engineering

Independence Mines, Alaska

Independence Mines, Alaska is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Independence Mines, Alaska rather than just read about it. In short: The Independence Mines, now Independence Mine State Historical Park, is the site of a former gold mining operation in the Talkeetna Mountains, across Hatcher Pass from Palmer, Alaska. The area's mining history dates to at least 1897, when active claims were reported in the vicinity of Fishook Creek.

Key takeaways

Independence Mines, Alaska belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Independence Mines, Alaska to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Independence Mines, Alaska from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Independence Mines, now Independence Mine State Historical Park, is the site of a former gold mining operation in the Talkeetna Mountains, across Hatcher Pass from Palmer, Alaska. The area's mining history dates to at least 1897, when active claims were reported in the vicinity of Fishook Creek. These early mining efforts were eventually joined to form the Wasilla Mining Company, which worked the mines from 1934 to 1943, and again from 1948 to 1950. The mining operation at Independence was the second-largest hard-rock gold mining operation in the state, after a larger site near Juneau. The company and the miners that preceded it built a substantial mining camp, with as many as sixteen wood-frame buildings, which were originally connected to each other by sheltered wooden "tunnels". When the company ended operations in 1950 it had expected to eventually resume them, but never did. This resulted in a particularly well-preserved collection of mining equipment and buildings, although the weather has since taken a significant toll on the latter. The mining camp was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The land was donated to the state in 1980, which established a state historic park on the site. The mine resumed underground operations in 1979 via Starkey Wilson and Chuck Hawley's Coronado Mining Inc, with the intent to base milling and mine operations on the Willow side (opposite the side of the State Park). The Independence Gold Mine, located approximately 70 mi (112.7 km) north of Anchorage, has produced in excess of 165,500 oz (4,691.9 kg) of gold. In 1979, Starkey Wilson obtained an option on the property and, in 1981, Enserch Corporation (Dallas, Texas) became a 50-percent partner. Coronado Mining became the mill operator for the partners. During 1981, extensive underground exploration and development were conducted, and 3,000 tons of ore grading 0.5 oz/ton was stockpiled. The ore occurs in quartz veins that occupy north-northwest-trending shear zones along the southern border of the Talkeetna Batholith. The veins contain pyrite, arsenopyrite, molybdenite, galena, tetrahedrite and free gold. Stockpiled ore has been treated in a 150-TPD mill near the mine site. The mill contains jig and flotation units, a batch-cyanide system and a Merrill-Crowe precipitation circuit. The mine and mill facility were dedicated in August 1982. In November 1982, Coronado suspended operations for an undisclosed period, citing problems with recovery in the mill as the reason for closure. Company officials have not released total expenditures for the project, but sources estimate development costs through 1983 at $6 million (~$15.8 million in 2024). This figure includes construction of the new mill, living quarters for 30 workers, and several thousand feet of development drifting (including a 3,150-ft (960.1 m) access tunnel). In 1983, the tailings pond was sealed with a bentonite or (TM) extract. Test runs of mill ore produced satisfactory results, but production of gold from mill runs is unknown. An undisclosed amount of subsurface work was also conducted on the property.

Climate Independence Mine State Historic Park has a tundra climate (Köppen ET).

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska List of Alaska state parks

References

External links Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. AK-8, "Independence Mine, Palmer, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK", 4 photos, 1 photo caption page

Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Alaska Office of Mineral Development, Special Report #33

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Independence Mines, Alaska

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Independence Mines, Alaska claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Independence Mines, Alaska before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Independence Mines, Alaska ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Independence Mines, Alaska

In research: Independence Mines, Alaska appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Independence Mines, Alaska in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Independence Mines, Alaska is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1934 establishments in Alaska, 1950 disestablishments in Alaska, Alaskan gold rushes, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Independence Mines, Alaska outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Independence Mines, Alaska in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Independence Mines, Alaska means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Independence Mines, Alaska out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Independence Mines, Alaska in simple terms?

Why does Independence Mines, Alaska matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Independence Mines, Alaska?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Independence Mines, Alaska.