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Browns Valley District

Past Producer in Yuba county in California, United States with commodities Gold, Silver
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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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Land status
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10400280
Record type District
Current site name Browns Valley District
Alternate or previous names Bessie, Chandler, Danneborg (Donnebrouge), Fairview, Hibbert and Burris, Jefferson, Last Chance, Nineteen Hundred and One, Northern Light, Old Flag (Stag), Pennsylvania, Rattlesnake, Smithhurst, Sweet Vengeance, Too Handy

Comments on the site identification

  • This record summarizes, on the whole, the characteristics of many individual lode mines and prospects that comprise the Browns Valley District. There is no single mine that represents a dominant property of the district.
  • This district comprises many small lode-gold mines at or within two miles of the settlement of Browns Valley. Known individual mines and prospects are listed above under "Other Names." the more notable producers were the Hibbert and Burris, Donnebrouge, Pennsylvania, and Jefferson. A few placer mines are also present (Cleveland, Lone Jack ). Useful references on mines in this district include Waring (1919) and O?Brien (1952). Available information on mines in this district is somewhat sparse.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -121.40885, 39.24192 (WGS84)
Elevation 100
Location accuracy 100(meters)
Relative position This district is about 12 miles northeast of Marysville., 100 m for Donnebrouge Mine shaft symbol on USGS topo sheet. However, this is a district record, so the locational accuracy for the alternate-name mines is only estimated.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Yuba(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Browns Valley(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Yuba City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Chico(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Yuba(hydrologic unit)

Lower Sacramento(hydrologic accounting unit)

Sacramento(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Yuba

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 016N 005E 16 California

Comments on the location information

  • Location selected for latitude and longitude is the Donnebrouge Mine shaft symbol on the USGS 7.5-minute Browns Valley quadrangle. This mine was one of the most important producers in the district.
  • The Browns Valley Mining District is situated in the lowest western foothills of the Sierra Nevada near the edge of the Central Valley. Most of the mines are concentrated at the east base of Browns Valley Ridge in a ravine that drains southward a little over a mile to intersect the Yuba River. Vegetation is mixed oak woodland and grass. There are scattered rural residences and ranches in the district.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Sphalerite Ore

Alteration

  • (Regional) None reported in documents reviewed.

Comments on the analytical data

  • Gold was reportedly 0.763 fine at the Hibbert and Burris Mine. At the Donnebrouge Mine, about 80% of the ore values were as native gold. At least some of the concentrates were shipped to the smelter at Shelby near San Francisco.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite > Diabase
    Rock unit name Smartville Complex
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Smartville Complex
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock > Greenstone
    Rock unit name Smartville Complex
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
    Rock unit name Smartville Complex
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Jurassic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mesozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granodiorite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mesozoic

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -121.40885, 39.24192
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure name Swain Ravine-Spenceville Fault Zone
Type of structure Local
Structure name Few reports of faults associated with quartz veins, relationships unclear.

Ore body information

  • General form Tabular

Comments on the geologic information

  • The ore deposits of the Browns Valley District are situated at the far western edge of the Western Sierra Nevada Metamorphic Belt within metaigneous rocks of the Mesozoic Smartville Complex. The deposits appear to be distributed over an area of a few square miles. They comprise a set of north-south-striking and east-west-striking fissure-filling quartz veins that cut the complex. The veins contain native gold and very low percentages of sulfide minerals, which include pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite. Vein thicknesses generally range from inches to 4 feet, but may be as much as 18 feet. Some veins exhibit ribbon structure.
  • REGIONAL GEOLOGY



    The Browns Valley District is situated in the northern portion of the Sierra Nevada Foothills Gold Belt. This belt averages 50 miles wide and extends for about 150 miles in a north-northwest orientation along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Browns Valley District is almost 20 miles directly west of the Grass Valley District, home to California's two largest underground gold mines, the Empire and the Idaho-Maryland.



