GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 252 

POTENTIAL ALASKAN MINERAL RESOURCES 

FOR PROPOSED ELECTROCHEMICAL AND 

ELECTROMETALLURGICAL INDUSTRIES 

IN THE UPPER LYNN CANAL AREA 

ALASKA 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

.Douglas McKay, Secretary 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

W. E. Wrather, Director 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 252 

POTENTIAL ALASKAN MINERAL RESOURCES FOR PROPOSED 

ELECTROCHEMICAL AND ELECTROMETALLURGICAL INDUSTRIES 

IN THE UPPER LYNN CANAL AREA, ALASKA 

By W. S. Twenhofel 

Washington, D. C., 1953 

Free on application to the Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. C. 

POTENTIAL ALASKAN MINERAL RESOURCES FOR PROPOSED 

ELECTROCHEMICAL AND ELECTROMETALLURGICAL INDUSTRIES 

IN THE UPPER LYNN CANAL AREA, ALASKA 

By w. s. Twenhofel 

CONTENTS 

Abstract ....•.......................... 

Introduction .......................... . 

Acknowledgments ..................... . 

Nonferrous metals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Aluminum ....................... . 

Magnesium ...................... . 

Copper ......................... . 

Southeastern Alaska. . . . . . . . . . 

Prince William Sound . . . . . . . . 

CopperRiver-Yukonregion .. . 

Zinc and cadmium.· ............... . 

SoutheasternAlaska ......... . 

Kantishna district. . . . . . . . . . . . 

Aleutian Islands ............ . 

Nickel .......................... . 

Miscellaneous metals ............. . 

Ferroalloys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 

Ferrosilicon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Ferrochromium. . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . 

Ferromanganese. . . . . . . • • • . • . . . . . . 

Ferrotungsten. . . . . . . . . . . • . . • . . . . . 

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Ferroalloys--Continued 

General consideration of 

ferroalloys ..................... . 

Calcium carbide ........................ . 

Artificial abrasives .................... . 

Nitrogen compounds .................... . 

Chlorine and caustic soda ............... . 

Iron and steel .........•................ 

Carbon and graphitized products . . . . . . . . . . 

Phosphorus and phosphorus compounds .... . 

Chromite .............................. . 

Co~l .................................. . 

Bering River .................. : . . . 

Cook Inlet Lowland ................ . 

Matanuska Valley ................. . 

Susitna River basin ................ . 

Nenana coal field ................. . 

Other coal fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Limestone ............... ~ ............ . 

Conclusions and recommendations . . . . . . . . . 

Seleqted bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

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ILLUSTRATION 

Page 

Figure 1. Map of Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 

ABSTRACT 

Diversion of the headwaters of the Yukon River 

through the Coast Range into the Taiya River valley 

would make available about one million horsepower 

of electric energy. The only foreseeable use for any 

substantial block of this power is by electrochemical 

and electrometallurgical industries. This report discusses the raw materials needed by such industries 

and possible Alaskan sources of some of the materials. 

The industries considered as potential consumers of Yukon-Taiya power, in decreasing order as 

potential power claimants, are as follows: Nonferrous metals (including aluminum, magnesium, 

copper, zinc, and nickel), ferroalloys (including 

ferrosilicon, ferrochromium, ferromanganese, and 

ferrotungsten), calcium carbide, artificial abrasives, 

nitrogen compounds, chlorine and caustic soda, iron 

and steel, carbon and graphitized products, and 

phosphorus and phosphorus compounds. 

1 

Some of the ores and other raw materials required for s·uch industries might be obtained in 

Alaska. The bulk of the materials, however, for 

large operations must be imported.. The usual alu- . 

minum ores are not known and not likely to be found 

in Alaska. Possible AlasKa.n sources of magnesium 

are sea water, dolomite, and olivine, although there 

are no data on the magnesium content of Alaskan sea 

water or dolomite. Unlimited resources of highmagnesium· olivine are available whenever magnesium 

production from olivine becomes economically feasible. 

The known copper resources of Alaska are limited 

and most of the reserves are in marginal or submarginal deposits potentially of interest also for their iron 

or nickel content. Copper mineralization, however, 

is widespread and copper production from Alaska has 

been second only to gold. Known Alaskan zinc resources are small although occurrences are widespread and numerous. 'Because there are no zinc 

smelters on the Pacific coast, interest in development 

of Alaskan zinc deposits has been minor. Alaskan· 
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GULF OF ALASKA 

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Figure 1, --Map of Alaska. 

I. Olivine 

2. Copper 

3. Zinc 

4. Nickel 

5. Iron 

6. Chromite 

7. Coal 

8. Limestone 
nickel depo.sits are large, but known deposits are 

low-grade. Of the raw materials necessary for 

ferroalloy manufacture, Alaska could supply only 

limited quantities of tungsten, nickel, chromite, 

iron, and coal. Suitable manganese and silicon 

dioxide deposits are not known. Alaskan iron deposits of 50 percent or better grade are relatively 

small; the largest deposits probably do not exceed 

20 percent of recoverable iron. Alaskan coal deposits are enormous and are mainly lignitic to 

bituminous. Enormous quantities of limestone are 

present in southeastern Alaska. Thus Alaska might 

contribute the following raw materials to electrochemical and electrometallurgical industries in the 

upper Lynn Canal area: sea water, olivine, dolomite, copper, zinc, nickel, tin, tungsten, iron, 

chromite, coal, and limestone. Of these only coal, 

limestone, and minor amounts of byproduct zinc 

are produced at the present time. 

lliTRODUCTION 

One of the largest undeveloped sources of 

hydroelectric power in North America is in the 

area between Skagway, Alaska, and Whitehorse, 

Yukon Territory, Canada. For several years both 

government and private engineers have been studying the feasibility of damming the Yukon River at 

Miles Canyon near Whitehorse and diverting the 

headwaters of the Yukon River drainage system from 

Lindeman Lake into an 11-mile tunnel through the 

Coast Range into the Taiya River valley of Alaska. 

(See fig. 1. ) Such a plan envisions a storage area of 

about 300,000 acres at about 2, 000 feet altitude, 

all in Yukon Territory and British Columbia. Two 

power plants in the Taiya valley, one at 1, 000 feet 

and the other near sea level, if fully developed, 

could produce an estimated one million horsepower 

of electric energy. 

At present no market exists in Canada or 

Alaska for any substantial portion of the estimated 

potential of one million horsepower and the only 

forseeable market for the power is electrochemical 

or electrometallurgical industries. No industries 

of this type are within transmission limits of the 

Taiya valley. If such industries may be attracted to 

the area because of the inexpensive power available, 

an appraisal should be made of the local and reasonably accessible raw materials that would be available 

for the use of such industries. It is the purpose of 

this report to assemble the pertinent facts and information concerning mineral raw materials in 

Alaska that might be treated or processed with 

electric energy from the Yukon -Taiya area. 

The information in this report is restricted to 

those mineral raw materials that require large 

amounts of electric energy to treat and process, and 

to those materials iri which electric energy is essential 

in the treatment process regardless of the amount of 

energy used. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The basic sources for al~ost all the factual 

material and much of the interpretive material of 

this report are found in publications of the 

3 

U. S. Geological Survey, U. S. Bureau of Mines, and 

the Territorial Department of Mines. A list of the 

publications would comprise well over 200 items. 

The references in this report are listed in the selected bibliography to which the reader may refer for 

additional information. 

The writer is particularly indebted to 

Paul M. Tyler, formerly of the U. S. Bureau of Mines. 

His unpublished report on the potential power markets 

to use Yukon-Taiya power provided the outline upon 

which this report is based. 

S. H. Lorain, Alaska Regional Director of the 

U. S. Bureau of Mines, has critically reviewed this 

report, suggested corrections and additions, and in 

many instances has contributed information and 

material. 

