G22AC00475

Tier II Airborne Magnetic and Electromagnetic Survey within the Northeastern Portion of the Kuskokwim River Region and Airborne Electromagnetic Survey of the Graphite Creek Area, Seward Peninsula, AK

Project Period: 08/19/2022 - 08/18/2025

AK Seward Peninsula AEM Mag D22

This high-resolution airborne electromagnetic survey (AEM) is planned for acquisition in 2022 in the Kigluaik, Bendeleben, and Darby Mountains on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. The survey is funded by the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative and is designed to meet complementary needs related to mineral resource assessments and regional geologic framework and mapping studies to be conducted by the USGS and DGGS.

The survey will focus on the Kigluaik, Bendeleben, and Darby Cretaceous gneiss domes composed of Neoproterozoic-Mesozoic metasedimentary and plutonic rocks. The Kigluaik Mountains gneiss dome hosts the world-class Graphite Creek deposit. However, the detailed structure of the dome and the regional extent of graphitic rocks in the adjacent Bendeleben and Darby gneiss domes are uncertain.

The planned survey includes time-domain electromagnetic and magnetic data to be collected from a helicopter-towed system along flight lines oriented perpendicular to the range front, spaced at 1000 m, and with a system terrain clearance of 30-50 m. The expected depth of penetration is 300-500 m, with resolution as shallow as 5-10 m depth. The survey will target graphite-V mineral systems while also delineating neighboring stratigraphy, faults, and regional structural fabrics that may influence other system types.

AK Kuskokwim Focus Area Mag Rad D22

This high-resolution magnetic and radiometric survey is planned for acquisition in the summer of 2022 and is adjacent to the FY2021 Earth MRI high-resolution magnetic and radiometric survey of the Yukon-Tanana Uplands (YTU). The survey is funded by the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative and is designed to meet complementary needs related to mineral resource assessments and mapping studies to be conducted by the USGS and DGGS.

Critical and non-critical mineral deposits are dispersed throughout the KR region's various terranes and flysch units and are spatially and genetically associated with different ages and compositions of intrusive suites and fault systems. In addition to being part of the world-class Tintina Gold Belt, with numerous significant gold deposits, the KR region contains known tin, rare earth element, tungsten, and antimony deposits and has high potential for additional undiscovered critical mineral deposits.

Alaska Department Of Natural Resources

15.808 - U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection

USGS Office of Acquisitions and Grants [DOI - USGS]

Alaska United States

State-Wide

G-G-RDC-22-001

Infrastructure $5,250,000 (100%) percent this Cooperative Agreement was funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Act.