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Gold Bug Mine

Past Producer in El Dorado county in California, United States with commodity Gold
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10030387
MRDS ID M008458
Record type Site
Current site name Gold Bug Mine
Alternate or previous names Gold Bug Lode, Hattie Mine, Silver Pine Mine, Priest Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -120.6588, 38.86768 (WGS84)
Elevation 1311
Relative position ON SW SLOPE OF SAND MTN. 1 3/4 MI W OF PINE GRANDE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

El Dorado(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Slate Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Placerville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Sacramento(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

South Fork American(hydrologic unit)

Lower Sacramento(hydrologic accounting unit)

Sacramento(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Eldorado National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California El Dorado

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 012N 012E 20 S4 CORNER California

Comments on the location information

  • UTM ACC NR CTR S 1/2 SEC. THE MINE IS LOCATED IN PLACERVILLE IN HANGTOWN'S GOLD BUG PARK, OFF BEDFORD AVENUE LESS THAN 1 MILE NORTH OF U.S. 50.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE MINERALOGY IS SIMPLE AND CONSISTS OF WHITE QUARTZ RIBBONED WITH BANDS OF SLATE OR SCHIST AND MINOR AMOUNTS OF PYRITE WITH NATIVE GOLD.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Quartz Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Paleocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Calaveras Formation
    Rock description Calaveras Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -120.6588, 38.86768
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Depth to top 0M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Melones Fault Zone

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE GOLD BUG MINE IS PART OF THE MOTHER LODE SYSTEM OF MINERALIZED ROCK AND QUARTZ VEINS THAT EXTENDS FROM MARIPOSA COUNTY NORTH TO EL DORADO COUNTY. PRODUCTION IN THE MOTHER LODE FAR EXCEEDS SEVERAL BILLION DOLLARS, AND MUCH OF THE GOLD WAS PRODUCED WHEN IT SOLD FOR LESS THAN $30 PER OUNCE. QUARTZ VEINS ARE TYPICAL OF THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE MOTHER LODE, WHILE LARGE BODIES OF CARBONATE ROCK ARE MORE COMMON IN THE SOUTH.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1848
Discoverer Chilean Prospectors
Year of first production 1888

Land status

Ownership category State Park

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner John I. Martin (Estate)

Comments on the workings information

  • THE GOLD BUG IS ONE OF TWO MAIN ADITS CONNECTED WITH A VERTICAL SHAFT. THE OTHER MAIN ADIT IS THE PRIEST MINE, AND A THIRD UNDEVELOPED ADIT IS THE SILVER PINE MINE.

Comments on development

  • MINING WAS PROBABLY STARTED BY WILLIAM CRADDOCK AND JOHN BENCH IN 1888. THEY NAMED THE MINE THE HATTIE MINE AFTER CRADDOCK'S ELDEST DAUGHTER. THE CLAIM WAS THEN SOLD TO THOMAS BISHOP AND FRANK MONAGHAN IN 1902. IN 1926 THE NEXT OWNER JOHN MCKAY RENAMED IT THE GOLD BIG MINE, AND OPERATED IT UNTIL WWII, WHEN PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ORDERED ALL GOLD MINES CLOSED BECAUSE THEY WERE DEEMED NON-ESSENTIAL. THE UPPER LEVEL, THE PRIEST MINE WAS STARTED BEFORE THE GOLD BUG, WHICH WORKED THE SAME QUARTZ VEIN. STAMP MILLS WERE PROBABLY IN PLACE IN THE 1920'S OR 1930'S.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ON FEB 1, 1985 THE GOLD BUG MINE WAS PLACED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. THE 61-ACRE GOLD BUG PARK PROVIDES A SAFE WALK THROUGH A REAL GOLD MINE AND HAS AN 8-STAMP MILL ONCE USED TO REDUCE ORE TO POWDER. THE PARK HAS 8 ADITS AND OVER 250 PROSPECTING HOLES AND TRENCHES. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit THIS RECORD IS AN UPDATED VERSION INCLUDING DUPLICATE INFORMATION FROM RECORD # C008458 WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED.
Deposit TABULAR VEINS DIP STEEPLY TO THE NORTHEAST AND PARALLEL THE METAMORPHOSED SANDSTONE AND SHALE LAYERS

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1972 Gere, W. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-1979 Mateik, R. (Albers, J.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1993 Moyer, Lorre A. (Marcus, S.M.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative California resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.