MINING photos : Alaska Stock Images

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Green Northern Lights dance over a historical gold dredge near Nome, Alaska"

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Green Northern Lights dance over a historical gold dredge near Nome, Alaska"

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Tour guide at the Goldstream gold dredge #8 gives gold panning demonstration in Fox, Alaska during Summer"

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Gold Pan with gold nuggets sits on rocks in a stream at Hatcher Pass in the Talkeetna Mountains of Alaska during Summer.

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Close up of a man gold panning in Monument creek, Interior, Alaska during Summer."

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Fishermen Bering Sea Working on Pollock Haul Back

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Portrait Rig Worker/Driller Red Dog Mine Western Alaska

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Close-up of Gold Nuggets

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Man Grinding Metal @ Red Dog Mine near Kotzebue AK AR

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Gold Nugget Jewelry made in Alaska

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View of the historic Independence Mine State Historical Park, Hatcher Pass, Matanuska Valley, Fall, Southcentral Alaska

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View of the historic Independence Mine State Historical Park, Hatcher Pass, Matanuska Valley, Fall, Southcentral Alaska

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Visitors enjoy the Independence Mine State Historical Park, Hatcher Pass, Matanuska Valley, Fall, Southcentral Alaska

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View of the historic Independence Mine State Historical Park, Hatcher Pass, Matanuska Valley, Fall, Southcentral Alaska

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View of the historic Independence Mine State Historical Park, Hatcher Pass, Matanuska Valley, Fall, Southcentral Alaska

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Visitors enjoy the Independence Mine State Historical Park, Hatcher Pass, Matanuska Valley, Fall, Southcentral Alaska

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Carlos Owens inside his 18-foot mecha exoskeleton, March 24th, 2009, Wasilla, Southcentral Alaska

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Historical gold dredge sits on snowcovered tundra near Nome, Alaska"

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Gold mining tools & supplies gathered in a pile in the Brooks Range area of Alaska

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View through trees of the Kennecott mine mill buildings in Wrangell-St.Elias National Park, Alaska"

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View of the Kennecott mine mill buildings with the Root Glacier in the background in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska"

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Lit Christmas tree at twilight surrounded by snowcovered old mine tailings & young birch forest near Fairbanks, Alaska"

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Lit Christmas tree at twilight surrounded by snowcovered old mine tailings & young birch forest near Fairbanks, Alaska"

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Senior couple pan for gold at Gold Dredge No.8 outside of Fairbanks, Alaska"

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Karen Ramstead and her Siberian husky team mushes down the trail past old mining equipment just a few miles from the finish line in Nome.

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Aerial view of a team as it runs down the trail in *Gold Country* on an old mining road between Takotna and Ophir on Thursday during the 2008 Iditarod

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Aerial view of Mitch Seavey as he runs down the trail in between Takotna and Ophir on Thursday during the 2008 Iditarod

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Dr. Jim Lanier mushes his dogs through the scrub spruce trees on the trail between Ophir and Cripple on Thursday during the 2008 Iditarod

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Warren Palfrey runs his team along old mining buildings in the Ophir mining district shortly before arriving at the Ophir checkpoint on Thursday afternoon during the 2008 Iditarod

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Backpacker passes by Summit Monument at 16.5 mile of the Chilkoot trail near Skagway Alaska during Summer