... (1) 0.010 1.0 (2)

69 . ........... (1) .010 1.2 (2)

70 ....... () .010 1.4 (2)

71 . ....... .010 1.8 (3)

72 ............ () .010 1.3 (3)

73 ............ 2.4 Gravel... .007 2.9 (2)

74 ........... 3.0 do ....... .008 2.6 (2)

75 ............ 3.7 do .010 2.1 (2)

76 . ....... 3.2 do .010 2.0 0.001

77 . ....... 7.8 Water and gravel .047 1.0 (2)

78 . ....... 3.0 Gravel .010 1.8 (3)

79 ............ 2.0 do. .005 3.0 .001

80 . ........... 1.9 do .004 3.6 (2)

81 ............ 5.7 do .018 2.2 (2)

82 . ....... 4.2 do .034 .3 (2)

83 . ........... (1) - .014 1.8 .001

84 ............ (l ) - .010 1.8 (2)

85 . ........... (1) - .010 4.4 (2)

86 . ........... (1) - .010 4.6 .001

87 . ........... (1) - .014 1.3 (2)

88 . ........... (1) - .014 1.9 (2)

89 . ........... 4.1 Gravel .014 1.9 (2)

90 . ........... 5.9 do .022 1.2 (3)

91 . ........... 5.5 do. .013 2.1 (2)

92 ............ 4.4 do .014 2.2 (3)

93 . ........... 1.9 do .005 5.1 (2)

'Shovel sample. 2 None. Trace.

Nushagak Peninsula

The Nushagak Peninsula (figs. 7 and 8) is a large low-lying mass of alluvial material extending south from the Wood River Mountain foothills into

Bristol Bay. The southern limit of bedrock crops out near Tvativak Bay; no

bedrock outcrops are known to occur on the peninsula. The sea is eroding the

peninsula south of Kikertalik Lake; here, narrow sandy gravel beaches lie

beneath 20- to 40-foot bluffs of mud and silt. North of Kikertalik Lake

Recent sand and gravel beaches occur a mile in width.

The Nushagak Peninsula is a primitive uninhabited area accessible by air

or boat from Dillingham. The beaches are suitable for bush-plane landings;

those north of Kikertalik Lake could be used by DC-3 or equivalent planes.

The beach area shown was sampled with 41 auger holes and 3 shovel samples.

Samples 104 through 108 and 112 through 118 were made to determine the heavy

mineral content of older beaches running parallel to the present strand line.

Petrographic examinations of pan concentrates are shown in table 8. A summary

of sampling results is shown in table 9. Analyses of eU in percentage were

negative in all samples.
24

94

each depsi wi d t h

100

10 t X

lop s-o B R I S T 0 L 102

1 3 -108

(-I)

09

z

I110

LEGEND II-I8 cn

Drill ho Ie Q

0 I 2 3

Scale in Miles 119

120 Z

121

FIGURE 7. - Nushagak Peninsula (Samples 94-121). Adapted from

Geological Survey map.
25

122

123

Kkertoli

Lae

124'4

4;/ 125,

U)

126 z

129 a_

B R I S T 0 L

Beach deposit width

B A Y 130A

131

132' <

0

133 <

134 °

0

LEGEND 0

Drill hole A 13 5 Z)

Shovel sample 0 D

136 /58. z Z

0 1 2 3 137

Scale In Miles

FIGURE 8. - Nushagak Peninsula (Samples 122-137). Adapted from

Geological Survey map.
26

TABLE 8. - Petrographic analyses of pan concentrates from

the Nushagak Peninsula area

Mineral _ Sample

constituent' 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 1101 102 103 104 105 106

Magnetite . . _ 3 3 3 2 - - - - - - - -

Titaniferous

magnetite ....... 3 - - - - 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 3

Franklinite ....... - 3 - - - - - - - - - - -

Ilmenite . . - - - - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Zircon . ....... 3 3 - - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet . . _ 3 - 3 3 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 -

Pyroxene . ...... 2 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Sphene............. - - 3 3 - 3 3 - 3 - 3 -

Epidote ........... _ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 -

Hornblende ........ _ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 -

Olivine ........... - - - - 3 2 3 3 3 - - 3 -

Chlorite .......... 3 - 3 - - - 3 - - - 3 3 -

Feldspar .......... 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Quartz ............ 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1

Rock fragments .... I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

_ _ ~~Sam le

107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118

Magnetite ......... - - - - - - - - - - - -

Titaniferous

magnetite ....... 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2

Franklinite ....... . .- - - - - - - 3 3 3 3

Ilmenite .......... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Zircon ............ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet ............ - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Pyroxene .......... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2

Sphene............ 3 3 - 3 - - - - 3 - - 3

Epidote ........... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Hornblende ........ 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Olivine ........... 3 3 3 3 3 3 - - - - - -

Chlorite .......... - - - - - - - - - 3 - -

Feldspar .......... 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2

Quartz ............ 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1

Rock fragments .... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

11 = major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and - = not detected.
27

TABLE 8. - Petrographic analyses of pan concentrates from

the Nushagak Peninsula area (Con.)

