New Magnetic and Radiometric Surveys Provide Raw Data for Interior Mineral Exploration
Livengood Gold Project
The Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) is publishing two new airborne magnetic and radiometric geophysical surveys—one for the White Mountains north of Fairbanks and one near Eagle in the eastern Interior.
Scanning for Minerals
“The release of this geophysical data is an exciting step forward in driving critical mineral exploration and development in Alaska,” says Natural Resources Commissioner Corri Feige. “As our nation’s storehouse of critical minerals, Alaska’s contribution to our national security and geopolitical strategy can’t be overstated. Alaska is open for business and eager to see the exploration activity that this data will help attract.”
These data are a part of the planned continuous regional magnetic data coverage of the Yukon Tanana Uplands. The White Mountains survey connects the existing Rampart, Circle, and Fairbanks-area surveys while the Eagle survey extends the coverage of magnetic data north toward the Yukon River, building on existing geophysical surveys in the region.
“The data from both surveys will be used to better the understanding of the geology and mineral potential, promoting resource exploration,” says geophysicist Abraham Emond with DGGS’s Mineral Resources Section.
Current Issue
December 2024
The White Mountains survey covers 5,200 square miles (13,400 square kilometers) and includes a broad area of high mineral potential, including the Livengood gold deposit and the Shorty Creek copper-gold-silver-tungsten exploration project. Parts of the area have high potential for critical minerals, including rare earth elements and tin. The area adjoins the previously surveyed Fairbanks and Circle mining districts.
DNR
The survey near Eagle covers 3,757 square miles (9,731 square kilometers) and includes portions of the Fortymile and Eagle mining districts. The area includes the lode gold prospects of the Seventymile area and the lead-zinc-silver prospects of the Mount Veta area.
DNR
This work was funded by the US Geological Survey’s Earth Mapping Resources Initiative and the US Bureau of Land Management, administered by the State of Alaska.
These data sets are available for download from the DGGS website in a wide variety of industry standard formats. The White Mountains survey data can be found at https://doi.org/10.14509/30756 while the Eagle survey data can be found at https://doi.org/10.14509/30755. The public can view the archive with Google Earth or compatible viewer, look at the PDF format maps, or (for the seriously adventurous) load the geographically registered PDFs on a mobile device and go exploring in the area itself, guided by the data map.
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