h-trinity alps, ornia

281 Pages·2011·18.34 MB·English

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STUDIES RELATED TO WILDERNESS
PRIMITIVE AREAS i
H-TRINITY ALPS,
ORNIA
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1371-1

MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE
SALMON-TRINITY ALPS PRIMITIVE AREA,
CALIFORNIA
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Mineral Resources of the
Salmon-Trinity Alps
Primitive Area. California
By PRESTON E. HOTZ, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, and HORACE K.
THURBER, LAWRENCE Y. MARKS, and ROBERT K. EVANS,
U.S. BUREAU OF MINES
With a section on AN AEROMAGNETIC SURVEY AND
INTERPRETATION
By ANDREW GRISCOM, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
STUDIES RELATED TO WILDERNESS - PRIMITIVE AREAS
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1371-B
An evaluation of the mineral
potential of the area
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1972
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
V. E. McKelvey, Director
Library of Congress catalog-card No. 72-600122
^
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402
Stock Number 2401-2199
STUDIES RELATED TO WILDERNESS
PRIMITIVE AREAS
In accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness
Act (Public Law 88-577, September 3, 1964) and the
Conference Report on Senate bill 4, 88th Congress, the
U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines
are making mineral surveys of wilderness and primitive
areas. Areas officially designated as "Wilderness,"
"wild," or "canoe" when the act was passed were incor
porated into the National Wilderness Preservation Sys
tem. Areas classed as "primitive" were not included in
the Wilderness System, but the act provides that each
primitive area be studied for its suitability for incorpo
ration into the Wilderness System. The mineral surveys
constitute one aspect of the suitability studies. This
bulletin reports the results of a mineral survey in the
Salmon-Trinity Alps Primitive Area, California. The
area discussed in the report includes the primitive area,
as defined, and a contiguous tract that may come under
discussion when the area is considered for wilderness
status.

CONTENTS
Page
Summary................................................................................................................. Bl
Introduction............................................................................................................ 3
Previous studies.......... ................................................................................ 8
Present investigation and acknowledgments............................................ 9
Geology.................................................................................................................... 10
Setting............................................................................................................. 10
Western Paleozoic and Triassic belt......................... ................................ 11
Central metamorphic belt............................................................................ 13
Gabbro............................................................................................................. 14
Granitic rocks..:............................................................................................. 15
Ultramafic rocks............................................................................................ 16
Dike rocks....................................................................................................... 17
Unconsolidated deposits............................................................................... 18
Pleistocene deposits............................................................................... 19
Holocene deposits................................................................................... 20
Structure......................................................................................................... 20
Mineral resources appraisal................................................................................ 22
History and production................................................................................ 22
Geochemical studies....................................................................................... 23
Sampling and analytical procedures.................................................. 24
Evaluation of sample data................................................................... 25
Geochemical patterns................................................ ......................... 27
An aeromagnetic survey and interpretation, by Andrew Griscom......... 45
Mineral commodities..................................................................................... 47
Gold.......................................................................................................... 47
Silver, lead, and zinc.............................................................................. 51
Copper..................................................................................................... 52
Mercury................................................................................................... 54
Chromium and nickel........................................................................... 54
Other commodities................................................................................. 55
Mining claims................................................................................................. 57
Mines, prospects, and mineralized areas.................................................... 58
New River area...................................................................................... 59
Grizzly Camp-Trinity Mountain area....................................... 59
Virgin Creek area.......................................................................... 61
Salmon Summit mine............................................................ 61
Jumbo mine............................................................................. 63
Placer deposits....................................................................... 64
Lower Slide Creek and Eagle Creek............................................ 65
Clerbus Mae prospect............................................................ 65
Brooks mine............................................................................ 67
Placer deposits....................................................................... 68
VII
VIII CONTENTS
(cid:9)Page
Mineral resources appraisal Continued
Mines, prospects, and mineralized areas Continued
New River area Continued
Mary Blaine Mountain Old Denny district........................... B69
Boomer mine (Mountain Boomer)..................................... 72
Toughnut mine....................................................................... 74
Sherwood mine....................................................................... 74
Uncle Sam mine..................................................................... 75
Lucky Strike mine................................................................. 76
Hunter mine........................................................................... 76
Ridgeway mill area............................................................... 76
Hard Tack mine..................................................................... 77
Rusty prospect....................................................................... 77
Mary Blaine mine.................................................................. 77
Cinnabar mine (Esther or Blue Jay mine).. ............... 79
Carey Ridge mercury prospect............................................ 80
Placer deposits....................................................................... 80
Plummer Creek area..................................................................... 81
Placer deposits....................................................................... 81
East Fork New River............................................................................ 82
Salyer copper prospect................................................................. 82
Pony Mountain area...................................................................... 86
North Fork Trinity River area............................................................ 86
Jorstad placer (Piper Flat)........................................................ 87
Morrison Cabin bar....................................................................... 92
Rooster Flat................................................................................. 92
Lee and B claim............................................................................. 93
Grizzly Creek area......................................................................... 93
Rattlesnake Creek......................................................................... 94
Tip Top mine.......................................................................... 96
O'Shay Chloride (Dan's Chloride)..................................... 96
O'Shay upper workings........................................................ 97
Mill Creek mill....................................................................... 97
Rattlesnake Creek placer deposits
(Gordon mine and Gledhill prospect)............................. 97
Gas Creek area............................................................................... 102
China Creek area........................................................................... 102
Whites Creek.................................................................................. 102
Nugget Creek placer................................................ . 102
Backbone Creek.............................................................................. 104
East Branch of East Fork of North Fork Trinity
River and Yellow Jacket Creek........................................ 104
Golden Chest mine................................................................. 106
McClaron mine....................................................................... 108
Grumpy Gulch prospects...................................................... 110
Alaska mine............................................................................ 112
Canyon Creek area................ ..................................................... 112
Globe-Bailey-Chloride mines................................................ 114
Rush Creek..................................................................................... 120
Martha placer........................................................................ 121