Mineral Sami)le

constituent' 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128

Magnetite., .................- - - - - - - 3 3 3

Titaniferous magnetite..... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Franklinite ................ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Ilmenite . . ...... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Zircon . ....... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet . ....... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Pyroxene . .. ..... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Sphene.... . . - - - - - - - 3 - -

Epidote . . ..... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Hornblende . ..... 3 3 - 3 3 3 - - 3 3

Olivine ............ 3 - 3 - 3 3 _ - - 3

Chlorite ............ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Feldspar ......... . . 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Quartz .......... . . 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Rock fragments . . ..... 1..I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

SamiI le --

129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137

Magnetite ........... 3 3 - - - - - - -

Titaniferous magnetite..... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Franklinite ................ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Ilmenite ............. ... 3 3 . .. 2 3 3 3 3 3 3

Zircon . . ............. . 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet . . ................... 3 3 3 3 3 3

Pyroxene .... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Sphene. . ................... - 3 - - - - - -

Epidote ... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Hornblende ...... . . 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 3 3

Olivine ... . . . - - - - 3 3 3 3 3

Chlorite ........ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Feldspar ... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Quartz .... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1

Rock fragments ........... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

11= major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and- = not detected.

TABLE 9. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from

the Nushagak Peninsula area

Total Material at Adjusted measured Iron, pounds

Sample depth bottom of volume loose, per cu yd

in feet hole cu yd in-place

94 .1.0 Gravel . ........ . 0.005 2.9

95 3.1 Water and sand ...... 005 .6

96 .2.1 do .......... .004 2.6

97 ... 5.1 do ............ .011 .9

98 ...... .... 4.7 do ......... . .010 2.5

1Shovel sample.
28

TABLE 9. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from

the Nushagak Peninsula area (Con.)

Total Material at Adjusted measured Iron, pounds Sample depth bottom of volume loose, per cu yd in feet hole cu yd in-place

99 .5.7 Water andsand ...... 0.013 3.9

100 .4.8 Gravel.............o .014 1.8

101. 5.4 do ........... .019 1.7

102 .6.0 do... ........ .014 2.6

103 .8.7 do ... ......022 1.8

104.o.. . 6. 68 do ........... .019 2.2

105 .4.2 do ......... . 010 3.3

106 . . .. 2.0 do ....... * .o.. * .005 3.0

107 .2.8 Water and sand...... .005 7.3

108 .5.2 Water and gravel ... .010 2.3

109 .13.8 Gravel ......... o .043 1.3

110 .14.0 do ........ oo. .043 1.3

111 .6.8 do ... .014 3.0

112. 10.8 do ... . ........ 014 3.4

113 .5.9 do ........... .014 2.5

114. 9.6 Water and sand ...... .022 5.0

115 .6.5 do . .... .016 2.8

116. 5.5 do ........... .013 4.2

117 .3.6 do ........... .006 4.6

118 .1.7 Frost and sand ..... .003 5.1

119. 13.8 Gravel .....-..-. 031 2.6

120 .12.0 do .......... .028 2.5

121. 13.5 do .... ......034 1.8

122. 12.9 Water and sand ...... .030 1.2

123 11.0 Gravel ... .026 3.2

124 .10.6 do ....... o. .029 2.7

125. 5.6 Silt ................ .010 1.6

126 9.1 Gravel ... .023 3.6

127. ... . 13.6 do .... . ....... 041 2.3

128 10.6 do ......... o. .038 2.4

129. 7.5 do . .... .029 2.1

130 6.9 do ........... .028 2.8

131. (1) .014 3.2

132.(l).o.. .... (1) .014 2.8

133 .2.8 Mud....._....... oo. .007 7.2

134. 4.9 Gravel .......... o. .014 11.9

135-.o-oo 5.0 do ........ o. .019 3.0

136.. .. 3.1 do ........ ...008 5.4

137. ( ....) o __________________ .005 16.7

'Shovel sample.

Egegik

In the Egegik area, (fig. 9) between Egegik Bay and the place where sample 149 was obtained, Recent sand and gravel beaches occur from 100 yards to a

mile in width. Along the wider beach a series of semicontinuous sand dunes
29

B R I S T 0 L 1 v8

139

140 @5

1412

1 57

144

14 5 each d eposit idt 9

163

14 6 Q164

147 C

148 LEGEND

Drill hole Q

Shovel sample 0

USC a GS triangulation

station A

149 0

0 - 3 3

150 Scale in Miles

FIGURE 9.- Egegik. Adapted from GeologiCal Survey map.
30

parallel the strand line. The present beach is sandy, usually hard-packed, and may be used as bush plane fields. Small aircraft or boats are used for

access.

A total of 26 auger samples and 1 shovel sample was taken. The mineral constituents of the table concentrates from these samples are shown in table 10. A summary of sampling results is shown in table 11. During aerial recon- naissance considerable black sand was observed along the strand line. Samples taken as shown along the shore are indicative of the extent of surf and aeo- lian concentration. Within a small area near where sample 140 was found, surface concentrations of black sand were up to 2 feet in thickness. Auger holes drilled on older beach lines inland did not intersect the classified heavy mineral stringers that were found on the outer beach. Traces of flour gold were noted in the pan concentrates of samples 142, 144, 146, and 156.

