Cle Elum

Occurrence in Kittitas county in Washington, United States with commodities Nickel, Chromium, Iron, PGE
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. Ownership information
  19. Reserves and resources
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10039251
MRDS ID M046849
Record type Site
Current site name Cle Elum
Alternate or previous names Cle Elum River Iron
Related records 10055939

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -121.05562, 47.43121 (WGS84)
Elevation 945
Location accuracy 100(meters)
Relative position 60 MI EAST OF SEATTLE, Accurate Within Laterite Area

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Kittitas(county)

Washington(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Davis Peak(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Snoqualmie Pass(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Wenatchee(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Yakima(hydrologic unit)

Yakima(hydrologic accounting unit)

Yakima(hydrologic subregion)

Pacific Northwest(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Okanogan-Wenatchee 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 Washington Kittitas

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Willamette 023N;022N 014E;014E 26,34,35;01,02,03 SE4 OF NW4 (01) OF N2 (02) OF E2 (03) Washington

Comments on the location information

  • ALONG VALLEY OF CLE ELUM RIVER IN WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST. LOCATION GIVEN IS AT MOUTH OF BIG BOULDER CREEK

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary
Chromium Critical Primary
Iron Primary
PGE Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • FE, NI, AND CR INCREASE DOWNWARD WHILE AL2O3 AND SIO2 DECREASE DOWNWANRD. CO NOT ASSAYED BUT IS PROBABLY LOW. UNABLE TO FIND SOURCE OF PGE DATA; NO MENTION OF PGE IN REFERENCES CITED

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Boehmite Ore
Cliachite Ore
Diaspore Ore
Garnierite Ore
Gibbsite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Serpentine Gangue
Hematite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Limonite, Goethite, Hematite Metamorphosed To Magnetite

Analytical data

Result AVG. OF 57 CORE SAMPLES OF NICKELIFEROUS IRON = 40.86 % FE, 0.84 % NI, 1.64% CR. AL2O3 PRBABALY ABOUT 25%. 0.8-1.0% NI. ANALYSIS OF LATERITE GAVE 2.4% CR2O3, 8.96% SIO2, 16.415% AL2O3, 0.052% P, 0.111% S, 0.46% MN. UNDERLYING SERPENTINE AVERAGES 0.63% NI

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 110
USGS model code 38a
Deposit model name Lateritic Ni

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite > Diabase
    Rock unit name Ingalls Complex
    Rock description Ingalls Complex
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Jurassic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt

Nearby scientific data

(1) -121.05562, 47.43121

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Ore On West Flank Of Assymmetric Anticline Plunging Southwest. Average Dip On Ore Is 32w

Ore body information

  • General form LAMINATED, MASSIVE, PEBBLY, AND CONCRETIONARY BEDS
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 14.63M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Paleoclimate

Comments on the geologic information

  • DEPOSITS FORM STRATIGRAPHIC UNIT OVERLYING SERPENTINIZED PERIDOTITE AND UNDERLYING TERRESTRIAL SANDSTONE AND CONGLOMERATE. UNUSUAL MINERALOGY IS A RESULT OF METAMORPHISM OF THE DEPOSIT. ROCKS OF AREA ARE CUT BY MAFIC DIKES

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1887

Mining district

District name Cle Elum District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Burlington Northern Railroad
    First year 1976

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Total resources 30000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 0.84 wt-pct Nickel Major 1973
    Chromium Cr2O3 2.4 wt-pct Chromium Major 1973
    Iron Fe 40.86 wt-pct Iron Major 1973
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1951
    Measured 14000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 0.82 wt-pct Nickel Major 1951
    Chromium Cr2O3 2.39 wt-pct Chromium Major 1951
    Iron Fe 40.75 wt-pct Iron Major 1951

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • SOME MATERIAL COULD BE OPEN PITTED, OTHER WOULD HAVE TO BE MINED UNDERGROUND
  • CORNWALL, 1966, INDICATED 10,000 - 200,000 TONS OF CONTAINED NICKEL IN LATERITE

Comments on the workings information

  • SHALLOW CUTS, ADITS, SHAFTS

Comments on development

  • AREA WAS EXTENSIVELY DRILLED BY USBM IN LATE 1940'S

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    LAMEY, C.A., AND HOTZ, P.E., 1951, THE CLE ELUM RIVER NICKELIFEROUS IRON DEPOSIT, KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 978-B, P. 27-67.

  • Deposit

    CORNWALL, H.R., 1966, NICKEL DEPOSITS OF NORTH AMERICA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1223 , P. 54-55.

  • Deposit

    CORNWALL, H.R., 1973 , NICKEL, IN BROBST, D.A., AND PRATT, W.P., EDS., UNITED STATES MINERAL RESOURCES: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 820, P. 437-442.

  • Deposit

    DERKEY, R.E., JOSEPH, N.L., AND LASMANIS, RAYMOND, 1990, METAL MINES OF WASHINGTON - PRELIMINARY REPORT: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES OPEN-FILE REPORT 90-18, P. 128.

  • Deposit

    GRANT, A.R., 1976, REPORT OF EVALUATION, MINERAL RESOURCE ANALYSIS STUDY ON UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE LAND, STATE OF WASHINGTON: PREPARED FOR U.S. FOREST SERVICE - REGION 6, CONTRACT NO. 004724N, P. 30.

  • Deposit

    1943 DIREXPL U.S. BUREAU OF MINES

  • Deposit

    1944 UNKNOWN WASHINGTON GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

  • Reserve-Resource

    CORNWALL, 1966. OTHER RESERVE FIGURES ARE GIVEN IN GRANT (1976)

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THICKNESS OF LATERITE RANGES FROM 0 TO 48 FT WITH AN AVERAGE THICKNESS OF 15 FT. PEBBLY NATURE MAY INDICATE REWORKING AND REDEPOSITION FROM ORIGINAL SITE.
Deposit RECORD W001164 HAS BEEN DELETED.
Deposit THESE DEPOSITS RESEMBLE NICKELIFEROUS IRON LATERITES THAT OVERLIE LARGE AREAS OF SERPENTINE IN CUBA, THE PHILIPPINES, AND INDONESIA ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-73 Coury, Anny B. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JAN-75 Shaffer, Glenn L. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-78 Blair, Will N. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-91 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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