New Idria

Producer in San Benito county in California, United States with commodity Mercury
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. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10040908
MRDS ID M055793
Record type Site
Current site name New Idria

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -120.6746, 36.41438 (WGS84)
Elevation 829
Relative position 67 MI SE OF HOLLISTER

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

San Benito(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Idria(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Coalinga(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Monterey(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Panoche-San Luis Reservoir(hydrologic unit)

San Joaquin(hydrologic accounting unit)

San Joaquin(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California San Benito

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 017S 012E 32 California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mercury Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore
Mercury Ore
Metacinnabar Ore
Calcite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Induration Of Sandstone And Shale

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Panoche Formation
    Rock description Panoche Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -120.6746, 36.41438

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description N 70 W Coalinga Anticline New Idria Thrust.
Type of structure Local
Structure description New Idria Thrust Fault And Other Localized Faults

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR, IRREGULAR
    Dip 55 SW
    Length 365.76M
    Width 243.84M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 457.2M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • New Idria Thrust Fault

Comments on the geologic information

  • AREA IS LARGE OVAL BODY OF STRONGLY SHEARED SERPENTINE RIMMED BY FRANCISCAN SANDSTONE AND PANOCHE FORMATION (SANDSTONE AND SHALE). STRUCTURE IS AN ASSYMMETRIC ANTICLINE DOME WITH OVERTURNED BEDS AND NEW IDRIA THRUST ON NE FLANK.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1853
Discoverer Mexican Prospectors
Year of first production 1854
Production years 1858 - 1920, 1923 - 1949, 1951 - 1962

Mining district

District name New Idria

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner New Idria Quicksilver Mining Co.
    First year 1950

Production statistics

  • Year 1962
    Period Thru 1962
    Material HG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^3-20 Lb/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 5195g/mt

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1958
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Mercury Hg 0.003 wt-pct Mercury Major 1958

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 48279M
    Overall depth 426.72M

Comments on the workings information

  • LOWER LEVELS OF ORE ZONE CRESCENT SHAPED WITH THE CONVEX SIDE TO THE SOUTH. ORE BODIES VARY FROM 3 TO 50 FT IN WIDTH AND CINNABAR OCCURS IN IRREGULAR CONCENTRATIONS ALONG THE VEINS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ECKEL, E. B. AND MYERS W. B., 1946, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS OF THE NEW IDRIA DISTRICT SAN BENITO AND FRESNO COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA: CALIF. JOUR. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 42, P. 81 - 124

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    AVERILL, C. V., 1947, MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF SAN BENITO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: CALIF. JOUR. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 43, P. 41 - 60

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    5) BRADLEY, W.W., 1918, QUICKSILVER RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA: CJMG BULL. 78, 389 P.

  • Deposit

    6) FORSTNER, W., 1908, QUICKSILVER RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA: CDMG BULL. 27, 270 P.

  • Deposit

    7) RANSOME, A.L. AND KELLOGG, J.L., 1939, QUICKSILVER RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA: CJMG, V. 35, P. 353-486

  • Deposit

    1941 DIREXPL WITH HELP FROM USBM, GOT GOOD INFORMATION ON ORE STRUCTURES

  • Deposit

    1952 DIREXPL DMEA EXPLORED WEST IDRIA AREA

  • Deposit

    1955 DIREXPL DMEA EXPLORED MOLINO ZONE

  • Deposit

    1957 DIREXPL DMEA EXPLORED SULFUR SPRINGS AREA

  • Production

    USBM DATA

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

Authoritative California resources

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