The writer has used freely an unpublished 

Geological Survey manuscript report entitled 

"Mineral resources of Alaska," with contributions by 

many Survey geologists including Fred H. Moffit on 

copper, H. Richard Gault on zinc, L. A. Warner on 

iron, G. 0. Gates on chromite, and Clyde Wahrhaftig 

and F. F. Barnes on coal. In some places the writer 

has quoted directly from this report, but has not so 

indicated. This was done solely in the interest of 

avoiding footnotes and references to an unpublished 

report that cannot be generally consulted. The writer 

gratefully acknowledges the use of the material without which this report would not be complete. 

NONFERF..OUS METALS 

Aluminum 

Electric energy is a most essential commodity 

in the reduction of aluminum ore to aluminum metal. 

The commercial practice consists of two steps: 

(1) the preparation of alumina from bau.Xite, and 

(2) the electrolysis of alumina in a liquid bath of 

cryolite and other added salts. Because of the large 

quantity of electricity needed (about 10 kilowatt- hours 

per pound of metal) the univers3.1 practice of the 

aluminum industry is to transport the ore to the source 

of electric power. The proximity of proposed power 

plants on the Taiya River to ocean transportation is 

particularly attractive for development of an aluminumprocessing industry. 

Alaska has no known deposits of the usual 

ores of aluminum. The principal ore of aluminum is bauxite (Al20a 3H20), a product 

of rock decay, commonly of acldic igneous 

rocks, under conditions of tropical climate. No 

deposits of bauxite have been found in Alaska, 

and it is unlikely that any will be found, as 

our present knowledge of past climates indicates that tropical conditions did not prevail 

in Alaska. 

Cryolite (NaaAlFa) is used in the 

electrolytic process for extraction of aluminum 

and generally is prepared artificially. Fluorite, 

one of the essential ingredients used in preparing cryolite, is present in large low-grade 

deposits in the Lost River area of Seward 

Peninsula. These deposits have not been mined 
and because of their isolated position it is doubtful 

that they can be profitably mined under present 

conditions. 

~an aluminum-processing plant is established 

in connection with the Yukon-Taiya power, the ores 

must be imported from the States or foreign sources. 

Magnesium 

The commercial practices for production of 

magnesium have varied in the past, but they may be 

classified into two general types: (1) the electrolytic 

process, and (2) the ferrosilicon process. The 

former involves the conversion of magnesium ore into relatively pure magnesium chloride,~, followed 

by the electrolysis of the magnesium chloride. The 

latter involves the direct reduction of dolomite into 

the metallic state. The electrolytic method requires 

large amounts of electricity, (reportedly 8 to 

13 kilowatt-hours per pol:llld of metal), whereas the 

ferrosilicon method uses less electric power but is more costly. 

The Dow Chemical Company operates a large 

magnesium plant at Freeport, Texas and a second plant, 

Government owned, at Velasco, Texas, that use sea 

water as a source of magnesium chloride, which, in 

turn, is reduced to the metallic state by electrolysis. 

In addition to sea water and dolomite, other 

potential raw material sources are magnesite 

(MgCOa), brucite (Mg(OH)z), salt water bitterns, 

dolomite (CaCOa ·MqC0 3), olivine ((Mg, Fe) 2Si04), 

and serpentine (3(Mg, Fe)O · 2Si0z · 2 HzO). 

Apparently the only Alaskan sources of magnesium are sea water, dolomite, and olivine or 

serpentine. · None of the other magnesium ores 

are known to exist in Alaska. 

The writer has been unable to find any analysis 

of the ocean waters of southeastern Alaska, but the 

search of the literature has by no means been exhaustive. It can be logically .argued that the sea 

water of.the Haines-Skagway area is deficient in 

salts, compared with most sea water, because of the 

large inflow of fresh water from streams, the ex-

·cessive rainfall, and the limited amount of evaporation. Nevertheless, in the absence of any specific 

data on salt content (specifically magnesium content), 

it is recommended that consideration be given to 

studies of the salt content of the sea. water of upper 

Lynn Canal. 

Limestone and dolomite are widespread in 

southeastern Alaska, extending almost continuously 

through Prince of Wales, Kuiu, and Chichagof 

islands1into Glacier Bay and extending into Canada 

in the vicinity of Pleasant Camp at mile 41 of the 

Haines Cut-off. Discussion of limestone and dolomite 

in southeastern Alaska is deferred to a later section 

of this report. 

Large masses of ultramafic rocks containing 

virtually unlimited quantities of olivine are known 

in southeastern Alaska and Kenai peninsula. Rocks 

composed dominantly of olivine, known as dunites, 

weather reddish and yellowish, and produce .a soil 

4 

that will support little vegetation; consequently, these 

rock masses are conspicuous because of their bare 

reddish outcrop. 

On the Blashke Islands, about 75 miles northwest 

of Ketchikan between Kashevarof Passage and 

Clarence Strait, is a large mass of ultrabasic rock 

composed of a central core of dunite surrounded by 

more or less concentric rings of other ultrabasicrock types with outwardly decreasing amounts of 

magnesium minerals and outwardly increasing amounts 

of iron, silica, and aluminum minerals. The dunite 

core is composed of equal proportions of olivine and 

serpentine derived from olivine. Kennedy and 

Walton (1946) 1studied these rocks and by optical 

methods determined ~hat the olivine contains about 

93 percent of the MgzSi0 4molecule and about 7 percent 

of theFe 2Si04 molecule. Presumably, the serpentine, 

an alteration product of the olivine, contains the 

same relative proportion of magnesium to iron. 

At Mount Burnett on the northwest side of 

Cleveland Peninsula about 35 miles northwest of 

Ketchikan, is a large body of ultramafic rock dominantly composed of dunite in the eastern part and 

pyroxenite in the western part. On the basis of 

optical criteria, Kennedy and Walton (1946) concluded 

that the olivine is composed of approximately 

92 percent of the MgzSi04 molecule and 8 percent 

of the Fe 2Si04 molecule. ·Much of the olivine at 

Mount Burnett is altered to serpentine, although some 

is very fresh and unaltered. 

At Red Bluff Bay, on the east side of Baranof 

Island, Guild and Balsley (1942) have studied the 

ultramafic rocks and their associated chromite 

deposits. There are large areas of olivine rock at 

Red Bluff Bay, most of which has been altered to 

serpentiile except near the center of the mass where 

the olivine is very fresh. Optical studies by Guild 

and Balsley (1942) indicate that the olivine is composed 

of about 95 percent of the MgzSi04 molecule and 

5 percent of the FezSi04 molecule. Presumably, the 

magnesium-iron ratio of the serpentine is the same 

as that of the olivine from which it was derived. 

Other ultramafic rock bodies in Alaska that are 

known to contain sizeable quantities of dunite are al 

Kane Peak on Kupreanof Island, a small hill near the 

northeast end of the runway on the Annette Island 

Airfield, and at Claim Point and Red Mountain on the 

southwest tip of the Kenai Peninsula. No data are 

available on the magnesium content of the olivine at 

the first two localities. The Bureau of Mines reports 

a partial analysis of the partially serpentinized dunite 

at the Kenai Peninsula locality to be about 45 percent 

of magnesium oxide, 6 percent of iron, 1 percent of 

chromic oxide, and 0. 25 percent of nickel. 

The present insufficient data pertaining to the 

Alaskan dunites as sources of magnesium ore barely 

indicate the potentialities of their worth. However, 

should consideration ever be given to establishing 

a magnesium plant in Alaska or the Pacific Northwest 

using olivine as an ore, the Alaskan deposits would 

be particularly attractive. The tonnages of olivine 

are enormous, and some of the deposits are at or 

near tidewater. 