TABLE 10. - Petrographic analyses of table concentrates

from the Egegik area

Mineral Sample

constituent' 138 i~qT1__4 141 1421143 1441 14 146 147 148 149 150 151 Titaniferous magnetite l 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Hematite .............. 3 - 3 - - - 2 2 2 - 2 3 3 - Ilmenite .............. 2 2 1 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 - 3 Zircon ................ 3 - - - - - - 3 3 3 - - 3 3 Garnet ................ 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 Pyroxene .............. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Sphene................ - 3 - - - 3 - - 3 3 3 - - Epidote ........ 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 3 - Hornblende ........ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - - 3 3 3 3 - Olivine ..o. .... 3 3 3 - 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 3 Chlorite ........- - - - - 3 - - - - - - 3 - Feldspar .............. 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 2 -Sample

152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163164 Titaniferous magnetite 1 1 1 1 1 111 1 1 1 1 2 Hematite .............. - 3 - - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 Ilmenite ............. 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 3 2 3 Zircon . . - - - - - - - _3 - 3 - 3 Garnet ........ 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 Pyroxene ........ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Sphene............... - - - - - - - - 3 3 - 3 - Epidote ........ 3 3 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 - 3 - 3 Hornblende .... ... - 3 3 3 - 3 3 3 3 - 3 3 - Olivine ........ - 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Chlorite .. ...... - 3 _ - - - - - 3 - - - - Feldspar ... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2

11 = major constituent; 2 small amount; 3 = trace; and - = not detected.
31

TABLE 11. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from

the Egegik area

Total Material at Adjusted Magnetic Nonmagnetic

Sample depth bottom of measured fraction fraction

in feet hole volume loose, Iron | TiO2 TiO2

cu yd Pounds per cu yd in-place

138 ..... 3.4 Gravel . .... 0.014 5.6 1.4 0.9

139 ..... 6.6 do ....... .027 8.3 1.9 1.0

140 ..... 7.2 Water and sand.. .014 245.7 53.2 19.2

141 ..... 9.4 do ....... .044 21.0 4.8 2.1

142..... 9.4 do ....... .025 66.4 13.8 6.4

143 ..... 8.6 Gravel .......... .029 12.0 2.6 1.6

144..... 5.3 Water and sand.. .012 25.8 5.9 3.0

145 ..... 8.9 Gravel...... .023 17.0 4.0 1.9

146 .13.0 Water and gravel .028 19.5 4.4 2.1

147 4.1 Gravel. .012 36.4 8.0 3.8

148..... 5.1 Water and mud ... .010 83.3 19.4 8.2

149 ..... 3.6 Water and sand.. .007 68.1 14.5 6.4

150 ..... (1) .010 7.7 1.8 1.8

151 ..... 1.7 Gravel . .... .010 5.7 1.4 .6

152 ..... 5.0 do ....... .015 18.4 4.4 2.4

153 ..... 9.5 do ....... .033 20.6 4.9 2.6

154 . 5.6 do ....... .023 13.0 3.0 1.4

155 . 9.3 do ....... .029 7.1 1.7 1.0

156 ..... 7.3 do ....... .019 21.0 4.7 2.5

157 ..... 6.8 do ....... .020 4.7 1.1 .8

158 ..... 6.5 do ....... .024 4.3 1.0 .6

159 ..... 4.7 do ....... .012 11.6 2.7 1.5

160 ..... 7.0 do ....... .017 10.0 2.4 1.4

161 ..... 4.4 do ....... .010 51.8 11.0 5.8

162 ..... 9.3 Water and sand.. .029 21.3 4.6 1.8

163 ..... 11.6 do ....... .032 13.4 3.2 1.5

164 ..... 2.6 Gravel . .... . .010 5.4 1.3 1.0

1 Shovel sample.

Cinder River

The Cinder River (fig. 10) beach deposits are generally narrow and border

low, muddy cutbanks. Narrow spits have developed along the outer shores of

mudflats. Black-sand deposits observed along the strand line during aerial

reconnaissance were found to be thin veneers of surf-concentrated magnetite

sands. Abundant pyroxene gave the sands a black cast, which from the air

indicated more magnetite than was found in sampling. The coastline south of

Cinder River is reached by small bush planes landing on the hard-packed

sandy gravel beaches.

