Moore Creek Mining LLC

Home     General     Geology     Specimens     History     Report     Specimens

Moore Creek Mining LLC is a registered Alaska corporation that owns a lode prospect in the historic Iditarod District of Alaska. Highbury Projects, Inc. (HPI-TSX:V) holds the right to earn a 60% interest of the 100% interest right in the Moore Creek property held by Full Metal Minerals, Ltd. (FMM-TSX:V) under agreement with underlying property owner Moore Creek Mining LLC.

24.79 Ounce vein section found in tailing pile in 2005 - click to enlarge

The Moore Creek project consists of Alaska State mining claims (248 km2) within the Iditarod C-3 quadrangle, and is located in the Kuskokwim Mountains approximately 92 km west of McGrath in southwestern Alaska. The Moore Creek area has produced more than 55,000 ounces of placer gold, most of which came from the Moore Creek Mining Company operating on Moore Creek in the 1930s and 40s. Placer gold of the area has unusually high mercury (Hg) content, locally with as much as 17% Hg in solid solution in the placer gold. Gold and silver-bearing epithermal veins have been exposed at the Broken Shovel prospect in a small (less than a quarter section in area) monzonite plug referred to as the Moore Creek stock. A 2007 trenching program discovered two additional zones of high-grade gold mineralization to the SE of the Broken Shovel occurrence; the Troy and Spring zones. http://www.fullmetalminerals.com/full-metal-and-highbury-commence-drilling-at-moore-creek-gold-project/

In the Spring Zone, sheeted quartz-tourmaline veins contain coarse gold and disseminated sulfides. Several notable samples across widths of from 4.0 to 11.0 meters contained 2.17 to 8.86 grams of gold per ton. The mineralization in the Troy Zone consists of gold-quartz veins in a wider zone of lower grade gold mineralization. Notable samples of the veins included 0.2 meters with 88.5 grams of gold per ton and 0.2 meters with 36.0 grams of gold per ton; these occur within a 3.0-meter-long channel sample that averaged 7.6 grams of gold per ton. The Broken Shovel zone is a steeply dipping quartz vein; twelve samples contained from a trace to 3.84 grams of gold per ton and 2.0 to 1,105 grams of silver per ton, along with anomalous bismuth, arsenic, and mercury.

These zones were the focus of 2008 diamond drilling program on the property. http://www.fullmetalminerals.com/full-metal-and-highbury-drill-5-5-m-of-4-28-gt-au-at-moore-creek-gold-project/

A total of 1878.41 m of core was drilled over 13 holes during 2008 exploration efforts. Unfortunately, the drilling program was halted due to core recovery problems. Holes MC08-01 to MC08-05 and MC08-09 to MC08-12 tested the Spring Zone and Holes MC08-06 to MC08-08 and MC08-13 tested the Troy Zone. Strong alteration was encountered with zones of silicified and tourmaline-altered monzonite with stockwork quartz veins (up to 79 cm wide) and disseminated-massive arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and rare pyrrohtite intersected in the majority of the holes. Alteration intensity and grade appears to increase to the south, towards the Iditarod-Nixon Fork Fault. MC08-05 intersected 10.5 meters with an average grade of 2.82 grams per metric tons gold; this included a 5.5 meter intersection with an average grade of 4.28 g/t gold. In addition to drilling, 228 soil and 46 rock samples were collected during reconnaissance efforts across the claims block. The soil sampling program delineated broad Au (+/- As; Au > 15 ppb) geochemical anomalies on Willow Mt and Maybe Mt, approximately 2.5 and 8km north of the Moore Creek stock. Previously un-reported historic prospect pits were also discovered in a saddle adjacent to the peak of Maybe Mt. Grab samples of quartz and massive arsenopyrite float from this area assayed up to 6.07 ppm Au.

The 2008 financial crises resulted in a drastic decline in available exploration dollars in the mining industry, bringing exploration at Moore Creek to a halt. Additional planned exploration in 2009 was canceled. Since that time only annual assessment work has been performed. The property continues under lease by Full Metal Minerals, Ltd. and Highbury Projects, Inc.

What was life like in the early days in the Moore Creek area? Read the memoirs of Elmer Keturi

Moore Creek Mining LLC  P.O. Box 770-742  Eagle River, AK 99577  info@moorecreek.com