FIELD GUIDE · ALASKA · RECORD usgs-local::p4234
Rockhounding at Independence Mine, Alaska
Independence Mine is a historical adit reference in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. Historical topographic map symbol. Current entrance and condition details are pending.
Viewing or research only. Do not collect from the protected or prohibited context. The Alaska State Parks page identifies Independence Mine as a historical park with trails, interpreted remains and guided tours. Its permission for pan-and-shovel gold panning is a separate activity and does not establish access to this historical adit. Park resource-protection rules remain applicable; this record does not authorize entering mine workings or removing historic material. A same-named mine near Seward is a different record and is not covered by this finding.
Rockhounding in Independence Mine
Independence Mine is a historical adit reference in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. Historical topographic map symbol. Current entrance and condition details are pending.
This page combines the atlas record, mapped context, manager/evidence fields and review history. It is designed to answer the practical questions behind “rockhounding near me” without turning a mineral occurrence into an unsupported claim of public collecting permission.
What might you find?
Historically reported commodities: Tungsten, Gold; Silver, Arsenic, Copper, Molybdenum, Lead, Tellurium, Zinc
Land manager & access context
Alaska State Parks / Independence Mine State Historical Park
The Alaska State Parks page identifies Independence Mine as a historical park with trails, interpreted remains and guided tours. Its permission for pan-and-shovel gold panning is a separate activity and does not establish access to this historical adit. Park resource-protection rules remain applicable; this record does not authorize entering mine workings or removing historic material. A same-named mine near Seward is a different record and is not covered by this finding.
Coordinates & map precision
Historical topographic map symbol. Current entrance and condition details are pending.61.791887, -149.296110
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Location features, name and access status
- Name provenance
- Historical source name; not independently verified as a current operating name.
- Mapped feature
- Adit
- What the feature means
- A mapped horizontal or gently inclined opening associated with underground mine workings. The symbol does not establish that the opening survives or may be entered.
- Source quadrangle
- Anchorage D-7
- Historical map date
- 1949
- Map precision
- Historical topographic map symbol. Current entrance and condition details are pending.
- Documented source record
- USGS historical public record; source existence is separate from present access
- Rocks and minerals
- USGS MRDS source-name and location association (47.4 m separation). These are historical reported commodities and geology, not a guarantee of collectible specimens. MRDS 10309035 — Independence. Primary commodities: Tungsten, Gold. Secondary commodities: Silver, Arsenic, Copper, Molybdenum, Lead, Tellurium, Zinc. Reported ore minerals: Arsenopyrite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Molybdenite, Nagyagite, Pyrite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite. Reported gangue: Calcite, Quartz.
- Current location status
- Protected
- Conditions that must be satisfied
- See activity and access details
- Underlying access evidence status
- protected
- Ready activity
- Collecting permission
- Not established for this historical feature; this record does not authorize collecting.
- Mine entry
- No mine entry authorized.
- Source-field audit
- 28 October 2026 — metadata validation, not a field or access review.
- Public-access dataset screening
- No PAD-US fee-property access finding overrides the record.
- Individual access review
- Source review 2026-10-28; no field visit.
Source: USGS historical topographic mining-feature inventory, Horton and San Juan (2025), DOI 10.5066/P9TAALR6. Historical point symbols and area centroids are not verified entrances or specimen coordinates.
Evidence, confidence & legal-use notes
The Alaska State Parks page identifies Independence Mine as a historical park with trails, interpreted remains and guided tours. Its permission for pan-and-shovel gold panning is a separate activity and does not establish access to this historical adit. Park resource-protection rules remain applicable; this record does not authorize entering mine workings or removing historic material. A same-named mine near Seward is a different record and is not covered by this finding.
Desk review 28 October 2026; no field visit. The Alaska State Parks page identifies Independence Mine as a historical park with trails, interpreted remains and guided tours. Its permission for pan-and-shovel gold panning is a separate activity and does not establish access to this historical adit. Park resource-protection rules remain applicable; this record does not authorize entering mine workings or removing historic material. A same-named mine near Seward is a different record and is not covered by this finding.
Evidence snapshot: 2026-10-28. Conditions can change after a review date, so recheck the current controlling source before travel.
Field-ready planning checklist
- Confirm the exact property or land unit and current managing authority.
- Check private boundaries, active mining claims, leases, closures and posted restrictions.
- Verify that the material and collecting method you intend to use are allowed.
- Use the map precision label correctly: context points are not specimen coordinates.
- Check road, weather, fire, seasonal and safety conditions before leaving.
- Leave protected cultural, paleontological and archaeological resources undisturbed.
Using this location for “rockhounding near me”
Distance is only the first filter. A useful nearby destination also needs an appropriate status, a realistic access route, a relevant material or geological reason and current permission evidence. Compare this record with nearby alternatives before choosing a trip.
COMMUNITY FIELD INTELLIGENCE
Public Testimony & Field Stories
Approved visitor reports add real-world context to the official and geological evidence above. Community testimony never overrides land-manager rules, ownership, claims, closures or protected-resource law.