A total of 15 auger-hole samples were taken in the area. The mineral

constituents of the table concentrates are shown in table 12. A summary of

sampling results is shown in table 13. Traces of flour gold were present in

the pan concentrates of samples 175 and 177.
BRISTOL B A Y XABeach deposit wdth $z)2>Ai

0)(:)Z)CC~~~~~~~~~~~~~~u X lots00:

Drill hoe e 7 1 7 7

A L A S K A P E N I N S U L A m

Scale in Miles

FIGURE 10. - Cinder River. Adapted from Geological Survey map.
33

TABLE 12. - Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from

the Cinder River area

Mineral - - - - - - Sample - -- - -

constituent 2 165 2166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 2 177 2178 179

Titaniferous

magnetite.. 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hematite ..... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2

Ilmenite ..... 3 2 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2

Zircon ....... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet ....... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3

Pyroxene ..... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sphene ....... - - 3 3 3 - - - - - 3 - - - 3

Epidote ...... 3 - - 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - -

Hornblende ... - - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Olivine ...... 3 3 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2

Chlorite ..... 3 - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - -

Feldspar ..... 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2

Quartz.t..... 3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

= major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and - = not detected. 2 Pan-concentrate analysis.

TABLE 13. - Auger-hole sampling results from the Cinder River area

Total Material at Adjusted Magnetic Nonmagnetic

Sample depth bottom of measured fraction fraction

in feet hole volume loose, Iron TiO Ti0O-

________________________ cu yd Pounds per cu yd in-place

1165 .... 4.4 Gravel .....ve.... 0.014 10.5 2.2 0.4

1166 .... 3.4 do ....... .013 8.2 1.9 1.2

167 .... 9.0 Water and gravel .019 23.2 5.1 1.5

168 .... 6.9 Mud . ..... .013 22.7 5.0 1.2

169 .... 7.8 Gravel . .... .025 34.7 7.6 1.4

170 .... 9.0 Water and gravel .029 13.7 2.9 .7

171 .... 4.9 do ....... .012 25.2 5.5 1.3

172 .... 4.0 Gravel ........ .014 15.5 3.6 1.2

173 .... 7.0 Water and gravel .014 41.0 9.2 1.3

174 .... 7.8 do ....... .018 32.5 6.6 1.4

175 .... 4.9 do ....... .011 3.6 7.1 1.4

176 .... 7.1 do ....... .014 40.3 8.8 1.6

1177 .... 6.0 Mud ............. .014 32.0 5.7 1.2

'178 .... 9.0 Water and gravel .020 15.8 3.1 .9

179.... 7.9 do ....... .020 8.4 1.5 1.0

'Pan-concentrate analyses, insufficient light material to justify table

concentration.

Port Heiden

The Port Heiden (fig. 11) beach deposits are narrow spits and bars which

have developed along the outer shores of low-lying mudflats. Locally, near

samples 191, 198, and 202, the sea is eroding 10- to 70-foot bluffs of
LEGEND

Drill hole Q

Shovel sample o 1

AL l~~~~~~~ AS FIGURE 11. - Port Heiden. Adapted from Geological Survey map.01872 ~~ 3

FIGURE~~~~~~~9 datdfomGoogclSrvymp 202 Heidendn 
35

alluvial material, and the bordering beach deposits are narrow and shallow in

depth. The beaches are sandy gravel, often loosely packed. Access is provided by small aircraft or boat; a satisfactory aircraft landing area should

be selected carefully.

A total of 23 samples were recovered from auger holes in the area; one

shovel sample was taken. Petrographic examinations are shown in table 14.

Table 15 is a summary of auger-hole and shovel-sampling results.

During aerial reconnaissance black sands were seen throughout the area;

sampling indicated magnetite sands occurred as thin surface veneers. Traces

of flour gold were found in samples 180, 182, 184, 185, and 197 (fig. 9).

Sample 197 is representative of a surface concentration. Samples 202 and

203 are from alluvial material.

TABLE 14. - Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from

the Port Heiden area

Mineral ___ Sam le

constituent' 180 2181 182 2183 184 185 186 187 2188 2189 190 191

Titaniferous magnetite 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hematite .............. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Ilmenite .............. 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Zircon ................ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet ........ et...... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 3 3 3

Pyroxene .............. 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1

Sphene................ _- - - - - - - 3 - 3

Epidote ........ 3 - 3 - - - - - 3 - - -

Hornblende ........ 3 3 3 - - 3 - - - - - 3

Olivine ........ 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2

Feldspar ........ 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Quartz ........ _ _ - - - - - - - - - -

Igneous rock fragments 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1

Samle

2192 2193 194 195 1961219712198 199 200 2201 2202 2203

Titaniferous magnetite 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 Hematite .............. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 3

Ilmenite . ....... 1 1 1 - - 1 2 1 1 1 1 2

Zircon . ......... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet............... 3 - 3 3 - 3 - - - 3 3 -

Pyroxene . . 1... 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2

Sphene... . ....... - - - - - - - - - - Epidote .. - - - 3 - - 3 _ - - 3

Hornblende . . - - - 3 _ - - - - 3 3

Olivine . . 1 - 1 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 3 -

Feldspar . .... . 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 1 1

Quartz ......... _ _ 3

Igneous rock fragments 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1

11 = major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and not detected. 2 Pan-concentrate analysis.
36

