Alaska's Gold

If all the gold that has been mined in Alaska were put in one place, the pile would weigh somewhat more than 1200 tons and a cube formed of it would be 13 feet (about 4 meters) on a side.

At $400 per troy ounce the total value of the gold mined so far in Alaska is twelve billion dollars. Even in these days of inflation and high energy costs, 12 billion dollars is not ptarmigan feed.

According to an article by Mark Robinson and Tom Bundtzen in the September 1979 issue of the Mines and Geology Bulletin, the Fairbanks mining district holds the record for greatest total production, well over seven million troy ounces. Juneau follows as a close second with nearly seven million ounces. Nome with four million ounces and the Iditarod district with its 1.3 million ounces are the only other gold mining areas in Alaska that have produced more than a million ounces. The total production of gold across the border in the Klondike district is roughly that of the Fairbanks district, probably somewhat smaller.

The number of people employed in Alaskan metals mining over the years is described by C.N. Conwell in the same issue of the Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys publication.

Over 8,000 people were employed in 1915 but the number was down to 3,600 just before the 1933 legal increase in gold price. The number of workers jumped to 6,400 then fell to 1,400 in 1947 because of World War II.

Alaskan metals mining fell to a low of less than 300 employed in 1970, but the current high price of gold has created new interest. In 1979, approximately 1,700 people were employed in exploration activities.