Alaska's golden arch: the gold isn't just at the end of the rainbow.

• Author: Gudde, Levi
• Position: Tintina Gold Belt in Alaska

The gold isn't just at the end of the rainbow

Instead of a pot of gold, geologists found evidence of a 200-mile-wide golden rainbow curving through Alaska and into Canada. They couldn't be happier.

The Tintina Gold Belt arches through the state's middle, then crosses into Canada and drops toward the southern border of the Yukon Territory. Within that massive arch lies some very serious gold deposits such as Southwestern's Donlin Creek, Flat, Illinois Creek and Nixon Fork; and Central/Interior's Ryan Lode, True North, Fort Knox and Pogo.

"It's interesting that most of the big finds, and many smaller ones, too, fall within the borders of the belt," says geologist Steve Borell, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association. "What is exciting for a geologist, is the potential for more discoveries. The Tintina Gold Belt represents a lot of country and most of it is still unexplored."

During the past 100 years, almost 30 million ounces of gold have come from within Tintina's borders. Today, known gold resources are conservatively put at nearly 40 million ounces, a total almost certain to climb as exploration continues.

"Keep in mind also," says Borell, "that the 40 million ounces of gold resources represent only what is currently known. Exploration efforts, including extensive drilling programs worth millions of dollars each year, are continuing at a brisk pace."

A case in point is La Teko Resources Ltd. The company's drill reports from this summer's exploration activities on its Scheelite Dome property in Canada's Yukon Territory indicate the possibility of yet another major gold deposit there. Another find in Alaska's portion of the gold belt is La Teko/Newmont Gold Co.'s True North deposit, not far from the Fort Knox mine. Both are in a geologic setting similar to headline-making finds such as the Pogo mega-deposit north of Delta Junction and the giant, world-class Fort Knox gold mine near Fairbanks.

"I believe La Teko is on the verge of a major new gold discovery," says Gerald Carlson, the normally cautious president of La Teko. "The values from this drill program are significantly higher than those (done previously) ... and further demonstrate the enormous potential within the Tintina Gold Belt for large gold deposits."

Evaluating The Evidence

Although evidence of this gold belt has been in front of us for years, it is only in the last few that geologists, with the help of computers, have begun to recognize and define its presence.

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