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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Blue Gem Mine

Past Producer in Nye county in Nevada, United States with commodity Gemstone
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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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10044346
MRDS ID M231747
Record type Site
Current site name Blue Gem Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.57482, 38.4416 (WGS84)
Elevation 1884
Relative position NEAR THE CENTER OF THE ROYSTON HILLS

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nye(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Outlaw Springs NE(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Tonopah(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Tonopah(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Southern Big Smoky Valley(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management NV)

Bureau of Land Management NV BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Nye

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 007N 039E 27 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • ESTIMATED LOCATION TO WITHIN 0.25 MILE.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gemstone Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Turquoise Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Quartzite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.57482, 38.4416
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N80W
    Dip 85SW
    Length 45.72M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Probably A Shear Zone Or Its Offshoots

Comments on the geologic information

  • STRATA STIKE N-NE, DIP 45-70W

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1914
Discoverer Louis Cirac Of Tonopah

Mining district

District name Republic

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner King, Bert
    Home office Gallup, Nm

Production statistics

  • Year 1930
    Period 1920-1930
    Material GEM
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^300 Lb/Mo Produced For 4 Years
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Molybdenum Molybdenum 0.13mt

Comments on the production information

  • AMOUNT UNKNOWN

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 45.72M
    Overall depth 10.67M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS CONSIST OF LARGE OPEN CUTS, A GLORY HOLE, AND AN ADIT. AND A SHAFT. ALL WORKINGS ARE ALIGNED APPROXIMATELY DUE EAST ON SLOPE.

Comments on development

  • PROPERTY WAS DISCOVERED BY LEW CIRAC IN 1907, SOLD TO LEE HAND IN 1915, LEASED TO W.R. GILBERT IN WWI WHEN 100 LB FINE TURQUOISE WAS PRODUCED. THE PROPERTY WAS THEN SOLD TO PAUL KLEY OF DENVER. KLEY PRODUCED 300 LB PER MONTH FOR 4 YEARS. THE MINE WAS WORKED STEADILY UNTIL 1930 WHEN THE ORE BEGAN TO DWINDLE. TED JOHNSON LEASED THE MINE IN 1932 AND TOOK OUT ABOUT 700 LB OF GOOD TURQUOISE. KLEY SOLD THE MINE TO DOC WILSON, WHO OPERATED IT BRIEFLY. LEE HAND RELOCATED THE MINE AND SOLD IT TO PETER KING OF MANASSA, COLORADO.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    KRAL, V.E., 1951, MINERAL RESOURCES OF NYE CO.: NEV. BUR. OF MINES AND GEOL., BULL. 50, P. 45-46.

  • Deposit

    KLEINHAMPL, F.J. AND ZIONY, J.I., GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSIT OF NORTHERN NYE CO.: NEV. BUR. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, BULLETIN, IN PRESS.

  • Production

    MORRISSEY, 1968, P.25-26

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TURQUOISE FORMS VEINLETS ALONG ALTERED SHEAR ZONE AND ALONG FRACTURES IN SILICEOUS BEDS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1980 Wong, George (Roberts, Ralph) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-1982 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Nevada resources

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