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Argonaut

Past Producer in Amador county in California, United States with commodity Gold
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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. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10028233
MRDS ID M005101
Record type Site
Current site name Argonaut
Alternate or previous names Pioneer, Sunset
Related records 10235166

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -120.7863, 38.36296 (WGS84)
Elevation 472
Relative position SEVERAL WORKINGS NE 1/4 SEC. 20 - PROBABLY THIS MINE & KENNEDY WORKINGS. 1 MI. NW OF JACKSON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Amador(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Jackson(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

San Andreas(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Sacramento(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Mokelumne(hydrologic unit)

San Joaquin(hydrologic accounting unit)

San Joaquin(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Amador

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 006N 011E 17,20,21 California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Quartz Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Slate
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock > Greenstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist

Nearby scientific data

(1) -120.7863, 38.36296
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Branching And Orientation Of Vein Probably Due To Fault Complications.

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N 10 W
    Dip 40 - 60 NE
    Thickness 3.66M

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.DESC: QUARTZ VEIN DIPS 40 NE IN UPPER WORKINGS, CUTTING ACROSS GREENSTONE AND SLATE; ABOUT 500 FT. FROM SURFACE THE VEIN IS CONCORDANT WITH SLATE BEDDING AND LIES ALONG CONTACT WITH SLATE AND SHIST; THE CONTACT DIPS 64 NE. THE VEIN IS FAIRLY REGULAR AND CONTINUOUS VARYING IN THICKNESS FROM 8 TO 12 FT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner B. Monte Verda And E. C. Taylor

Comments on the production information

  • FIRST WORKED ON SMALL SCALE AS THE PIONEER, 1850-1893 WHEN ARGONAUT MNG. CO. INC. ARGONAUT WORKED THE MINE CONTINUOUSLY, EXCEPT FOR 2 DIFFERENT YEARS ON ACCOUNT OF FIRES IN THE MINE, FROM 1893 TO 1942. TO DECEMBER 31, 1942, TOTAL MINE PRODUCTION WAS 2,750,000 TONS OF ORE FROM WHICH $25,179,160.43 WAS RECOVERED. THE COMPANY WAS DISSOLVED IN 1948 AND PROPERTY PASSED TO ABOVE-NOTED OWNERS. THE MACHINERY WAS BEING REMOVED. ALTHOUGH THE ORE IN THE MINE WAS NOT EXHAUSTED IN 1942, THE HIGH COST OF LABOR AND MATERIALS PREVENTED FURTHER OPERATION, LEADING TO THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MINING COMPANY

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Area 31.567HA
    Overall depth 1295.4M

Comments on the workings information

  • 3 COMPARTMENT SHAFT SUNK AT A 60 DEGREE INCLINE TO 4250 FT.; FROM SURFACE TO 290 FT LEVEL SHAFT COMPLETELY IN GREENSTONE; FROM 290 FT. TO 1570 FT. LEVEL SHAFT IS IN SLATE; FROM 1570 TO 2520 FT LEVEL SHAFT IN SCHIST; BELOW 2520 FT SHAFT IN SLATE; LEVELS AT 290 , 470 , 110 , 1240 , 1350 , 1570 , 1800 , 1920 , 2040 , 2280 , 2520 , 2760 , 2880 , 3000 , 3150 , 3300 , 3450 , 3500 , 3750 , 3900 , 4050 FT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CARLSON, D.W. AND CLARK, W.B., 1954 , MINES AND MIN. RES. OF AMADOR COUNTY, CAL.: CJMG, VOL. 50 , P

  • Deposit

    LOGAN, C.A., 1927 , AMADOR COUNTY: CMB REPT. 23 , P. 153 - 156

  • Deposit

    TUCKER, W.B., 1914 , AMADOR COUNTY: CMB REPT 14 , P. 17 - 19

  • Deposit

    STORM, W.H., 1900 , MOTHER LODE REGION OF CAL.: CMB BULL. 18 , P. 156 - 160

  • Production

    LOGAN, C.A., 1927

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1972 Gere, W. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-1978 Tatkin, T.; 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.