    Regionally, the Foothills Gold Belt approximately coincides with the Sierra Nevada Foothills Metamorphic Belt, which in this area can be subdivided into four major lithotectonic belts: Western Belt, Central Belt, Feather River Peridotite Belt, and Eastern Belt (Schweickert and others, 1999). The Western Belt in this area consists mainly of metamorphosed volcanic, sedimentary, and intrusive rocks of the Mesozoic Smartville Complex (Beard and Day, 1987). It is separated from the Central Belt by the Wolf Creek Fault Zone. The Central Belt consists of a complicated assemblage of Paleozoic-Mesozoic metasedimentary, metavolcanic, and metaplutonic rocks that have been intruded locally by Mesozoic plutonic rocks. The Central Belt is separated from the East Belt by the Feather River Peridotite Belt, which coincides in part with the Melones Fault Zone, a major structural boundary of the western Sierra Nevada. Rocks in this belt are largely peridotite and serpentinite, with lesser amounts of metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks locally. The East Belt is dominantly metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of Paleozoic-Mesozoic age. Most of the metamorphic rocks in the belt in this area have been assigned to the Lower Paleozoic Shoo Fly Complex. The metamorphic complexes are intruded in places by Mesozoic plutonic rocks. On the west, near the Browns Valley District, the Sierra Nevada Foothills Metamorphic Belt is overlain by Cenozoic sedimentary deposits that cover the floor of the Central Valley.



    The Browns Valley District lies within the Western Belt, which in this area is composed of north-northwest-striking metaigneous rocks of the Smartville Complex. Most of the rocks are of mafic to intermediate volcanic or shallow intrusive origin. They are interpreted to be part of a rifted island arc. Part of the complex is intruded by an appendage of the Mesozoic Swedes Flat Pluton. The belt is also cut by several north-northwest-striking fault zones. Dips of foliation and bedding are generally vertical or nearly so, while strikes are dominantly NNW.

  • LOCAL GEOLOGY



    The Browns Valley District is situated in the westernmost part of the Smartville Complex, which consists here mainly of metamorphosed mafic and intermediate marine volcanic rocks and shallow intrusive rocks. Metamorphosed felsic volcanic rock, serpentinite, and granodiorite were reported to be intersected in a few of the mines, although it is not clear if the granodiorite is part of the metamorphic complex or is a much younger body intrusive into it. A few NW-trending fault zones are shown to pass through the district, and there are reports of faults in some of the mines.



    Individual ore deposits in the district typically consist of quartz veins, some of which exhibit ribbon structure. The most common wallrock observed is diabase and diorite, with fewer reports of greenstone, gabbro, serpentinite, and ?porphyry.? the wallrock is reportedly very hard in some of the mines, with gouge in places; there is no mention in the documents reviewed of any alteration, however. Ore shoots typically had lengths of a few hundred feet maximum.



    Quartz veins in the mines of the district are reported in published literature to strike north-south with moderate (35-50 degrees) dips to the east or west; a few veins strike NNW. There are a few reports of east-west strikes also. Lindgren (1895), however, shows dominantly east-west strikes of quartz veins in the district. At one of the most productive mines in the district, the Donnebrouge, a strike of N35W and dip of N25E was reported (O?Brien, 1952). Thicknesses of veins range from inches to 18 feet, although most are less than 4 feet.



    Ore in the mines of the district was composed mostly of native gold and minor amounts of auriferous sulfides (pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, and some sphalerite). Ore mined during the 1950?s at the Donnebrouge Mine reportedly graded from $10 to $60 per ton in parts of the workings. Overall, ore in the district probably averaged about 1-3% sulfides, although there was a report of 12% at one mine.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1850

Mining district

District name Browns Valley District

Land status

Ownership category County
Area name Yuba County Planning Department

Comments on the production information

  • Total production from lode mines in the Browns Valley District was estimated by Clark (1970) to be about $3 million to $5 million. (at $35/troy oz = 2.7 to 4.5 tonnes Au (PS))

Comments on the workings information

  • Mines and prospects in this district were developed through standard underground methods that included shafts, winzes, raises, and drifting. Ore and waste were removed by conventional stoping; in some operations, waste and mill tailings were used as backfill in the underground workings. Waring (1919) provides the most detail overall for mines in the district.



