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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Big Chief

Past Producer in Lake county in California, United States with commodity Mercury
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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. Alteration
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10040785
MRDS ID M055656
Record type Site
Current site name Big Chief
Related records 10183121

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -122.70413, 38.77071 (WGS84)
Elevation 549
Relative position 5.5 MI W OF MIDDLETOWN

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lake(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Whispering Pines(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Healdsburg(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Santa Rosa(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Lower Sacramento(hydrologic accounting unit)

Sacramento(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Lake

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 011N 008W 25,35 California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mercury Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Kaolinization

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Faults

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Faults And Brecciation

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1859
Production years 1918 - 1920, 1928 - 1933, 1940, 1945

Mining district

District name East Mayacmas

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner H. H. Barrows

Production statistics

  • Year 1962
    Period To 1962
    Material HG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^10-20 Lb/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 6776g/mt

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE WORKINGS CAVED . SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET OF WORKINGS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    HOLMES, G. W., JR., 1965, MERCURY IN CALIFORNIA: IN USBM IC 8252

  • Deposit

    YATES, R. G. AND HILPERT, L. S., 1946, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS OF THE EASTERN MACAYAMAS DISTRICT, LAKE AND NAPA COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA: CALIF. JOUR. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 42, P. 231 - 286

  • Deposit

    BAILEY, U.S.G.S., PERSONAL FILES

  • Deposit

    AVERILL, C. V., 1947, MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF LAKE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: CALIF. JOUR. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 43, P. 25 - 38

  • Production

    HOLMES

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1976 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

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.