26 ALASKAN MINERAL RESOURCES IN 1906. 
stone and a greenstone which is probably an ancient lava flow. ° The 
foregoing statements indicate that some of the copper-bearing lodes 
of Alaska appear, in part, at least, to be the result of a different group 
of phenomena from those which caused the auriferous lodes. 
LODE MIKING. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The most notable advance in lode mining during 1906 was the devel- 
opment of the copper deposits of the Ketchikan district and of Prince 
William Sound. While steady progress has been made in the aurif- 
erous mines of the Juneau district there were no marked develop- 
ments. Statistics are not yet available, but it is not probable that 
the output of gold from this district was notably greater than in 1905, 
nor have any important discoveries of new auriferous-lode districts 
been reported. In Seward Peninsula the one developed lode mine has 
continued to be a producer and there was a noteworthy activity in 
prospecting quartz veins, but here also no important discoveries have 
been reported. Statements are current that auriferous copper-bear- 
ing lodes have been found in the Kobuk Valley and in the Susitna 
basin, but the proof of their commercial value will have to await 
further investigations. The same holds true of the auriferous lodes 
reported from Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak and adjacent islands. The 
copper-bearing property in the Iliamna Lake region has received some 
attention, but the writer has scanty information regarding it. It is 
at least of interest in suggesting the occurrence of mineralization in 
this little-known field. Though auriferous veins have been found in 
the Yukon basin, nothing of commercial importance has so far been 
developed. 
STATISTICS. 
It is unfortunate that the statistical data are not all in hand yet 
and that therefore the production can be stated only in general terms. 
It is probable that the value of the gold production from siliceous ores 
for 1906 is about $3,450,000 and that the copper ores yielded about 
$100,000 in gold. The value of the silver from both classes of ore 
for 1906 is probably about $50,000. The copper production of 1906 
is estimated to have been about 6,000,000 pounds, valued at about 
$1,100,000. It is estimated that thirteen gold and silver mines were 
on a productive basis in 1906, as compared with ten in 1905. Four- 
teen copper mines are believed to have been operated in 1906, as com- 
pared with eight in 1905. In addition to the productive mines many 
prospects were being developed, especially in the copper districts. It 
has been impossible to gather any complete data in regard to the 
a Mendenhall, W. C, and Schrader, F. G., Mineral resources of the Wrangell region: Prof. Paper U. S. 
Geol. Survey No. 15, 1903, 