1 See .. Iected bibliopplty. 
Copper 

The present commercial practice for the conversion of copper ore to metallic copper consists of 

three essential ·steps: (1) smelting of the ore in a 

fuel-fired furnace to produce a copper-rich matte; 

(2} treatment of the matte in converters to eliminate 

sulfur and iron and produce "blister" copper, and 

(3) electrolytic refining of the blister copper to produce the pure metal. The latter step is the only 

process requiring electricity, about 0. 18 kilowatt-hour 

per pound of metallic copper. This requirement, of 

course, is much less than the amount of electricity 

for refining aluminum or magnesium. Because 

electric energy plays such a minor role in copper 

refining, such refining plants will not be established 

in Alaskalmerely because, large blocks of cheap 

power are available. 

Although in the past Alaska has been a fabulous 

producer of copper ores from the Kennecott mine, 

there are no known similarly large copper deposits 

in the Territory. Copper occurrences are widespread, 

however, and in view of the large unprospected and 

unexplored areas it is quite possible that profitable 

copper deposits will be found. 

The more promising copper deposits of Alaska 

are in the following regions: southeastern Alaska, 

Prince William Sound, Copper River-Yukon region, 

lliamna Lake, Kobuk-Noatak River, and the region 

around the upper White River valley near the 

Canadian border. Of these, only the first three 

have been ~ufficiently prospected and explored to 

offer much hope for immediate development. 

Southeastern Alaska. --southeastern Alaska has 

produced more than 27,000,009 pounds of copper 

metal from Prince of Wales Island in the Ketchikan district, essentially all of it during the period 1906-18. 

The Salt Chuck mine near the head of Kasaan Bay on 

Prince of Wales Island contains bornite and chalcopyrite disseminated in an intrusive complex of gabbro 

and pyroxenite, and has produced more than 

5, 000, 000 pounds of copper metal and an important 

amount of palladium. Mines on Kasaan Peninsula and 

Copper Mountain, and to a lesser extent mines elsewhere on Prmce of Wales Island, have produced 

about 22,000,000 pounds of copper metal. With the 

notable exception of the Salt Chuck mine and one or 

two other small mines, the most abundant copperbearing material in many of the deposits on Prince 

of Wales Island is actually a magnetite ore. Gold 

and silver are present locally in recoverable 

quantities. The magnetite replaces beds of limestone, and, to a lesser extent, greenstone. It also 

occurs as fissure fillings and replacement bodies in 

fault and shear zones. 

In the northwestern part of southeastern Alaska 

on Yakobi Island, at Mirror Harbor on Chichagof 

Chichagof Island, and at Funter Bay on Admiralty 

Island, deposits of nickel- and copper-bearing 

pyrrhotite, p~ntlandite, and chalcopyrite are 

associated with intrusive bodies of norite, amphibolite, pyroxenite, and olivine gabbro. These are 

~ore fully discussed under nickel in a later section 

of this report. 

5 

The Geological Survey has estimated that in 

southeastern Alaska there are about 18, 000, 000 tons 

of indicated and inferred reserves of ,copper ore most 

of which contains less than 0. 50 percent of copper. 

Prince William Sound. --For many years a large 

proportion of the copper mined in Alaska came from 

the deposits at Latouche and Ellamar. No mining has 

been done at either place since 1930 when operations 

ceased because of depletion of ore then considered 

recoverable at a profit. Substantial quantities of 

low -grade ore are said .to still exist at these 

properties. ~lsewhere in Prince William Sound many 

copper prospects have not been sufficiently explored to determine their extent or grade. 

The copper deposits of Prince William Sound 

occur in or near areas in which basic lava flows are 

interbedded with slate and graywacke. Chalcopyrite 

is the principal copper mineral and is commonly 

associated with pyrrhotite, pyrite, and other sulfide 

minerals, in shear zones. Locally recoverable 

amounts of gold and silver are present in the copper ores. 

The Geological Survey has estimated that in 

Prince William Sound there are about 1, 500,000 tons 

of indicated reserves of copper ore containing slightly 

morethan1percentofcopper, and about 5,000,000 tons 

of inferred reserves of copper ore averaging 

slightly less than 1 percent of copper. 

Copper River-Yukon region. --The bulk of the 

Alaskan copper ore was produced from the fabulous 

Kennecott mines in the Nizina district during the 

years 1911-38. The known deposits are depleted and 

mining operations have ceased. The copper ores are 

associated with two formations, a thick series of 

basaltic greenstone flows and an overlying sequence 

of limestone beds about 3, 000 feet thick. Occurrences 

of copper are abundant in the greenstone but the major 

deposits of copper are in the basal part of the limestone. 

Chalcocite is the most abundant copper mineral in the 

limestone beds; bornite and chalcopyrite are most 

abundant iri the greenstone. The deposits at Kennecott 

were replacement bodies controlled by fracture and 

bedding planes in limestone. 

A large deposit of copper-bearing material is 

located at Orange Hill on the northeast side of the 

Wrangell Mountains near the foot of the Nabesna Glacier. 

Here metamorphosed sedimentary rocks, including 

thick limestone beds with interbedded lava flows, have 

been intruded by a mass of quartz diorite. Copper 

occurs in the quartz diorite as disseminated grains of 

chalcopyrite and as veinlets containing chalcopyrite, 

pyrite, and molybdenite, together with a little gold 

and silver. The Geological Survey estimates that the 

Orange Hill deposit contains 200,000,000 tons of 

indicated ore averaging 0. 4 percent of copper as well 

~s associated values in molybdenum, gold, and silver. 

The Orange Hill deposit offers promise as a 

significant potential soufce of Alaskan copper ore. However because of its isolated position and low grade, 

it is consldered submarginal under present conditions. 

Selected references to publications on copper are 

Capps and Johnson (1915); Gault and Wahrhaftig (1943); 
Holt and others (1948); Johnson (1918); Martin (1918); 

Martin and Katz (1912a); Miller (1946); Moffitt (1938); 

Stefansson and Moxham (1946); Van Alstine and 

Black (1946); Warner, Ray, andFlint (1944); and 

Wright (1915). Also see references listed under the 

sections on Nickel and Iron and steel. 

Zinc and cadmil)m 

Zinc metal is recovered from its ores by two 

general methods: the pyrometallurgical method 

involves roasting to convert sphalerite (ZnS) to the 

oxide and reduction of the oxide by carbon and 

carbon monoxide to the metal. The hydrometallurgical method involves rQ~sting of sphalerite to 

the oxide and leaching of the oxide by sulphuric acid 

to produce soluble zinc sulphate which is then 

treated either chemically or electrically to produce 

metallic zinc. Electrolytic treatment is rapidly 

gaining favor in commercial practice because of 

better recovery of accessory metals and because a 

more nearly pure zinc product is obtained than with 

either chemical treatment or pyrometallurgical 

methods. About 1. 85 kilowatt-hours of electric 

energy are required per pound of zinc in the electrolytic process, an amount considerably less than 

that required for either aluminum or magnesium. 

Cadmium is obtained solely as a byproduct of 

the metallurgical recovery of zinc. No ores are 

mined for cadmium alone nor are there any ores in 

which cadmium is the most valuable constituent. 

Virtually nothing is known of the cadmium content 

of Alaskan sphalerites. One sample of hand-picked 

sphalerite from Groundhog Basin contained 0. 46 percent of cadmium. The writer is not aware of the 

existence of other cadmuim analyses of Alaskan 

sphalerite. 

Although deposits of zinc are widespread in 

Alaska and have been known for many years, it was 

not until 1947 that zinc ores were mined in Alaska. 

These were produced at the Mahoney mine on 

Revillagigedo Island, 15 miles northeast of Ketchikan. 

Total production for 1947-48 amounted to about 

100 tons of concentrate containing 2 ounces of gold, 

347'ounces of silver, 214 pounds of copper, 

42,086 pounds of lead, and 74,819 pounds of zinc. 

Insofar as known to the writer this mine has not 

produced since 1948, although some byproduct zinc 

is recovered from concentrates of the Riverside mine 

in the Hyder district. 

