Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
September 5, 2010
I know that gold resources in Alaska are quite rich, but I would like to know more about gold mining in Alaska, like what are the main mines, how much gold is in fact mined per year and am I likely to find gold on my own:)?
May 2, 2011
Alaska is believed to still contain a great deal of un-mined gold. Accessing this gold, however, is easier said than done. It is thought that much of the gold accessible by shovel and pick has been found, thus mining for gold now means millions of dollars worth of equipment and personnel. As well, most land has been claimed, as have most water sources. It has been suggested that if you find a river in Alaska that appears to be un-claimed, you are safer to assume that it IS in fact claimed than to attempt to mine it yourself (politics of gold mining!). If you do find an area to claim, then it is likely that this is due to a lack of gold deposits. So, even though there is plenty of gold buried deep down inside the land of Alaska, accessing this gold is no easy feat – physically or financially.
September 13, 2010
Gold has been mined in Alaska since 1870, and today the US is still grateful for obtaining Alaska every time it thinks of all the gold mined and produced in Alaska. The region of the Yukon Flats is known to be gold abundant, but other areas in the state are also constantly explored in the search of gold.
September 10, 2010
From what I know, many major US gold mines are located in Alaska. 6-7 Large hard rock gold mines are currently operated, with many additional small scale mining projects taking place as well. Nevada still produces more gold than Alaska, but with close to 700 troy oz of gold produces in Alaska per year, Alaska's gold industry is doing very well. Gold constitutes about 15-20% of the mining wealth in Alaska. Overall, throughout gold mining history, Alaska produced over 40 million troy oz of gold.
September 6, 2010
Large scale hard rock gold mines in Alaska include Pogo Mine, which produces about 250,000 troy oz per year (currently owned by Teck Cominco), Fort Know Mine, producing about 330,000 troy oz of gold per year (owned by Kinross Gold), Greens Creek Mine, producing about 70,000 troy oz of gold per year (owned by Hecla Mining) and Rock Creek Mine, which is a relatively new mine, run by Nova Gold Resources.
Concerning your inquiry about looking for gold by yourself, well I don't think anyone can just find gold, but recreational mining is actually quite common. You will need metal detectors, rockers, sluice boxes and suction dredges, and obviously a good map as well. Most locations suitable for recreational gold mining are quite remote, but some can also be reached by vehicle. Some regulations exist on how much gold can one person mine. Lodging facilities exist in some of the mining areas, including the recommended Chugach State Park and Independence Mine State Historical Park. Caribou Creek Recreational Mining park is also quite popular and also pretty easy to get to, through the Glenn Highway.
