Black Rock Mine

Producer in Mono county in California, United States with commodities Tungsten, Copper, Molybdenum
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. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Ownership information
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10008717
MRDS ID D001062
Record type Site
Current site name Black Rock Mine
Related records 10164583

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -118.51762, 37.68327 (WGS84)
Elevation 1951
Relative position ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF BISHOP

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mono(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Banner Ridge(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Benton Range(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Mariposa(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Crowley Lake(hydrologic unit)

Mono-Owens Lakes(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northern Mojave-Mono Lake(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management CA)

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

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Mono

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 003S 031E 14,23 California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tungsten Critical Primary
Copper Tertiary
Molybdenum Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Diopside Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Pyrrhotite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Formation Of Tactite; Bleaching

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Marble

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Sierra Nevada Batholith

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike N
    Dip W
    Length 731.52M
    Width 365.76M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 182.88M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Asymmetrical Anticline That Plunges North; Contact With Pluton.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1917
Discoverer A. E. Beauregard
Year of first production 1928

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Wah Chang Mining Corp.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Union Carbide Nuclear Corp.

Comments on the production information

  • FROM 82,394 TONS ORE

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • LARGE UNEXPLORED AREAS. MUST USE HIGH COST UNDERGROUND METHODS.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 4572M
    Overall depth 182.88M
    Overall length 365.76M
    Overall width 152.4M

Comments on the workings information

  • SEVERAL OPEN CUTS-THE LARGEST OF WHICH IS 450X300 FT. IN PLAN.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: LOW GRADE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LEMMON, D.M., UNPUBLISHED DATA.

  • Deposit

    LEMMON, D.M., AND TWETO, O.L., 1962, TUNGSTEN IN THE U.S., USGS MAP, MR-25.

  • Deposit

    ELLIOTT, J.E., 1971, THE MINERALOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF THE BLACK ROCK MINE, MONO COUNTY, CALIF., STANFORD UNIV., UNPUB. PHD THESIS, 131P.

  • Deposit

    1941 DIREXPL USBM

  • Deposit

    1953 GEOLMAP RINEHART AND ROSS, REPT., MAPS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE-GRADE MINERALIZATION LOCALIZED IN WEST DIPPING LIMB OF ANTICLINE IN FAVORABLE CARBONATE BEDS. ACCESS OF W BEARING SOLUTIONS BELIEVED TO BE CONTACT OF WEST DIPPING BEDS WITH QUARTZ MONZONITE PLUTON.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1974 Elliott, James E. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-NOV-1976 Elliott, J. U.S. Geological Survey HOST ROCK TYPE
Updater 04-OCT-1991 Mosier, Dan U.S. Geological Survey CHECKED. DELETED ENTRIES FROM UNIT NAME
Editor 09-JUN-1995 Mosier, Dan U.S. Geological Survey AND AGE. ADDED ENTRY FROM IGNEOUS UNIT AND AGE TO ASSOCIATED ROCK TYPE AND AGE.

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Authoritative California resources

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