It should be emphasized that our present 

knowledge of Alaskan zinc deposits is far from 

complete and because of the absence of a zinc smelter on the Pacific coast there has been little incentive 

to search for or explore Alaskan zinc deposits. 

Because of the fairly widespread occurrence and 

considerable number of zinc deposits in Alaska, 

the Territory may become a more regular and 

substantial producer of zinc in the future. 

The only zinc-reduction works available to 

Alaskan zinc ores are at Kellogg, Idaho; Trail, 

British Columbia; and Great Falls and Anac_onda, 

Mont. This factor, necessitating transportation 

6 

by boat from Alaska to either Seattle, Wash., or 

Vancouver, British Columbia, and transportation by rail 

from the coast, coupled with the !act that most of the zinc 

ores of Alaska are of the sphalerite variety marmatite 

(contai.ning up to 20 percent of rron), has been a. 

deterrent to zinc mining in Alaska. Similarly, the 

lead-zinc-silver mines at Keno Hill and Mayo, 

Yukon Territory have been severely· handicapped by 

the expensive freight charges from the mine to the 

zinc-reduction plant. Zinc mining in Alaska would 

undoubtedly be stimulated if a zinc-reduction plant 

were constructed in Alaska or elsewhere on the 

Pacific coast of North America, and if and when an 

economic method is devised of recovering zinc from 

marmatite. 

Zinc deposits are best known in three regions 

in Alaska: (1) southeastern Alaska; (2) Kantishna district; and (3) eastern end of the Aleutian chain. 

Southeastern Alaska. --The principal zinc 

deposits in southeastern Alaska are in the 

Wrangell-Revillagigedo belt of metamorphic rocks 

along the southwestern margin of the Coast Range 

batholith. Some of these deposits contain appreciable 

quantities of lead whereas others contain appreciable 

quantities of copper, in addition to zinc. The deposits 

at Groundhog, Glacier, and Berg Basins, east of 

Wrangell, and at MahoneyCreekonRevillagigedoisland 

belong to the lead-zinc group, whereas the deposits 

at.Tracy Arm and Moth Bay belong to the copperzinc group. The sulfide minerals are sphalerite, 

pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and galena which 

have replaced certain beds in the gneiss and schist 

sequence of Wrangell-Revillagigedo belt of rocks. 

The ore beds are steeply dipping. The deposits are 

low-grade (about 8 percent or less of zinc) and the 

sphalerite is the variety marmatite, having an 

Fe: Zn ratio of 1:4 or 1:3. 5, and an iron content 

about 12 to 15 percent. 

The Groundhog Basin lead-zinc deposits are the 

largest known in Alaska. The Geological Survey has 

estimated that the Groundhog Basin deposit contains 

about 550,000 tons of indicated and inferred ore containing 8 percent of zinc and 1. 5 percent of lead, as 

well as about 500, 000 tons containing 2. 5 percent 

of zinc and 1 percent of lead. The limits of the 

deposit are not known at depth nor to the northwest, 

and it is quite possible that further exploration will 

increase the known reserves considerably. 

The Tracy Arm deposit has been estimated by 

the Geological Survey to contain about 125,000 tons 

of ore containing 4. 5 to 5. 8 percent of zinc and 

2 to 3 percent of copper. Its limits are not known at 

depth. 

The other four or five known zinc deposits in 

southeastern Alaska appear to be either smaller or 

lower grade than the two mentioned above. 

Kantishna district. --The Mount Eielson deposit 

in the Kantlshiia d1str1ct is a contact-metamorphic 

deposit containing sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite 

that replaces limestone. The Geological Survey has 

estimated this deposit to comprise about 200,000 tons· 

of ore containing 5 percent of zinc, 3 to 5 percent 

of lead, and 0. 2 to 0. 3 percent of copper. 
Aleutian Islands.-- A little-explored zinc-lead 

deposit on Sedanka Island, one of the small islands 

near Dutch Harbor, shows considerable promise. 

Sampling and trenching by the U. S. Bureau of Mines 

disclosed that this deposit ranges from 5 to 

15 feet in width and is at least 120 feet long. The 

19 samples within these limits averaged about 

9 percent of zinc, about 0. 5 percent of copper, and 

0. 25 percent of lead. This deposit has not been 

sufficiently explored to estimate reserves, but it 

probably shows enough promise to m~rit further 

exploratory work. 

Selected references to publications on zinc are 

Gault (1944); Gault, Rossman,and Flint (1944); 

Muir, Thomas, and Sanford (1947); Reed (1933); 

Robinson (1944); Wahrhaftig {1944); and Webber, 

Moss, and Rutledge (1946). 

Nickel 

Nickel ores consist of two general types, the 

iron-rich sulfide ores of Sudbury, Ontario, and the 

silicate ore~ of New Caledonia. The latter type 

is not found in Alaska and will not be considered 

further in this report. Ninety percent of the world's 

production of nickel is produced from mines of the 

Sudbury district, Ontario. The ore consists of 

pyrrhotite (Fe 8S9 ), pentlandite i((NiFe)uSlo), 

and chalcopyrite (CuFeSz), disseminated in a 

"granitic" and neritic gangue rock; the sulfides 

comprise from 15 to 50 percent of the ore mined 

and the ore values range from 1 to 3 percent of 

nickel and 0. 75 to 1. 5 percent of copper. 

The metallurgical treatment of the iron-rich 

sulfide ores of the Sudbury district involves: 

(1} smelting of ore to a low-grade matte, which is 

treated in basic converters to remove the iron; the 

resulting matte is then {2) treated to remove the 

copper, and the residue (containing the nickel} is 

(3) cast into anodes for electrolytic refining. 

Electric energy plays only a subsidiary role in 

the metallurgy of nickel ores and consequently it is 

unlikely that large blocks of low-cost power will, 

alone, attract nickel-ore processing plants to 

Alaska. However, there are large deposits of 

low-grade nickel-bearing material in Alaska that 

may eventually be mined if the Sudbury ores become 

depleted or if metal prices increase substantially. 

If either condition prevails, then Alaskan 

metallurgical industries may be developed utilizing 

Alaskan nickel ores and electric ehergy. 

The- Alaskan nickel deposits constitute a 

substantial proportion of the nickel reserves of the 

United States and are similar to the Sudbury ores 

except that they are lower in grade. Virtually all 

the known deposits are in southeastern Alaska, 

principally in and near Bohemia Basin on 

Yakobi Island about 75 miles west of Juneau. Other 

nickel deposits are those at Funter Bay on 

Admiralty Island, at Mirror Harbor on the west 

side of Chichagof Island, at Snipe Bay on · 

Baranof Island about 45 miles south of Sitka, and 

near Spirit Mounta~"'l in the Copper River region. 

All the nickel deposits are sulfide-bearing parts of 

7 

bodies of norite or related basic rocks. Those in 

southeastern Alaska are in the neritic parts of 

composite stocks or sills of basic rocks. The 

deposits at Spirit Mountain are in a disconnected 

sill of altered basic rock. 

The metallic minerals in the Alaskan deposits 

are pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite, and 

magnetite. These minerals are disseminated 

throughout the parts of the basic-rock bodies that 

constitute the deposits. The best explored and most 

promising deposits are on Yakobi Island, a small 

island off. the northwest shore of Chichagof Island 

in southeastern Alaska. All the deposits are situated 

in or on the edge of a topographic basin known as Bohemia Basin. Exploratory drilling by the Bureau 

of Mines has indicated that some, if not all, of the 

deposits are parts of a larqe trough- or bowl':"'shaped 

deposit formed by the sulfide minerals near the 

bottom of a norite mass. They have not been explored 

sufficiently to determine if the sulfide zone is continuous throughout the bowl-like depression in the 

bottom of the norite body. The sulfide zone, in 

places, attains a thickness of 150 feet. The 

Geological Survey has estimated that the deposits at 

Bohemia Basin contain almost 20 million tons of 

material that averages about 0. 32 percent of nickel 

and 0. 20 percent- of copper. Of this amount 

6! million tons is estimated to average 0. 51 percent 

of nickel and 0. 27 percent of copper. 