TABLE 15. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results from

the Port Heiden area

Total Material at Adjusted Magnetic |Nonmagnetic

Sample depth bottom of measured fraction fraction

in feet hole volume loose, Iron | TOTiO,iO2

cu yd Pounds per cu yd in-place

180... 10.1 Water and sand.. 0.025 4.6 1.0 0.5

'181... 9.5 Water and gravel .026 7.1 1.8 -

182 ... 18.5 Coarse gravel ... .051 8.1 1.7 .6

1183 ... 10.8 Pea gravel...... .029 5.6 1.5 -

184 ... 8.7 Coarse gravel ... .024 11.9 2.3 .8

185 ... 16.0 Sand ............ .051 22.7 4.1 1.2

186 ... 12.6 Coarse gravel ... .031 6.9 1.4 .5

187 ... 11.3 Water and sand.. .038 22.7 4.2 1.1

12188... 8.2 do ...... ..027 6.5 1.7 -

1 2189... 9.3 Water and mud ... .022 5.6 1.3 -

2190 ... 16.4 Gravel ......... .046 7.5 1.5 .5

2191... 12.4 Coarse gravel ... .037 4.7 1.0 .3

'192... 16.6 Water and sand.. .043 6.1 1.5 -

'193 ... 14.0 Coarse gravel... .039 3.8 1.0 -

194 ... 8.6 Pea gravell.... .028 9.8 2.1 .5

195 ... 15.4 Water and sand.. .043 6.9 1.5 .4

196 ... 10.7 Water and gravel .026 7.1 1.5 .5

1 3197 ... - .005 103.6 21.9 -

'198... 6.0 Water and sand.. .015 2.3 .7 -

199 ... 15.9 do ....... .036 15.5 3.2 .6

200... 12.1 do ....... .032 4.3 1.0 .3

'201... 10.2 do ...... .029 2.3 .6 -

'202 ... 8.4 do ....... .019 2.2 .6 _

'203 ... 5.0 Frozen gravel... .010 4.1 1.1 _

'Pan-concentrate analysis, insufficient sample for tabling and magnetic

separation.

2Water volume measured.

3 Shovel sample.

Ilnik

The Ilnik beach deposit (fig. 12) is a long spit bordering low-lying,

shallow swamp and mudflats. Opposite Lake Ilnik, the mile-wide spit is capped

by extensive sand dunes. The deposit is generally sand or fine, loose gravel.

Thin surface veneers of magnetite sand, surf and wind concentrate, occur along

the strand line. The extensive dunes between Ilnik and Lake Ilnik are classified, but black sand stringers were not found.

Access to the area is obtained by small plane or boat. During high tide,

the inner shores of the Ilnik spit are accessible by shallow draft fishing

boats. The sandy beaches are often soft and when serving as landing fields,

should be carefully used.
Drill hole Q ,, 18 d 5 O

Shovel sample 0

S

V t g 2 t O 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 3 4

\ ) / ( X ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ in Milesl ~ ~~~~Scale 

FIGURE 12. - I6ni. Adapted from Geological Survey map. 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-
38

The deposits were sampled with 25 auger holes and 1 shovel sample. The

mineral constituents of the sands are shown in the summary of petrographic

examinations (table 16). A summary of sampling results is shown in table 17.

TABLE 16. - Petrographic analyses of table concentrates

from the Ilnik area

Mineral - Sa-ple _ -

constituent1 2204 2205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216

Titaniferous

magnetite ....... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hematite .......... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Ilmenite ........... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Zircon ............ 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet. ........... - - 3 _ - - - - - - 3 -

Pyroxene .......... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sphene........ .... 3 - - - - - - 3 - - - - -

Hornblende ....... . 3 3 3 - - - 3 3 3 - - - -

Olivine........ . 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2

Feldspar.......... 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2

Igneous rock

fragments....... 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sample

2 217 2218 2 219 2220 221 2222 223 224 225 2 226 2227 228 229

Titaniferous

magnetite ....... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hematite .......... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Ilmenite .......... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Zircon ........... 3 3 - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet ...... ... - - - - 3 - 3 3 3 - - - -

Pyroxene ......- 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sphene. .... . ...... - - - - - - 3 - - - -_ _ 

Hornblende ...... - - - - - - 3 - - 3 - - -

Olivine..... 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 2 2

Feld spars....::::: 2 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2

Igneous rock

fragme ntsn....... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

11 = major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and - = not detected.

