Mason Valley Mine

Past Producer in Lyon county in Nevada, United States with commodities Copper, Gold, Silver, Gypsum-Anhydrite, Iron
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. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10103617
MRDS ID M035865
Record type Site
Current site name Mason Valley Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -119.22181, 38.9488 (WGS84)
Elevation 1707
Relative position EAST SLOPE SINGATSE RANGE APPROX. 1.5 MILES WEST OF MASON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lyon(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Yerington(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Smith Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Walker Lake(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Walker(hydrologic unit)

Walker(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Lahontan(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Lyon

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 013N 025E 31 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • EAST FLANK SINGATSE RANGE, 1.5 MILES WEST OF MASON

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Silver Secondary
Gypsum-Anhydrite Tertiary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcocite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Malachite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Garnet Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Albitic, Sericitic, Propylitic, Weak Potassic, Oxidation

Analytical data

Result 10 TO 25 PERCENT VOLUME SULFIDES
Result CHALCOPYRITE/PYRITE RATIOS GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 59
USGS model code 18b
Deposit model name Skarn Cu
Mark3 model number 8

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Yerington Batholith;Yerington Batholith
    Rock description Yerington Batholith;Yerington Batholith
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -119.22181, 38.9488

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Yerington Batholith Responsible For Dist. Of Metasomatic Rocks And Zoning Of Mineral Assemblages. Qtz. Monzonite Porphyry Dike Swarms Within Central Portion Of Batholith Formed Porphyry Cu Deposits
Type of structure Local
Structure description Series Of Faults And Cross-Faults Adding Considerable Complexity To Profound Metamorphism

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR LENSES
    Strike N
    Dip 80 W
    Length 365.76M
    Width 114.3M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Garnetized Shear Zone Between A Footwall Of Felsite Tuff Breccia And Andesite And A Hanging Wall Of Limestone

Comments on the geologic information

  • BARREN LIME-SILICATE ROCKS HIGHLY GARNETIFEROUS. MULTI-PULSE INTRUSIVES. TWO STATE METASOMATISM.MINERAL ZONATION FROM CENTER LINE OF ALTERATION ENVELOPE: (1) GARNET-PYROXENE, (2) PYROXENE, (3) MARBLE CONTACT ZONES. DOMINANT DIRECTION OF FLOW OF METASOMATIC FLUID WAS SOUTHWARD, AWAY FROM THE NORTHERN BATHOLITH CONTACT ALONG BRECCIATED CONTACTS, BEDDING PLANES AND FRACTURES. SKARN FORMATION OCCURED AT A DEPTH OF 2,000 M. LITTLE OR NO BRECCIATION.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant No
Discovery year 1865
Year of first production 1870

Mining district

District name Yerington

Land status

Ownership category Private

Production statistics

  • Year 1912
    Material CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^2.75 Percent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 3wt-pct
  • Year 1913
    Material CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^2.75 Percent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 3wt-pct
  • Year 1914
    Material CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^2.75 Percent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 3wt-pct
  • Year 1935
    Period 1912 - 1935
    Material CU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^Approx. 2.5 - 3.0 Percent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 3wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • 7,735,881 DOLLARS GROSS YIELD

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 7010.4M
    Overall depth 175M

Comments on the workings information

  • MAJOR WORKINGS AT 300 AND 400 FOOT LEVELS

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: AERIAL TRAMWAY, ELECTRIC HAULAGE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CONTACT METASOMATIC AUREOLE DEPOSIT AND SOME DEGREE OF FISSURE VEINING. SKARN OUTCROP: FOR 600 M ALONG LMST./TUFF CONTACT. AVE. WIDTH 45 M IN NORTHERN ONE-HALF AND 0 TO 15 M IN THE SOUTH. IT DIPS 70 DEGREES WEST, PARALLEL TO BEDDING
Deposit MINE IDLE DURING 1915 - 16 . PRIOR TO THIS MINE PRODUCED 600 TONS/DAY TO SMELTER ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit Discovery Year: 1860'S

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1979 Fiebelkorn, J. B. (Stewart, J. H.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Authoritative Nevada resources

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