The second largest known Alaskan nickel deposit 

is at Funter Bay on the north end of Admiralty Island. 

This deposit has been explored by an adit (crosscut) and several drill holes. It is probably a sill and 

is composed of feldspar and olivine, with disseminated 

pyrrhotite, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite. Its grade 

is about 0. 45 percent of nickel and 0. 40 percent of 

copper, with insignificant values in gold and silver, 

and very little cobalt. It is estimated by the 

Geological Survey to contain at least 500,000 tons of 

this type of material. 

Present knowledge indicates that :q.one of the 

other known Alaskan nickel deposits are nearly as 

large as th& two mentioned above, although those at 

Mirror Harbor on Chichagof Island and at 

Spirit Mountain in the Copper River region have 

small tonnages of material two or three times as 

rich in nickel. 

No nickel has ever been produced from Alaska. 

The outlook for nickel mining in Alaska in the immediate 

future is not good. Sooner or later, as worid pqlitical 

and economic conditions may dictate, the deposits 

probably will be mined. The known deposits of any 

appreciable size are much lower in grade than those 

at Sudbury. A concentrate equal in grade to that of 

the Sudbury ore undoubtedly could be made. However, 

there are no nickel smelters nearer than eastern 

Canada and the nickel market is almost entirely east 

of the Mississippi River. 

Selected references to publications on 

nickel are Holt and Moss {1946); Kennedy and 

Walton, Jr., (1946); Kingston and Miller (1945); 

Pecora {1942); Pierce {1946); Reed (1942); 

Reed and . Dorr 2d {1942); and U. S. Bureau 

of Mines (1944). 
Miscellaneous metals 

Electric energy is an essential commodity in 

the treatment and refining of beryllium, lithium, 

titanium, zirconium, cerium, calcium,and some of' 

its alloys, and sodium. Of these only sodium is 

consumed commercially in large enough amounts torequire a substantial quantity of electricity. It has been 

estimated that 5. 2 kilowatt-hours of electrical 

energy are required to produce a pound of sodium 

metal, and in view of the increasing use of sodium 

and its compounds it is possible that industry might 

consider an Alaskan location if cheap power were avaliable. 

None of the ores. of beryllium, lithium, titanium, 

zirconium, cerium, and sodium are known to exist 

in commercial quantities in Alaska. However, the 

major interest in Alaska has been centered on gold, copper, or coal and there has been little 

incentive for the search.for such ores. Both 

limestone (CaC03) and gypsum (CaS04 • 2Ha0) are known in Alaska and could possibly be used. 

as ores of calcium, although such use is considered 

unlikely. 

FERROALLOYS 

Ferrosilicon 

Ferro!3ilicon is an alloy of iron and silicon, 

ranging in proportion from 10 percent of silicon 

and 90 percent of iron to 95 percent of silicon 

and 5 percent of iron. It is used in the manufacture 

of certain iron alloys, in which silicon is a desired 

constituent, and for other purposes. Ferrosilicon 

containing less than about 15 percent of silicon is 

made in blast furnaces, whereas ferrosilicon 

containing larger amounts of silicon is produced in 

the electric-arc furnace. Power requirements for 

ferrosilicon are approximately 2 to 3 kilowatt..:hours 

per pound of product. The general practice requires 

a furnace feed of silicon in the form of quartzite, 

iron, in the form of scrap or iron ore, and reducingcoke. ' 

The supply of coke (coal) and iron ore in Alaska is 

discussed elsewhere in this report. Siliceous rocks 

such as quartzite, sandstone, or chert are extremely rare in the parts. of Alaska within reasonable 

shipping distance of upper Lynn Canal. SiliceoUs 

rocks suitable for ferrosilicon feed must be as near to pure silicon dioxide as possible, must be 

uniform in composition and well consolidated. In 

all of southeastern Alaska there are no known clean 

quartzose sandstones or quartzites except possibly 

small quantities at some of the isolated Eocene 

localities, but these rocks are typically unmetamorphosed and virtually unconsolidated. The complete 

sequence of rocks for southeastern Alaska is little 

known and there is a slight possibility that relatively 

pure quartzose rocks may exist. 

Ferrochromium 

Ferrochromium is an alloy of iron and . chromium with varying amounts of carbon (usually 

less than 8 percent) depending on the use of the 

8 

product. The chromium content is generally 60 to 

70 percent. Ferrochromium is produced in an 

electric furnace by adding iron ore, chrome ore, and 

coal or coke, and, if necessary, lime, fluorspar, or 

quartz to produce a suitable slag. Power requirements are about 3 to 4 kilowatt hours per pound of 

product. 

The Alaskan supplies of coal, iron ore, and 

, chromite are discussed elsewhere in this report. 

There is a distinct possibility that Alaskan raw 

materials could be utilized to manufacture ferrochromium. Good metallurgical-grade chromite is 

available on the Kenai Peninsula; suitable coal is 

available in the Matanuska Valley; and high-quality 

iron ore could be obtained from ·southeastern Alaska. 

All these. materials are close to water or rail 

transportation. 

Ferromanganese 

Ferromanganese is an alloy of iron, carbon, 

and mariganese, generally containing about 80 percent 

of manganese, less than 7. 5 percent of carbon, and 

about 15 percent of iron. Much of the ferromanganese 

produced in the United States is made in blast furnaces, 

but it is also produced in electric furnaces in this 

country and abroad. The highest grades of ferromanganese are produced in the electric furnace. The 

furnace feed is a blend of manganese and iron ores with coal or coke. 

There are no known commercial manganese 

deposits in Alaska and from our present knowledge 

of ·the geology of Alaska it appears that conditions · 

are not favorable for the existence of extensive 

manganese deposits. 

Ferrotungsten 

Ferrotungsten is an alloy of iron and tungsten 

generally containing about 70 to ·a5 percent of tungsten 

and about 15 to 30 percent of iron. It is produced in 

an electric furnace and the usual furnace feed is a 

hig'b-grade concentrate of wolframite and reducing 

carbon with small amounts of lime and fluorspar to 

act as a flux. Scheelite is not used to produce 

ferrotungsten. 

The only occurrences of wolframite in Alaska 

that are sufficiently known to offer immediate 

possibility of development are the deposits at the 

Lost River tin mine on western Seward Peninsula 

(Heide, 1946). At Lost River the deposits are 

valuable chiefly for their tin content, although 

wolframite concentrates would be a byproduct. 

General consideration of ferroalloys 

The establishment of ferroalloy industries in 

Alaska involves a number of factors. Dependable 

supplies of high-quality low-cost fuel, including coke 

or its equivalent, would have to be developed. Highgrade limestone for metallurgical flU¥: should present no special problem, as there are extensive deposits 

on tidewater. No sources of metallurgical-grade 

silica are lmown in Alaska, and the geology of the 
region is not believed to be en~ouraging for their 

occurrence. Known deposits of iron ore, chromite, 

and tungsten could contribute to ferroalloy industries 

based primarily on imported ores, but potential 

Alaskan reseurces of these ores are not believed 

to be large enough to support industries by them.:. 

selves. With cheap power, cheap transportation to 

large centers of population and established markets, 

and solution of the other problems indicated, ferroalloy industries in Alaska would be favorably situated 

to treat chrome, tungsten, and manganese ores from 

Alaskan and.Asiatic sources. 

CALCIUM CARBIDE 

Calcium carbide {CaC z) ·is produced from 

high-grade lime, petroleum coke,and bituminous 

coal or coke in an electric furnace of the same 

type used to make ferrosilicon or other ferroalloys. The principal cost in making calcium 

carbide is the cost of the lime, which constitutes 

from 35 to 40 percent of the total cost. Energy 

requirements are about 1t kilowatt-hours per pound 

of product. 