2 Pan-concentrate analysis.
39

TABLE 17. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results

from the Ilnik area

Total Material at Adjusted Magnetic Nonmagnetic

Sample depth bottom of measured fraction fraction

in feet hole volume loose, Iron TiO_ TiO _

cu yd Pounds per cu yd in-place

1 2204... - 0.005 3.5 0.8 _

2205 ... 2.8 Coarse gravel... .006 5.3 1.4 -

206 ... 13.9 Water and sand.. .047 3.6 .8 0.4

207 ... 15.7 Coarse gravel... .043 4.4 1.0 .4

208 ... 13.8 Water and sand.. .038 5.5 1.1 .4

3209 ... 19.6 Gravel.......... .061 9.1 1.9 .6

3210 ... 18.5 Water and sand.. .062 9.0 1.9 .5

3211... 18.2 do.. .046 9.2 1.9 .4

3212 ... 20.5 Sand . . .058 57.4 11.5 2.1

213 ... 12.7 Gravel . .. 040 16.8 3.4 1.0

214... 13.0 Water and gravel .034 14.1 2.8 .6

215... 20.5 Water and sand.. .055 9.3 1.9 .5

216... 15.4 do....... .043 4.8 1.0 .4

2217 ... 10.7 do....... .031 7.7 1.7 -

2218 ... 5.9 Water and gravel .016 2.5 .6 -

2219 ... 6.0 do....... .016 3.7 .7 -

2220 ... 11.1 Water and sand.. .029 5.7 1.2 -

221 ... 13.3 do. .034 6.0 1.3 .4

2222 ... 4.3 Water and gravel .008 3.6 .9 -

223 ... 14.7 Water and sand.. .042 5.9 1.2 .3

224 ... 13.9 do .039 5.5 1.2 .4

2225... 18.3 do .052 7.9 1.6 -

2226 ... 14.2 do .041 2.6 .7 _

2227 ... 5.2 Gravel . .. 019 5.4 1.3 -

228 ... 14.5 Water and sand.. .041 7.2 1.5 .4

229... 17.1 Gravel . .. 062 4.7 1.0 .3

1 Shovel sample.

2Pan-concentrate analyses, insufficient sample for tabling and magnetic

separation.

3 Water volume measured.

Port Moller

The beach deposits near Port Moller (fig. 13) are essentially large,

well-developed spits. The largest deposit, on which the Port Moller cannery

and airstrip have been constructed, is a long spit extending south from a

headland at Franks Lagoon. Windblown sands from the outer shore are slowly

filling a shallow between the spit and the mainland. The narrow spit terminating at Harbor Point is probably developing on the arcuate ring of a terminal glacier morain. The Port Moller spit is sandy; the Harbor Point spit is

gravel capped by a 1- to 10-foot sand layer.

The beach deposits are accessible by truck and air transportation. An

airstrip, suitable for DC-3 or equivalent airplanes, is maintained by the
40

230

231

CID~~~~~~~~N

232'

245

233 2

234 247

Airstrip 23

235 /36

N 56000'

Port

Moller Iq

230

*0 ~ i ' I

239 S

0

240 ~~~LEGEND

69 c~~~' \ ~Drill hole

241 Shovel sample 0

242

24 o ,0 3 4

Scale in Miles

FIGURE 13. - Port Moller. Adapted from Geological Survey map.
41

military. There are no roads along the shore, but four-wheel drive vehicles

travel the hard-packed beaches north to Franks Lagoon. Small bush planes

usually land on the hard-packed beaches adjacent to the cannery.

The beach deposits were sampled by 11 auger holes and 7 shovel samples.

Petrographic examinations are shown in table 18. Table 19 is a summary of the

auger-hole and shovel sampling results. Samples 240 and 241 are representative of surf concentrations; traces of gold are present.

TABLE 18. - Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from

the Port Moller area

Mineral Sam le

constituent 230 2231 232 233 2 234 235 236 237 2238

Titaniferous magnetite ..... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hematite . . ..... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Ilmenite . . ...... 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2

Zircon ... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet .................... . _ 3 3 3 3 3 3 - -

Pyroxene ................... 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Epidote .................... - - 3 - - - - - -

Hornblende ................. 3 - - - - - - - -

Olivine .................... 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3

Feldspar.... ............... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Quartz ........... .. - - - 3 - - - - 2

Igneous rock fragments 1..... I 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1

Sample -

2 239 240 241 2242 2243 2 244 245 246 2 247

Titaniferous magnetite ..... 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1

Hematite ................... 3 3 3 3 3 _ 3 3 3

Ilmenite ................... 2 - - - - 2 2 2 2

Zircon ...................... 3 3 3 3 3 - 3 3 3

Garnet ..................... 3 3 3 - 3 - 3 3

Pyroxene . ........... 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1

Epidote .................... _ - - - - - 3 - -

Hornblende ................. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3 3 

Olivine .................... _ 2 3 3 3 - 2 2 2

Feldspar ................... 2 3 2 3 3 3 2 2 1

Quartz .................... 2 - - 3 - 3 - - -

Igneous rock fragments 1 1..... 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1

11 = major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and - not detected.

2 Pan-concentrate analysis.
42

TABLE 19. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results

from the Port Moller area

Total Material at Adjusted Magnetic Nonmagnetic

Sample depth bottom of measured fraction fraction

in feet hole volume loose, Iron 2 Ti iO2

cu yd Pounds per cu yd in-place

230 ... 20.3 Water and gravel 0.059 5.3 1.2 0.3

1231 ... 9.2 Gravel .022 10.2 2.3 -

232 ... 20.3 do .062 4.4 1.0 .3

233 ... 20.3 Water and gravel .059 5.3 1.2 .3

1234 ... 11.3 Water and sand .025 12.1 2.7 -

235 ... 12.3 do .033 6.4 1.4 .4

236 ... 17.9 do .044 5.8 1.4 .5

1237 ... 18.6 do .049 4.4 1.0 -

1 2 238 ... - _ .005 5.7 1.5 -

129 29 ... - _ .005 6.7 2.0 -

2 240 ... _ _ .005 147.6 32.2 10.3

2241 ... _ _ .005 191.4 42.2 10.3

1 2 242 ... _ _ .005 9.9 2.7 -

1 2 243 ... _ _ .005 19.9 5.0 _ 12244... - _ .005 1.1 .3 _

245 ... 9.0 Water and sand .022 83.9 18.5 5.2

246 ... 10.0 do .026 15.7 3.6 1.0

'247... 5.1 do .011 34.4 9.7 _

lPan-concentrate analysis, insufficient sample for tabling and magnetic

separation.

