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Virgin Valley Ranch Uranium Claims

Prospect in Humboldt county in Nevada, United States with commodities Uranium, 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. Alteration
  9. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Mineral rights holdings
  17. Land status
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10045033
MRDS ID M232685
MAS/MILS ID 0320130444
Record type Deposit
Current site name Virgin Valley Ranch Uranium Claims
Alternate or previous names Virgin Valley Ranch Deposit, Virgin Valley Uranium Claims, Uranium Prospects

Comments on the site identification

  • Be sure to cross reference with related record 10036999, Virgin Valley Opalite Deposits that covers the same area.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -119.10713, 41.7882 (WGS84)
Elevation 1509
Location accuracy 1000(meters)
Relative position 41 MILES WEST OF DENIO, NEVADA. Near Virgin Valley Ranch (on topo) on west side of the valley in Secs. 13, 24, 25,26, 34, 35. Prospects cover a large area, coordinates are for the Virgin Valley Ranch as labeled on topo.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Humboldt(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Virgin Valley(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Vya(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Vya(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Thousand-Virgin(hydrologic unit)

Black Rock Desert(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

FWS(Federal land areas administered by FWS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Humboldt

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 045N 025E 24,25,26,34,35 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • 200 YD NW AND 300 YD NE OF VIRGIN VALLEY RANCHHOUSE

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Uranium Primary
Gemstone Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Carnotite Ore
Weeksite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Clay, Silicification

Analytical data

Result URANIUM CONTENT OF OPAL RANGES FROM 0.002 % TO 0.14 %

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 155
USGS model code 25f
Deposit model name Volcanogenic U

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Volcanic Ash
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Volcanic Ash
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -119.10713, 41.7882
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form TUFF AND ASH BEDS, DISCONTINUOUS
    Thickness 1.22M
    Length 365.76M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Favorable Sedimentary Beds

Comments on the geologic information

  • URANIFEROUS OPAL OCCURS IN DISCONTINUOUS LAYERS PARALLEL TO THE BEDDING OF THE ASH AND TUFF BEDS. CARNOTITE OCCURS AS COATINGS ON PARTING PLANES AND FRACTURES. URANIUM ALSO OCCURS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE OPAL. OPAL LAYERS VARY IN SIZE: SOME ARE UP TO 1200 FT. LONG ALONG STRIKE. THICKNESS VARIES FROM 0.1 TO 3.9 FT. THICK.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Prospect
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1950
Discoverer Jack And Toni Crane

Mining district

District name Virgin Valley District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area
Ownership category Federal

Comments on the production information

  • SEVERAL THOUSAND POUNDS OF OPAL SHIPPED

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Length 96.01M

Comments on the workings information

  • BULLDOZER TRENCHES AND PITS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 19 CLAIMS LOCATED BY JACK AND TONI CRANE IN 1950. BEFORE THE DISCOVERY OF URANIUM MINERALS IN 1950, ABOUT 20 SMALL PITS HAD BEEN DUG FOR PRECIOUS OPAL. CRANE DISCOVERED URANIUM MINERALS IN 1950. DEVELOPMENT SINCE THEN CONSISTS OF A 315-FT. DOZER TRENCH AND 12 SMALL PITS ON THE E. SIDE OF THE VALLEY, AND 3 SMALL PITS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
General From deleted record 10125507 (MAS 0320130390) [note that lines appear to be prematurely terminated so information is missing]:
USBM WFOC CHARLES SHELDON GAME RANGE OPEN-FILE WILDERNESS RP
GEOLOGY: LARGE AREA REPORTED TO AVERAGE .02 PERCENT U203 IN
TUFF ASH IN VIRGIN VALLEY FORMATION. HIGHER GRADE MATERIAL A
WITH OPALITE. MINERAL IS CARNOTITE AS COATING ALONG THIN FRA
AMONG OTHERS THIS SE-N-NE CRESENT SHAPE DEPOSIT INCLUDES T
NEV.URAN. GRP., LEONARD CRK., & VIRGIN VALLEY URANIUM CLAIMS
TIONS ARE- SEC.21-22,27-28,33-34,T46S,R28E/ SEC.36 T42N R28E
T41N R28E/ SEC.31,36,25 T45N R25E, SEC.2,3 T44N R26E & SEC 1
T45N R25E RESPECTIVELY.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-81 La Pointe, D.D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-MAY-87 La Pointe, D.D. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 07-NOV-11 Wilson, Anna B U.S. Geological Survey merged and deleted duplicate records. separated uranium prospects from formerly productive opalite mines.
Reporter 03-JUN-92 Turchek U.S. Bureau of Mines MAS 0320130444 = 10270953
Reporter 23-NOV-83 Western Field Operations Center (WFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines MAS 0320130390 = 10125507

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.