If a calcium carbide plant were to be established in connection with development of YukonTaiya power it would be favorably situated with regard to supplies of high-grade lime. As described 

elsewhere in this report there are extensive highgrade limestone deposits in southeastern Alaska. 

Petroleum, coke, and coal (or coke) would have to 

be impoz:ted, but these items constitute a relatively 

small proportion of the total cost of calcium carbide as compared with the cost of the limestone. 

Limestone for use in manufacturing calcium 

carbide should be with the following limits: 

CaC03 •••••••••••••••••••••••••. 

MgO ......•...•....•........... SiOz .....•..................... 

AlzOa ................ ~ ......•. Fez03 ••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

SiOz + AlzOa + FSzOa .......... . P ............................. . 

s ...... ························· TiOz ......................... . 

Percent 

0.97 or more 

. 5 -1.5 

. 5 -2.0 • 5 -1.0 

.035 -o. 5 

1.0 -3.0 

.0004-0.01 

Tr. -0.1 

Tr. 

ARTIFICIAL ABRASIVES 

The principal artificial abrasives are 

silicon carbide (SiC) and fused alumina(AlzOa), 

both of which are made only in the electric 

furnace. Energy requirements are between 4 and 

5 kilowatt-hours for silicon carbide and between 

1t and li kilowatt-hours for fused alumina 

per pound of product. 

The ra:w materials for manufacturin9 silicon 

carbide are silica sand, coal or coke, sawdust, and 

salt. Coal and sawdust are available in Alaska, 

but silica sand and salt are not. 

Fused alumina is made from bauxite and there are no bauxite deposits in Alaska. 

9 

NITROGEN COMPOUNDS 

The manufacture of nitrogen compounds requires 

a sub~tantial quantity of electric energy and is con- sidered by some who have studied the problem to 

offer a possibility as an ultimate consumer of 

Yukon-Taiya power. The raw materials needed are a large supply of water (about 1001 000 gallons per ton 

of ammonia) and a cheap supply of coking coal. The 

nitrogen, of course, is obtained from air; hydrogen 

is obtained from coke, and the two are combined 

under pressure and heat to produce ammonia. 

Electricity is used for compressing and pum~ing, 

and not directly in the process. However, electrolytic hydrogen can be produced, and in view of the 

present lack of available coking coal in Alaska it 

might be feasible to produce electrolytic hydrogen. 

The ammonia plant at Trail, British Columbia, 

obtains its hydrogen electrolytically. 

CHLORINE AND CAUSTIC SODA 

Caustic soda (NaOH) is manufactured by the 

lime-soda process and by the electrolysis of common 

salt. The former method involves the reaction of 

slaked lime (Ca{OH)z)and soda (NazCOa) to produce 

lime (CaC03 )and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The 

latter method involves the electrolysis of a solution 

of common salt, (NaCl) to produce sodium 

hydroxide, chlorine, and hydrogen. 

Both caustic soda and chlorine are essential 

commodities in the· manufacture of pulp and paper 

products, and in view of the probability of the 

eventual development of a large industry of this 

type in southeastern Alaska, it is considered possible that a caustic ·.soda and chlorine plant could 

be established in connection with development of 

Yukon-Taiya power. There are no known deposits 

of common salt in Alaska and it would have to be 

imported, probably from the nearest source of 

supply in California. 

IRON AND STEEL 

Iron ore is smelted in electric furnaces in 

various parts of the world where there 

is high-grade iron ore and cheap electricity but 

but little or no solid fuel. The most notable localities' where this situation prevails are in northern 

Scandinavia, northern Italy, and Japan. There has 

been much speculation, but very little study, of the 

possibility of establishing an iron industry in 

Alaska, using Alaskan iron ores and electric energy 

to smelt them. Limestone and carbonaceous fuel are needed in addition to iron ore to charge the electric 

furnace. The usual ratio of iron ore (containing 

60 percent of iron), to carbonaceous fuel, and to 

limestone is 33:7:4. The requirement of carbonaceous fuel is about one-half that required for the 

ordinary blast furnace and a much lower grade of 

coal or coke can be used than in a blast furnace. 

The availability of Alaskan supplies of limestone and coal is discussed elsewhere in this report. 

Iron deposits are known at several localities 

in Alaska, but only those in southeastern Alaska 
offer any immediate possibility of development. 

Occurrences of iron ore are known elsewhere in 

Alaska in the Yukon region, near Lake Iliamna in 

southwestern Alaska, north of Eagle in eastern 

Alaska, and in the vicinity of the Shungnak Hills and 

Sinuk River in western and northwestern Alaska. 

Extensive pyrite and pyrrhotite deposits are present 

in southeastern Alaska and in Prince William Sound. 

The southeastern Alaska iron deposits are 

classified either as (1) pyrometasomatic deposits of 

magnetite with a small content of copper, gold, and 

silver; or (2) concentrations of magnetite in basic 

igneous or metamorphic rocks. The first type is 

represented by the deposits on Kasaan Peninsula and at 

Copper Mountain on Prince of Wales Island. These 

average 45 to 50 percent of il'on and are high in sulfur 

(1 to 5 percent) as pyrite and chalcopyrite are conspicuous accessory minerals disseminated in the 

magnetite. All the known iron deposits of this type 

have been mined or prospected in the past for their 

copper content. The second type includes the 

deposits at Klukwan, Haines, and at Port Snettisham. 

These are titaniferous and contain appreciable amounts 

of phosphorus. The average magnetic-iron content 

of this second type is not yet determined but on the 

basis of a few random samples it appears that the 

recpverable iron content will be somewhat less than 

20 percent. 

The .pyrometasomatic magnetite deposits 

characteristically are small (in terms of iron ore), 

irregular, and contain so much barren rock that 

selective mining would be required. The largest 

deposit of this type, the Mount Andrew-Mamie on 

Kasaan Peninsula, was estimated by the Geological 

Survey to contain about 3, 500,000 tons of ore, and the 

other smaller deposits are estimated to contair. about 

2, 000,000 tons. 

The basic-rock type of magnetite deposit is 

large; the deposit at Klukwan contains at least 

several billion tons of magnetite-bearing rock. 

The copper deposits of Prince William Sound 

contain, in addition h chalcopyrite, very large 

quantities of pyrite ar:d/ or pyrrhotite which is 

essentially a waste product. However, if a market 

existed in Alaska for sulfuric acid or for iron ore, 

such as might be created by ferroalloy manufacturing 

plants, this 1ron sulfide product conceivably could be 

produced at a profit. 

All other occurrences of Alaskan iron ores are so 

little known and so far removed from easy transportation to 

the upper Lynn Canal area that they are not considered 

further in this report. 

Selected references to publications on iron are 

Erickson (1948); Goddard, Warner, and Walton(1944); 

Holt and Sanford (1946); Warner and Ray (1944); 

Warner and Walton (1944); and Wright and Fosse (1946). 

CARBON AND GRAPIDTIZED PRODUCTS 

Electrometallurgical and electrochemical 

industries require a considerable quantity of electrodes 

for delivering energy into furnaces and certain types of 

electrolytic cells. The raw material used for making 

10 

carbon and graphitized products is either petroleum 

coke or high-grade. low ash, anthracite, neither of 

which is at present available in.Alaska. Because of 

the lack of local raw materials for the manufacture 

of electrodes it would be necessary for any industrial 

enterprise that might be established in connection with 

the Yukon-Taiya power either to purchase its needed 

electrodes from the States or to import the necessary 

coal and coke to manufacture its own electrodes. 

