Studying abandoned drill core in remote Alaska

Two USGS scientists study rotary drill core that was abandoned on location at a porphyry-style copper mineral deposit in a remote part of the Yukon-Tanana upland northeast of Northway, Alaska. The core was left on site by the mineral exploration company who conducted the drilling, and it has been exposed to Alaska weather for almost a decade. The scientists are economic geologists studying the characteristics of copper, molybdenum, and gold mineralization in the core and sampling key parts of the remaining material for new geochemical, geochronologic, and isotopic analyses. A USGS study provides new data and interpretations that improve our understanding of the bedrock geologic framework and mineral resource potential of the Yukon-Tanana upland of eastern interior Alaska.