2 Shovel sample.

Nelson Lagoon

The Nelson Lagoon beach deposit (fig. 14) is a long narrow spit which

has developed along the outer shore of a shallow mudflat. The spit is covered with large sand dunes up to 40 feet in height above the water table.

West of sample 261 the beach deposit is narrow and shallow; sandy gravel

beaches lie beneath 10- to 40-foot bluffs of alluvial material.

The deposits in the Nelson Lagoon area are accessible by small airplane,

boat, or truck. The sandy northern shores of the Nelson Lagoon spit are hard

packed and are excellent for small bush-plane landings. Residents of the

small community on the spit travel the spit with four-wheel-drive vehicles;

however, there are no permanent roads. The protected inner beach of the

lagoon spit is suitable for beaching small boats.

Aerial reconnaissance indicated black-sand deposits along the beaches.

On sampling, magnetite sands were found as thin surface veneers along the

strand line. Large dunes contained an occasional 1- to 2-inch stringer of

magnetite sand; the stringers are attributed to wind concentration.
0

V

0 2 L~~~~~~~~~~ 3 4

^ -N 56°00' F a E NlL 0 fn GelgiaSe m252/! e@95259 Pt.

264 0~5 4

2666_ ~ °G

26 i) 0 + ALi t L A O n J t

0 o X ; + < X~~~~~~P E

A S K A ( t 'i) -XA

C3; } 48X=-. n ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Drill hole @

< < 3 .......... .g a, . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shovel sample 0

7tJ_ _<<')\4) O.~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 2. 3 4

| i // \ | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scale in Miles

FIGURE 14. Nelson Lagoon. Adopted from Geological Survey map.
44

A total of 14 auger-hole samples and 8 shovel samples were taken from the

area shown. Table 20 is a summary of petrographic examinations. A summary

of the auger-hole and shovel-sampling results is shown in table 21.

TABLE 20. - Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from

the Nelson Lagoon area

Mineral _ _ - _ - Sample

constituent 2248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258

Titaniferous

magnetite..... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hematite ........ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Ilmenite ........ 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Zircon .......... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Garnet..* ....... _ - 3 3 3 3 - - 3 3 3

Pyroxene........ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sphene-.......... - 3 - - - - - - - 3

Epidote ........ 3 3 - - - 3 3 - 3 - -

Hornblende ...... - - 3 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 3

Olivine......... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Feldspar ........ 2 2 3 - - - 3 - - - -

Igneous rock

fragments..... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Sample

259 260 261 262 2263 2264 2265 2266 2267 2268 2 269

Titaniferous

magnetite ..... 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hematite ........ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Ilmenite ........ 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2

Zircon...... ... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - - -

Garnet..*.......... - - 3 3 _

Pyroxene........ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sphene......3 - - - - - - - - - -

Epidote......... 3 - 3 _- - _ _ _ 

Hornblende'.'. 3 .... - 3 3 - - - 3 - - -

Olivine......... 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2

Feldspar........ - 2 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Igneous rock

fragments..... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2

= major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace; and - = not detected.

2Pan-concentrate analysis.
45

TABLE 21. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results

from the Nelson Lagoon area

Total Material at Adjusted Magnetic Nonmagnetic

Sample depth bottom of measured fraction fraction

in feet hole volume loose, Iron TiO2 TiO2

cu yd Pounds per cu yd in-place

1 2248... - 0.011 27.4 6.9 -

249 ... 4.7 Coarse gravel... .012 309.7 70.2 8.5

250 ... 9.4 do....... .025 77.5 17.2 2.1

251... 12.4 Water and sand ... .028 28.7 6.3 1.1

252 ... 13.9 Coarse gravel ... .038 38.8 8.7 1.1

253... 11.7 do ....... .027 24.1 5.4 .8

254 ... 11.6 Water and sand.. .029 50.4 11.3 1.8

255 ... 16.8 Coarse gravel... .040 93.3 22.2 2.5

256... 18.6 Water and sand.. .047 71.0 15.5 2.0

257 ... 14.0 Coarse gravel ... .038 44.9 9.9 1.6

258 ... 16.6 do ....... .036 59.9 13.3 2.3

3259 ... 16.5 do ....... .046 90.4 20.1 2.9

3260 ... 20.5 Sand ............ .054 36.9 8.7 1.4

261 ... 14.7 Gravel ....... .... .039 99.7 24.7 3.6

262 ... 7.9 Coarse gravel ... .018 86.4 20.5 3.1

1 2263 ... - _ .005 11.6 2.9 -

1 2264 ... - _ .005 32.6 8.6 -

1 2265... - - .005 15.2 4.0 -

1 2266... - _ .005 8.0 1.6 -

1 2267... - _ .005 4.9 1.2 -

1 2268... - .005 7.6 1.5 -

1 2269. - _ .005 15.0 3.4 -

Shovel sample.