PHOSPHORUS AND PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS 

Phosphorus and its compounds are principally 

used in fertilizer and for military purposes. Superphosphate, a constituent of someJertilizer, is 

produced by the action of sulphuric acid on high-grade 

phosphate rock. Elemental phosphorus is produced in 

an electric furnace by smelting phosphate with coke 

and silica; the phosphorus is volatilized and recovered 

as white phosphorus or converted to the pentoxide 

(P 20 5). A variety of phosphorus compounds are 

produced from the pentoxide and are used for varied 

purposes. 

The only known occurrences of phosphate rock 

in Alaska are in the Brooks Range. It is doubtful 

if deposits of phosphate rock in such an inaccessible 

area could be utilized in connection with the development of Yukon-Taiya power. 

CHROMITE 

Chromite (FeO · Cr 20 3 ) is used in the manufacture 

)f ferrochrome, as a refractory in metallurgical 

plants, and in the chemical industry for such products 

as chromates and pigments. Its use in ferrochrome 

has been mentioned previously. As a refractory 

considerable amounts might be required in certain 

metallurgical plants that might be established in 

connection with the development of Yukon-Taiya power. 

The only known Alaskan chromite deposits of 

any significant size are those on the southwest tip 

of the Kenai Peninsula (Guild, 1942) in the Cook Inlet 

region. Though small in comparison with deposits 

of similar grade elsewhere in the world, these deposits 

constitute the largest known reserves of high-grade 

chromite in the United States and its territories. 

Deposits are known in two localities: {1) an area 

of about 1 square mile at Claim Point; and (2) an area 

of about 14 square miles at Red Mountain (Rutledge, 

1946). 

The deposits constitute parts of dunite and 

serpentine bodies in which chromite grains are 

concentrated in amounts ranging from a few to more 

than 50 percent of Cr &0 a. The ore bodies generally 

are banded and tabular in shape; they range in size 

from small stringers to bodies of more than 

50, 000 tons. Analyses of relatively pure chromite 

mineral from these deposits reveal that it contains 

54 to 59 percent of Cr 20 3 and has a Cr:Fe ratio 

of 3:1. 

Most of the known chromite ore at Claim Point 

is in a single, banded,and disseminated deposit 

that has been estimated by the Geological Survey to 

contain about 250,000 tons of indicated ore averaging 
17 to 18 percent of Crz03 , andabout2,000tons of 

inferred ore that averages 42 percent of Cr 20 3 • 

At Red Mountain there are 31 known deposits of 

which 11 contain nearly all the chromite ore in the 

area. Two of the deposits contain most of the 

high-grade ore (containing 40 or more percent of 

Cr )~ The Geological Survey has estimated that 

these two chromite deposits at Red Mountain 

contain 16, 000 tons of indicated ore averaging 40 to 

45 percent of Cr zO a and 13, 000 tons of indicated ore 

averaging 25 percent of CrzOa, about 12,000 tons of 

inferred ore averaging 40 percent ofcr 20 3 , and 

64, 000 tons of inferred ore containing 20 percent of 

Cr 20a. The remaining 9 of the 11 deposits are 

estimated to contain a few thousand tons of inferred 

ore averaging 40 to 45 percent of CrzOa, and as 

much as 100,000 tons of inferred ore containing 

15 to 25 percent of CrzOa. 

More than half of the ultramafic body above sea 

level at Claim Point is covered with moraine and 

soil. At Red Mountain, areas of exposed bedrock are 

scattered through much larger areas of talus. ·It is 

possible that deposits of chromite comparable in size 

and grade with those known may exist beneath the 

covered areas and might be discovered by geophysical 

methods. 

Other occurrences of chromite are known along 

the northwest flank of the Chugach Mountains near the 

head of Cook Inlet, near Livengood in the Yukon region, 

at :f3.ed Bluff Bay on Baranof Island, and at 

Mount Burnett on Cleveland Peninsula near Ketchikan. 

All of these occurrences are considered to be too 

small to be of economic importance. 

Many areas containing ultramafic rocks are 

known in Alaska and certain of these, such as east 

of Fairbanks to the international boundary, near 

Platinum in southwestern Alaska, and east of 

Lituya Bay in southern Alaska, include geologic 

environments favorable for the occurrence of chromite. 

COAL 

Coal, especially anthracite and coking coal, is 

an essential commodity in several of the metallurgical processes previously described in this 

report. Although there are vast coal deposits in 

Alaska, the only known anthracite coal and cokingcoal deposits are in the Matanuska Valley and 

Bering River fields. 

• 

Coal of Carboniferous age is found at 

Cape Lisburne, on the Arctic coast of northwestern 

Alaska, and at the mouth of the Nation River on the 

upper Yukon River. Coal of Cretaceous age is found 

chiefly in northwestern and west-central Alaska north 

of the Yukon River, and in small deposits along the 

Alaska Peninsula. Tertiary coal beds occur on the 

north flank of the Alaska Range both east. and .west of 

the Nenana River, in the Matanuska Valley, on the 

west side of the Kenai Peninsula, and nearBeringRiver 

northeast of Katalla. 

Bering River. --The Bering River coal field is 

12 miles northeast of Katalla at the foot of the 

St. Eli&.s Range. The nearest harbor at Controller Bay 

11 

is about 10 miles away but it does not provide safe 

anchorage for large vessels. To connect the coal 

field with Cordova, the nearest deep-water harbor, · 

would require 60 miles of low-level railroad and 

crossing of the Copper River delta. The coal ranges 

in rank from semibituminous to anthracite and is in 

part of coking quality. The coal beds are from 3 to 

slightly more than 25 feet thick and are highly folded, 

faulted,and crushed. In spite of its high quality, no 

coal has been produced commercially from the 

Bering River field. The complex structure of the beds 

and the difficulty of bringing the coal to tidewater are 

deterrents to exploitation of the field. 

Cook Inlet Lowland.-- The better known coal 

deposits of this region are on the western part of the 

Kenai Peninsula north of Kachemak Bay. Coal is 

being produced for local use from beds that crop out 

a short distance west of Homer. The coal beds have 

been only slightly folded and faulted, and range from 

3 to 6 feet thick. The coal is subbituminous and 

lignitic. Minable reserves are large and are near 

tidewater. 

Matanuska Valley. --The Matanuska Valley coal 

field has the largest production of any field in 

Alaska. The lower part of the field is readily 

accessible by a branch line of the Alaska Railroad and 

by several auto roads from the south and east. The 

principal mines have been the Evan Jones and 

Eska mines. The Evan Jones mine has a daily 

capacity of more than 500 tons and is the only mine 

in Alaska producing bituminous coal. The governmentowned Eska mine ceased perations in 1946 .. 

The coal occurs in he Chickaloon formation of 

Tertiary age, a series of argillaceous and sandy 

sediments more than 5, 0 0 feet in total thickness, 

. that is locally overlain b several thousand feet of 

conglomerate. In the w.e tern part of the field the 

beds are moderately fold d and faulted, whereas 

toward the eastern part o the field the beds are 

complexly folded, faulte and crushed, and penetrated 

by an increasing number f igneous intrusives. There 

are at least 12 coal beds in the western part of the 

field, generally from 2 t 6 feet thick but locally as 

much as 20 feet thick. ecause of their cotnplex 

structure the coal beds a e less accurately known 

in the eastern part of the field. The coal of the 

Western Matanuska Vall y is bituminous and is 

noncoking; that of the ea tern part is mainly high-rank 

bituminous, at least in p rt of coking quality, and 

includes some anthracite 

Undeveloped reser es in the Matanuska Valley 

are large, especially in he Wishbone Hill district 

between Eska and Moose Creeks. Many faults increase 

mining costs and necessi te expert supervision of 

development and mining or I:?rofitable operation. 

