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U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Open-File Report 2007–1126

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Introduction

The Kuskokwim mineral belt of Bundtzen and Miller (1997) forms an important metallogenic region in southwestern Alaska (fig. 1) that has yielded more than 3.2 million ounces of gold, 412,000 ounces of silver, and 3 million pounds of mercury. The Sleetmute 1:250,000-scale quadrangle encompasses part of this mineral belt and contains Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary igneous rocks that elsewhere are associated with precious-metal and related mineral deposits. Previously published reports include a preliminary geologic map (Miller and others, 1989) and stream sediment and heavy mineral concentrate data from select areas (Gray and others, 1995; Gray and others, 1997; Gray and others, 1999). A summary of the mines, prospects, and occurrences in this region is provided in Bundtzen and Miller (2004). To assess the potential for additional undiscovered metallic resources in this poorly known area, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted geologic mapping and geochemical sampling in the Sleetmute 1:250,000-scale quadrangle intermittently between 1993 and 1999.

This report provides analytical results for major- and trace-elements for 1,551 rock samples collected from the Sleetmute quadrangle (fig. 2) in Excel (*.xls) and comma delimited (*.csv) formats (available at https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1126/). Fields for each sample include descriptive information, location in latitude and longitude (decimal degrees), and analytical results. Column headings for analytical results in the data table include a two-letter symbol representing the element analyzed (Au, Pb, etc.), data units in percent (%) or parts per million (ppm), and a suffix designating the analytical method used (ICP40, ICP10, FA, CVAA, or AA). Some analytical results in the data table are preceded by a symbol such as “<” or “N.” In these cases the value following the symbol represents the lower reporting limit. The “N” symbol indicates no signal was detected for that particular element. A “<” symbol indicates a signal was detected but that any results obtained fell below the lower reporting limit. An “ins” value indicates there was insufficient sample to obtain an analysis.

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