Enumclaw Deposit

Occurrence in Pierce county in Washington, United States with commodities Aluminum, Potassium, Gold, Sulfur, Kaolin, Copper
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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Reserves and resources
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10086999
MRDS ID D002163
Record type Site
Current site name Enumclaw Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -121.79009, 47.15925 (WGS84)
Elevation 610
Location accuracy 100(meters)
Relative position 8.5 MI EAST-SOUTHEAST OF ENUMCLAW

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pierce(county)

Washington(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Cyclone Creek(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Snoqualmie Pass(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Wenatchee(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Puyallup(hydrologic unit)

Puget Sound(hydrologic accounting unit)

Puget Sound(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Washington Pierce
United States Washington King

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Willamette 019N}020N 008E}008E 04,05,06,07,09,10}31 Washington

Comments on the location information

  • DEPOSITS ON SLOPES OF THE WHITE RIVER VALLEY, COVERING ABOUT 16 SQUARE MI WHERE ALUNITE IS SPORADICALLY DISTRIBUTED. COVERS PARTS OF T. 19 N., R. 7 E. AND T. 20 N., R. 7-8 E.
  • Lat/long is in Pierce county. Both King and Pierce counties are listed in the locations table, indicating that the deposit crosses the Pierce/King county boundary. So the order of the counties was changed making Pierce first to resolve the lat/long - county disagreement.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Aluminum Critical Primary
Potassium Primary
Gold Tertiary
Sulfur Tertiary
Kaolin Tertiary
Copper Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • CALLAGHAN (1940) MENTIONED GOLD VALUED AT "MOSTLY LESS THAN A DOLLAR A TON" OBTAINED FROM SAMPLES TAKEN IN THE AREA.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Alunite Ore
Gold Ore
Kaolinite Ore
Sulfur Ore
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Alunitization, Silicification, Kaolinization

Analytical data

Result 3 ANALYSES RANGE FROM 35.2 % TO 77.5 % ALUNITE

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 154
USGS model code 25e
Deposit model name Epithermal quartz-alunite Au
Mark3 model number 38

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Fifes Peak Formation;Fifes Peak Formation;Fifes Peak Formation
    Rock description Fifes Peak Formation;Fifes Peak Formation;Fifes Peak Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Oligocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) -121.79009, 47.15925

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR SHAPED BODIES
    Dip }
    Thickness 11.28M
    Length 17.37M
    Width 12.19M
  • General form IRREGULAR SHAPED BODIES
    Dip }

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOLOGIC MAP INDICATES ARES SHOULD BE UNDERLAIN BY RHYOLITE TUFF. HOLLISTER INDICATES DEPOSIT RESEMBLES THAT AT NORTH FORK. ROCKS OF SNOQUALMIE BATHOLITH LIE ABOUT 15 MI TO NORTH

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1934
Discoverer T. W. Ilstad, White River Lumber Co.

Mining district

District name White River Area

Land status

Ownership category State

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Kalunite, Inc.
    Home office Salt Lake City, Ut.
    First year 1942
  • Type Owner
    Owner Weyerhaeuser Co.
    First year 1971

Comments on the production information

  • SMALL SHIPMENTS FOR TESTING ONLY

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1956
    Total resources 272000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Aluminum Al 30 wt-pct Aluminum Major 1956
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1956
    Total resources 108000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Aluminum Al 21.4 wt-pct Aluminum Major 1956
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1956
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Aluminum Al 20.5 wt-pct Aluminum Major 1956
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1941
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Aluminum Al 48 wt-pct Aluminum Major 1941

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVE IN FOUR SEPARATE BODIES OF DIFFERING TENOR

Comments on the workings information

  • KALUNITE, INC. CORE DRILLING IN 1940 (4,400 FT). WPA DUG 3,600 FT OF TRENCHES

Comments on development

  • THIS DEPOSIT WAS EXPLORED BEGINNING IN 1939 BY 4400 FT OF DIAMOND DRILL HOLES AND 3600 FT OF TRENCHING AND PITS. MUCH SILICA AND CLAY ARE SAID TO ACCOMPANY THE ALUNITE AND THE TOPOGRAPHY IN THE AREA IS VERY ROUGH

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Analytical Data

    SRC.REF: THOENEN, J. R., 1941 , USBM R. I. 3561 , P. 35

  • Deposit

    CALLAGHAN, E., 1940 , UNPUB. REPORT IN U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY FILE

  • Deposit

    HUNTTING, M. T., 1966, ALUNITE, IN MINERAL AND WATER RESOURCES OF WASHINGTON: US 89TH CONGRESS, 20TH SESSION, SENATE COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS, U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, P. 167-168.

  • Deposit

    KELLY, H. J., STRANDBERG, K. G., AND MUELLER, J. I., 1956, CERAMIC INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT AND RAW-MATERIAL RESOURCES OF OREGON, WASHINGTON, IDAHO, AND MONTANA: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 7752 , P. 32

  • Deposit

    LIVINGSTON, V. E., JR., 1971 , GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 63 , P. 35 - 51.

  • Deposit

    THOENEN, J. R., 1941, ALUNITE RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 3561, P. 35-36

  • Deposit

    FRIZZELL, V.A., JR., TABOR, R.W., BOOTH, D.B., ORT, K.M., AND WAITT, R.B., JR., 1984, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SNOQUALMIE PASS 1:100,000 QUADRANGLE, WASHINGTON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 84-693, SCALE 1:100,000.

  • Deposit

    HOLLISTER, V.F., 1979, PORPHYRY COPPER-TYPE DEPOSITS OF THE CASCADE VOLCANIC ARC, WASHINGTON: MINERALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, V. 11, P. 22-35.

  • Deposit

    1940 DIREXPL KALUNITE INC.: CORE DRILLING

  • Deposit

    1940 RECON E. CALLAGHAN, KIRKEMO: UNPUB. REPT.

  • Deposit

    1943 RECON L. S. GARDNER: UNPUB. DATA

  • Production

    CALLAGHAN (1940)

  • Reserve-Resource

    HUNTTING, 1966

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE DEPOSIT CONSISTS OF DISCRETE BODIES WHICH ARE IRREGULARLY SHAPED AND WITHOUT DEFINITE CONTINUITY IN ANY DIRECTION. FOUR OF THESE HAVE BEEN PROSPECTED. THESE BODIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LARGER MASSES OF LOWER GRADE MATERIAL. ALL BODIES OCCUR JUST BENEATH THE THICK LAYERS OR MASSES OF SILICIFIED ROCK. SIZE IS OF LARGEST ALUNITE BODY. AREA IS COMPLICATED BY LANDSLIDES. SOME GEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THIS MAY REPRESENT THE TOP OF A PORPHYRY SYSTEM IN WHICH THERE MAY BE A PORPHYRY COPPER AT DEPTH

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-76 Hall, Robert B. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 01-AUG-78 Starritt, Bruce C. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-92 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey
Editor 16-JUN-08 Schruben, Paul U.S. Geological Survey Fixed lat/long-county disagreement by changing county order.

Beyond USGS

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