Susitna Rive.r basi . -- Coal-bearing strata are 

expose m many. scatter d areas of the Susitna Basin 

and probably extend ove much larger areas beneath 

lhe mantle of glacia). and stream gravels that covers 

the basin. Some coal ha been produced from the 

Dunkle mine on Costello Creek, and from the mines 

at Houston and near Bro d Pass. The coal is lignitic 

and subbituminous and o curs in beds 4 to 8 feet thick 

and of limited extent. C al from the Susitna Basin, 

because of its poorer q lity, limited known reserves, 
and difficulty of access, is in an inferior competitive 

position with respect to Matanuska Valley coal. 

Nenana coal field.-- The Tertiary coal beds of 

the Nenana field extend in a broad, nearly continuous 

belt along the north flank of the Alaska Range between 

the Toklat River and Jarvis Creek. The central part 

of the field is crossed by the Alaska Railroad and the 

eastern end of the Richardson Highway. The 

Suntrana mine, the second largest coal mine in 

Alaska, is in this field. Its annual production is 

about 100, 000 tons. 

The coal is lignitic and subbituminous, and 

occurs in beds ranging from a few feet to more than 

50 feet 1n thickness. Enormous reserves are present 

in many paris of the field, in both steeply and gently 

dipping beds. 

Other coal fields. --Most of the other Alaskan 

coal fields are so far removed from transportation 

facilities and possible markets that they are little 

known and little. developed. The other known coal 

fields are: northwestern Alaska, Kobuk River, 

Seward Peninsula, Yukon River basin, Chignik Bay, 

Herendeen Bay, Unga Island, and Kootznahoo Inlet. 

The Geological Survey has studied parts of these 

fields and considerable information about them has been 

published. They are not considered further in this 

report because of their remoteness, low quality, or 

limiteci size. 

· Selected references to publications on coal are 

Barnes {1949); Barnes and Byers (1945); Capps (1927); 

Cobb (1950); Geer and Yancey {1946); Martin (1908, 

1919); Martin and Katz (1912b); Martin, Johnson, 

and Grant (.1915); Payne and Hopkins (1945); 

Rutledge (1948); Tuck (1937); U. S. Bureau of 

Mines (1946); Wahrhaftig (1944); Wahrhaftig and 

Freedman (1945); and Waring (1936). 

LIMESTONE 

Southeastern Alaska has vast quantities of 

limestone and marble. Pacific Coast States are 

deficient in good limestone and marble and such 

material::; must be imported from southeastern 

Alaska or'from east of the Sierra Nevada and 

Cascade Mountains. In the early part of this century 

six or more marble quarries operated in southeastern 

Alaska, and Alaskan stone has been used in the 

United States in more than a hundred buildings as well 

as for statuary and monumental purposes. Since the 

early part of this century the use of building stone 

has lost favor and Alaskan marble quarries have not 

been in production for many years. Burchard (1920) 

gives a comprehensive description of marble in 

southeastern Alaska. 

Lime rock has been produced from the quarry 

at View Cove on Dalllsland since 1928. The quarry 

was operated for many years by the Portland Superior 

Cement Co. which shipped the rock to its plant at 

Portland. The operators ship the rock in their own 

vessels and are said to be able to place it at the dock 

in Puget Sound at a cost of about $2. 25 per ton. In 

1946-47, Alcoa planned to develop a quarry site for 

lime rock at Edna Bay otl Kosciusko Island and has 

done considerable diamond drilling. However, their 

plans were temporarily recessed in the latter part 

12 

of 194'7 because, the company was not yet ready to 

operate its plant in Oregon for the recovery of 

aluminum and iron from Oregon laterites. It was 

intended that the limestone would be used in this plant 

and would also be sold on the open market. 

Most of the limestones of southeastern Alaska 

are confined to the Paleozoic system and are most 

prevalent in pre~Silurian, Silurian, and Devonian rocks. 

These rocks extend through Prince of Wales Island, 

Kuiu Island, Kupreanof Island, the south end of 

Admiralty Island, the east side of Chichagof Island, 

and through Glacier Bay and northward into Canada. 

The eastern border of this belt crosses the Haines 

Cut-off in Alaska about a mile from the international 

boundary. 

The pre-Silurian limestones have been little 

studied, although it is known that there are beds as 

much as 1, 000 feet thick on Prince of ·wales Island 

ne~r Hetta Inlet and Cholmondeley Sound. At the 

few places where these rocks have been analyzed they are 

dolomitic. · 

The Silurian rocks comprise vast areas 

of limestone and are uniformly of high purity 

ranging from 95 to 100 percent calcium carbonate. The limestones occur as beds of enormous 

thickness and countless sttitable quarry sites could 

be selected near tidewater, particularly on Prince 

of Wales Island. Roehm (1946) has described 

a few of the Silurian limestone localities in 

southeastern Alaska. 

Limestone of Devonian age occurs in beds 

as much as 600 feet thick on the east coast 

of Prince of Wales Island and on Kupreanof Island. 

Little is known of the quality of Devonian limestones, although they appear to be of high quality. 

Limestone is known in the upper Lynn Canal 

area at mile 41 on the Haines Cut-off on the 

Alaskan side of the international boundary. Thick 

beds of massive white limestone crop out adjacent 

to the highway and in high, steep bluffs above 

road level. Two samples, probably representative 

of the entire limestone mass, were collected in 

1950 by E. C. Robertson of the Geological Survey. Listed below are the analyses of the samples (analyses by Harry M. Hyman of the Geological Survey). 

50ARn-162 

SiOz.................... 0.12 

Al 20 3 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .14 

Fez03 •••••••••••••••••• .00 

FeO.................... .08 

MgO... •. .• . •. • . . . .. .. .. 2.02 

CaO.................... 53.75 

Na 20................... .00 

K 20 .• . . . . . • . . . . . • • . . . • . .02 

H20(-). ... • . • . . . . . . . . . . . .. .02 

HzO(+).................. .06 

Ti0 2 ••••••••••••••••••• .00 

C0 2 •••••••••••••••••••• 44.07 

P 20 5 ••••••••••••••••••• .01 

MnO ..•................. · --:J2i 

100.28 

50ARn-163 

0.13 

.03 

.07 

.03 

2.54 

53.09 

.00 

.02 

.02 

.08 

.00 

44.16 

.01 

--:J2l 

100.19 
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

Alaska has some of the ores and raw materials 

required by potential electrochemical and electrometallurgical industries that might be attracted to 

the upper Lynn Canal area should Yukon-Taiya power 

be developed. These are sea water, olivine, copper, 

zinc, nickel, iron, chromite, coal, and limestone. 

Of these coal, limestone, and byproduct zinc are 

produced in Alaska at present and the producing 

sources are so situated that boat transportation is 

required to bring the materials to upper Lynn Canal. 

The other possible Alaskan ores are not developed to 

the extent necessary for a final appraisal of their 

ultimate worth as contributors to the proposed 

electrochemical and electrometallurgical industries. 

The aluminum industry is considered the most 

likely claimant of Yukon-Taiya power; there are no 

known Alaskan ores of aluminum. 

To further appraise Alaska's raw material 

resources as possible supplies for Yuko~-Taiya 

industries, the following investigations are 

recommended: 

1. Sampling and analysis of the sea water of 

upper Lynn Canal to determine magnesium content. 

2. Exploration and appraisal of Alaskan zinc 

deposits. 

3. Economic studies of cost of mining, treating, 

and marketing Alaskan zinc ores. 

4. Exploration and development of the copperbearing pyrite ore bodies in the Prince William Sound 

area. 

5. Studies of costs and means of concentrating 

and marketing Alaskan nickel-copper ores and 

magnetite-copper ores. 

6. Further sampling and appraisal of limestone 

deposits in southeastern Alaska. 

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1951, A review of the geology and coal 

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Barnes, F. F., and Byers, F. M., Jr., 1945, 

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Buddington, A. F., and Chapin, Theodore, 1929, 

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Capps, S. R., 1927, Geology of the upper 

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13 

Capps, S. R., and Johnson, B. L., 1915, The 

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14 

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INT.-DUP. SEC., WASH., D.C. 38623