2Pan-concentrate analysis, insufficient sample for tabling and magnetic

separation.

3Water volume measured.

Moffet Point

The beach deposit of Moffet Point (fig. 15) is a narrow sand peninsula

bordering the shallow tideflats of Moffet Bay. The peninsula is overlain by

windblown dunes up to 100 feet in height; the outer sand beach is broad and

flat. Northeast of the peninsula, beyond sample 273, the beach narrows and

ranges between 10 and 100 feet in width. Here, the sea is eroding 30- to

40-foot alluvial bluffs. The beach beneath the bluffs is composed of large

boulders embedded in sand and gravel.

The area is accessible by small aircraft or boat. The outer beaches on

the southern end of the point are ideal for small aircraft landings. Moffet

Bay may also be traveled by small boat.

Extensive aeolian sand dunes contain trace to moderate amounts of magnetite sands. Wind classification of the sands resulted in the occurrence of

erratically distributed magnetite sand stringers throughout the area.
46

LEGEND

2700

Drill hole

Shovel sample 0

2710

0~

273

274

CD

Lij

275

@ 276 / :'oo

278 25 \

Moffet Point

Scale in Miles

FIGURE 15. - Moffet Point. Adapted from Geological Survey map.
47

The sandy beaches along Moffet Point were sampled by 13 auger holes and

3 shovel samples. A summary of petrographic examination is given in table 22.

Table 23 is a summary of the auger-hole and shovel-sampling results.

TABLE 22. - Petrographic analyses of table concentrates from

the Moffet Point area

Mineral _ _______ Sample

constituent' 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285

Titaniferous

magnetite.. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1

Franklinite.. 3 - - - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 3 3

Hematite ..... 3 3 3 3 - - - - - 3 3 - 3 3 3 3

Ilmenite..... - - - - 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 1 2 2

Garnet..... - - 3 - - - 3 - - - - - - - - -

Augitee..... 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sphene....... - - - - 3 3 3 3 3 - - - - - - -

Epidote ..... 3 - - - 3 3 3 3 3 - - - - - - -

Hypersthene., 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hornblende ... 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Olivine ...... 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 1 2 2

Feldspar..... 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 3 3

Volcanic rock 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 2

11 = major constituent; 2 = small amount; 3 = trace, and - = not detected.

TABLE 23. - Auger-hole and shovel-sampling results

from the Moffet Point area

Total Material at Adjusted Magnetic Nonmagnetic

Sample depth bottom of measured fraction fraction

in feet hole volume loose, TIo 2 TiO2

cu yd Pounds per cu yd in-place

1270 ..... _ 0.005 12.2 1.4 (2)

1271.-- _ _ .005 5.3 1.9 (2 )

272 ..... 1.3 Boulder.... .002 13.6 12.4 (2)

1273..... -_ .005 25.4 19.0 (2)

3274..... 20.4 Sand. .056 16.3 3.4 0.7

3275 ..... 12.9 Water and sand .031 104.3 21.0 4.8

3276 ..... 6.7 do .016 108.5 21.5 4.6

277 .... 18.5 do .046 30.4 6.2 1.5

3278 ..... 14.0 do .034 16.4 3.5 .8

279..... 16.0 do .041 24.0 4.7 1.2

280 ..... 4.7 do .010 4.9 1.0 .5

281 .... 5.8 do .013 .4 (2) .4

3282 ..... 16.7 do .042 2.2 .5 .1

3283 ....o 19.0 do .048 5.2 1.5 (2)

284... 12.5 do .030 9.1 2.0 .5

3285.....[ 13.9 do .031 23.4 4.7 1.1

'Shovel sample. 2Trace. 3Water volume measured.
48

CONCLUSIONS

The reconnaissance studies in Bristol Bay outlined areas along the coast

which contain minor quantities of heavy minerals. Some deposits on the northern shores of the Alaska Peninsula contain between 1 and 2 percent combined

iron and titania; the iron to titania ratio averages about 4 to 1. Occasional

high assays represent small deposits of heavy minerals locally concentrated

by wave action.

Petrographic examination of samples from the Moffet Peninsula, Nelson

Lagoon, Port Moller, Ilnik, and Port Heiden areas indicated that the minerals

were derived from a common source; a genetic relationship with the volcanic

activity along the Alaska Peninsula is suggested. Radiometric evaluation of

most samples was negative; the occasional analyses containing trace amounts

were attributed to the presence of minor quantities of zircon. No detailed

physical tests on samples were made.

Field and assay data indicated that the larger deposits were too low

grade to justify further investigation.

INT..BU.OF MINES.PGH..FA. 5110