    The deepest workings are probably at the Pennsylvania Mine, which reportedly reached an inclined depth of at least 1,600 feet. The nearby Donnebrouge Mine was worked to at least 1,500 feet deep on the incline. Otherwise, mines appear to have been less than 1,000 feet deep. Drifts turned from the shafts were typically hundreds of feet in length although a few were possibly as much as a few thousand feet in length.

Comments on development

  • This district was discovered during the Gold Rush when miners exploited placer deposits. In 1850, one miner reportedly recovered several thousand dollars from a quartz vein. Lode mining was prevalent through the 1860's and 1870's, and was then intermittent through World War I. The Donnebrouge Mine reopened in the 1940's and was intermittently active until at least 1970. History of the district subsequent to 1970 is uncertain.



    A ?Brown?s Valley Mine? was operated in the 1930?s by the Empire Star Mines Company (http://content-backend-a.cdlib.org/view?docId=kt3v19n6jq&chunk.id=c01-1.7.8.4)



    Amalgamation processes were used at some of the mines.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    Beard, J. S. and Day, H. W., 1987, The Smartville intrusive complex, Sierra Nevada, California: The core of a rifted volcanic arc: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 99, no. 6, p. 779-791.

  • Deposit

    Clark, W.B., 1970, Gold districts of California: California Division of Mines and Geology Bulletin 193, p. 31.

  • Deposit

    Crawford, J.J., 1894, Yuba County: Twelfth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, California State Mining Bureau, p. 318-322.

  • Deposit

    Crawford, J.J., 1896, Yuba County: Thirteenth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, California State Mining Bureau, p. 499-502.

  • Deposit

    Koschmann, A.H., and Bergendahl, M.H., 1968, Principal gold-producing districts of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 610, 283 p.

  • Deposit

    Lindgren, W., 1895, Smartsville folio, California: U.S. Geological Survey Atlas of the U.S., Folio 18, 6 p.

  • Deposit

    Logan, C.A., 1930, Yuba County: Twenty-sixth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, California Division of Mines, p. 191-192.

  • Deposit

    Logan, C.A., 1931, Yuba County: Twenty-seventh Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, California Division of Mines, p. 252.

  • Deposit

    Logan, C.A., 1935, Review of gold mining in east-central California: California Journal of Mines and Geology, v. 31, p. 8-9.

  • Deposit

    O?Brien, J.C., 1952, Mines and mineral resources of Yuba County: California Journal of Mines and Geology, v. 48, no. 2, p. 143-179.

  • Deposit

    Preston, E.B., 1890, Yuba County: Tenth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, California State Mining Bureau, p. 798-799.

  • Deposit

    Saucedo, G.J. and Wagner, D.L., 1992, Geologic map of the Chico Quadrangle, California: California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology Regional Geologic Map Series, Map No. 7A, scale 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    Schweickert, R.A., Hanson, R.E., and Girty, G.H., 1999, Accretionary tectonics of the Western Sierra Nevada Metamorphic Belt, in Wagner, D.L. and Graham, S.A., editors, Geologic field trips in northern California: California Division of Mines and Geology Special Publication 119, p. 33-79.

  • Deposit

    Waring, C.A., 1919, Yuba County: Fifteenth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, California State Mining Bureau, p. 419-459.

Comments on the references

  • Additional information on the Donnebrouge Mine and the Hibbert and Burris Mine is contained in File Nos. 322-5725 and 329-8368 respectively (CGS Mineral Resources Files, Sacramento).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-08 Hill, Bob California Geological Survey CGS (Formerly CDMG) Entered in MS Word.
Reporter 19-APR-08 Higgins, Chris California Geological Survey CGS (Formerly CDMG) Entered in FileMaker S&A format.
Editor 29-AUG-08 Schruben, Paul U.S. Geological Survey Converted to Oracle APEX format.

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative California resources

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