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Oregon Chrome Mine

Producer in Josephine county in Oregon, United States with commodities Chromium, Platinum, Palladium, Iridium, Ruthenium, Rhodium
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Ownership information
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10042661
MRDS ID M060541
Record type Site
Current site name Oregon Chrome Mine
Alternate or previous names Robertson

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -123.7756, 42.34454 (WGS84)
Elevation 457
Relative position 5 MI NORTHEAST OF PEARSOLL PEAK, 16 MI WEST OF SELMA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Josephine(county)

Oregon(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Pearsoll Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Grants Pass(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Medford(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Illinois(hydrologic unit)

Southern Oregon Coastal(hydrologic accounting unit)

Oregon-Washington Coastal(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Oregon Josephine

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Willamette 037S 009W 21,16 SE4 OF SW4 (16) OF NE4 OF NW4 (21) Oregon

Comments on the location information

  • IN ILLINOIS NATIONAL WILD AND SCENIC RIVER. ON CANYON OF ILLINOIS RIVER. UTM GIVEN IS FOR PGE SAMPLE SITE LOCATION. LAT/LONG GIVEN ARE FOR MINE SYMBOL LABELED ROBERTSON MINE ON TOPO MAP; UTM FOR THIS IS 4688130N, 436460E. ODGMI'S MILOC FILE INDICATES LOCATION IN N/2 N/2 SEC. 21

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary
Platinum Critical Tertiary
Palladium Critical Tertiary
Iridium Critical Tertiary
Ruthenium Critical Tertiary
Rhodium Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Ore
Olivine Gangue
Serpentine Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Serpentinization

Analytical data

Result AVERAGE CHROMITE IS 46% CR2O3 WITH CR:FE=2.7:1. 4 PGE ANALYSES: PT=N(10)-10 PPB.
Result PD=<4-3 PPB
Result IR=40 PPB (3 NOT ANALYZED)
Result RU=200 PPB (3 NOT ANALYZED)
Result RH=N(5)-15 PPB.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 15
USGS model code 8a
Deposit model name Podiform chromite (minor)
Mark3 model number none

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Dunite
    Rock unit name Pearsoll Peak Ophiolite
    Rock description Pearsoll Peak Ophiolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -123.7756, 42.34454
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Near Axis Of A Southwest-Plunging Syncline
Type of structure Local
Structure description Shearing And Stretching Of Original Layer

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N 10 W
    Dip 45 E
    Thickness 6.1M
    Length 19.81M
  • General form TABULAR
    Dip 45 E

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Magmatic Segregation

Comments on the geologic information

  • QUARTZ DOIRITE AND GRANODIORITE DIKES 1-3 FT THICK. QUARTZ DIORITE ALTERED TO RODINGITE, ANTIGORITE, TALC. RAMP (1961) HAS STRUCTURAL DATA FOR SHEARS AND JOINTS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1917

Mining district

District name Illinois River Area

Land status

Ownership category National Forest
Area name Siskiyou National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Robertson, William
  • Type Operator
    Owner Gallaher, J. G.

Comments on the production information

  • LARGEST PRODUCER OF CHROMITE IN OREGON

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • CHROMITE PLANE HAS AN UNEXPLORED DISTANCE OF ABOUT 500 FT IN LENGTH + 100-300 FT IN WIDTH ABOVE MAIN DRIFT

Comments on development

  • FIRST MINED BY CALIFORNIA CHROME CO. INACTIVE 1918-1940, CLOSED 1958. 7 UNPATENTED CLAIMS ; ECON.COM: AT THE END OF U.S. STOCKPILING PROGRAM ALL PROVEN ORE RESERVES, MINING EQUIPMENT, AND TRACK WERE REMOVED

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RAMP, LEN, 1961, CHROMITE IN SOUTHWESTERN OREGON: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULLETIN 52, P. 50-53.

  • Deposit

    THAYER, T.P., 1974, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, UNPUB. DATA.

  • Deposit

    PAGE, N.J, JOHNSON, M.G., HAFFTY, JOSEPH, AND RAMP, LEN, 1975, OCCURRENCE OF PLATINUM GROUP METALS IN ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS OF THE MEDFORD-COOS BAY 2 DEGREE QUADRANGLE, SOUTHWESTERN OREGON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MISCELLANEOUS FIELD STUDIES MAP MF-694, SCALE 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    RAMP, LEN, AND PETERSON, N.V., 1979, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULLETIN 100, TABLE 7.

  • Deposit

    OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES, 1952, OREGON METAL MINES HANDBOOK, SOUTHWESTERN OREGON--JOSEPHINE COUNTY (2D ED.): OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULLETIN 14-C, V. 2, SEC. 1, P. 139-140.

  • Deposit

    CARLSON, C.A., AND OTHERS, 1985, ANALYSES FOR PLATINUM-GROUP ELEMENTS IN SAMPLES FROM PODIFORM CHROMITE DEPOSITS, CALIFORNIA AND OREGON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 85-442, 14 P.

  • Production

    STATISTICS PREPARED BY MRS. WM. ROBERTSON; THAYER RECORDS AGREE

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MASSIVE, CRYSTALLINE CHROMITE COMMON. ODGMI'S MILOC FILE INDICATES DISSEMINATED ORE IS ALSO PRESENT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1976 Johnson, Maureen G. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAR-1981 Ferns, Mark L. (Brooks, Howard C.) Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries
Updater 01-MAY-1989 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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