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Leviathan

Producer in Alpine county in California, United States with commodities Copper, Sulfur, 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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Land status
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10028007
MRDS ID M004744
Record type Site
Current site name Leviathan
Related records 10235711

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -119.65766, 38.71213 (WGS84)
Relative position S 1/2 SECS. 14 AND 15; N 1/2 SECS. 22 AND 23

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Alpine(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Heenan Lake(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Smith Valley(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Walker Lake(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Carson(hydrologic unit)

Carson(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Lahontan(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Alpine

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 0010 021E 14,15,22,23,26 California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Sulfur Primary
Gold Secondary
Silver Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cuprite Ore
Sulfur Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 41.15M

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.DESC: SULPHUR IN MASSES, STRINGERS, AND VEINS, IN A GRAY, ALTERED PORPHYRITIC ANDESITE. MAXIMUM THICKNESS IS 135'. MINED IN AN OPEN PIT. 1500' X 600'. ORE AVERAGES 28% SULPHUR WITH TRACES OF CINNABAR. SULPHUR OCCURS AS REPLACEMENT IN TUFF. THIN BEDS OF SULPHUR INTERFINGER WITH TUFF ONE MILE SOUTH AND ONE MILE WEST OF PIT

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Production years 1894

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCED NEARLY ALL SULPHUR MINED IN CALIF - AVE. ABOUT 250,000 TONS ANNUALLY. COPPER PRODUCTION BET. 100,000 AND 1,000,000 CU.OUTPUT IS SENT TO YERINGTON,NEVADA,AND USED TO MAKE SULPHURIC ACID. BOUGHT BY ANACONDA CO. IN 1952 POSSIBLY TRAIL NEAR RIM OF PIT. GEOL SOC. SAC. GUIDEBOOK 1966 SHOWS OUTLINES OF S BODY. PIT, 2,000' LONG, 1,000' WIDE, 400' DEEP. SULPHUR RESERVES EXPECTED TO BE EXHAUSTED AND 1961 BE LAST YEAR OF OPERATION - E&MJ V. 162, NO.7, JULY 1961, P.121 (NEVADA NOTES) NEVADA NEWSLETTER 4/15/60, P.4; 4/15/61, P.2. MINE PURCHASED BY U.S. BORAX LATE SUMMER 1967 - SURFACE EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION OF UNNAMED PORTIONS BEGUN IMMEDIATELY.DRILLING MAY FOLLOW - MIS V.21, 1968, NO.2, P.27-8. MINE WAS DISCOVERED IN 1863 AND WAS FIRST WORKED FOR COPPER & GOLD. FIRST S PRODUCTION WAS IN 1933

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN PIT 1,500 FT. LONG, 600 FT. WIDE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ERIC, J.H., 1948 : COPPER IN CALIFORNIA BULL. 144 ; DIV. OF MINES, P. 213

  • Deposit

    LOGAN, C.A., 1931 ; SACRAMENTO FIELD DIV.; 27TH REPT. STATE MIN.; CALIF. DIV. OF MINES, P. 491

  • Deposit

    LYDON, P.A., 1957 ; MINERAL COMMODITIES OF CALIFORNIA BULL. 176 : DIV. OF MINES, P. 613 - 614

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ADD. REF. NO.4. USBM IC 7898; NO.5. GEOL. SOC. SAC. GUIDEBOOK ANN. FIELD TRIP JUNE 18-19, 1966-P.63-68- GEOL MAP FOLLOWING P.62 & PLATES INPACKED

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1972 Gere, W. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-1978 Fraticelli, L. A. (Albers, J.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative California resources

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