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Altoona Mine

Past Producer in Trinity county in California, United States with commodity Mercury
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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. Ownership information
  18. Production statistics
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10040731
MRDS ID M055593
MAS/MILS ID 61050192
Record type Site
Current site name Altoona Mine
Alternate or previous names Castella Corp, Rare Metals Corp of America, Universal Silvers, Trinity Claim, Blockade Claim

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -122.54472, 41.13639 (WGS84)
Elevation 1410
Location accuracy 250(meters)
Relative position 24 MI NORTHWEST OF CASTELLA. Coordinates seem to be on a visibile mining scar on Google Earth.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Trinity(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mumbo Basin(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Mount Shasta(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Weed(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Trinity(hydrologic unit)

Klamath(hydrologic accounting unit)

Klamath-Northern California Coastal(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Shasta-Trinity 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 Trinity

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 038N 006W 22,26,28 California

Comments on the location information

  • ON EAST FORK OF TRINITY RIVER

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mercury Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • COPPER IS IN A SINGLE GOSSAN. CHROMITE IS IN SMALL LENSES IN SERPENTINE. MANGANESE IS IN FRANCISCAN CHERT

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Barite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Argillic. Quartz And Ankerite Replace Diorite And Serpentine

Analytical data

Result ASSAYS RANGED FROM 6.1-69.4 LB/TON

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 179
USGS model code 27c
Deposit model name Silica-carbonate Hg

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -122.54472, 41.13639
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description 3 Major Shear Zones.

Ore body information

  • General form STEEPLY DIPPING TABULAR LENSES
    Strike NE
    Dip 65 NW
    Thickness 1.52M
    Length 60.96M
    Width 60.96M

Comments on the geologic information

  • OPAL) AND CARBONATE (USUALLY FERROAN MAGNESITE). THIS IS SOMETIMES CALLED OPALITE. THREE SUCH ZONES HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE DISTRICT BUT ONLY THE ONE EXTENDING ACROSS ALAMITOS CREEK INTO THE SANTA TERESA HILLS HAS PRODUCED HG. IN THIS DISTRICT THE SILICA IS MOSTLY QUARTZ. FORMATION OF THE SILICA - CARBONATE ROCK IS CHIEFLY A REPLACEMENT PROCESS. A DACITIC TUFF BRECCIA IN THE TEMPLOR MAY BE THE SOURCE OF THE HG BEARING SOLUTIONS. { STRUCTURALLY THE DISTRICT CAN BE DIVIDED INTO 3 BLOCKS SEPARATED BY MAJOR FAULTS. IN THE NORTHERN BLOCK DOMINANT TRENDS ARE E - W. THE CENTRAL BLOCK CONTAINS THE LOS CAPITANCILLOS ANTICILE AND SEVERAL NW TRENDING FAULTS. FAULTS AND FOLDS IN THE SOUTHERN BLOCK TREND WNW. OF THE MANY FAULTS, THE SMALL TENSION FRACTURES ARE SIGNIFICANT TO ORE DEPOSITION { THE ORES CONSIST PRIMARILY OF CINNABAR IN THE SILICA - CARBONATE ROCK BUT MAY ALSO OCCUR IN FRANCISCAN GRAYWACKE AND SHALE. THE DEPOSITS ARE CLASSED AS EPITHERMAL.
  • { FRANCISCAN ROCKS OCCUPY 75 % OF THE DISTRICT AND INCLUDE GRAYWACKE, SILTSTONE, MAFIC VOLCANICS, CHERT, LIMESTONE, MINOR METAMORPHICS. EVERYWHERE THE ROCKS HAVE SMALL SCALE FOLDS AND SHEARS. THE SERPENTINES OCCUR AS TABULAR BODIES WITHIN THE SEDIMENTS AND WERE ALTERED IN LATE TERTIARY TO SILICA - CARBONATE ROCK, WHICH HOSTS THE ORES. OVER THIS ARE TWO UNNAMED SEDIMENTARY UNITS OF SANDSTONE, SHALE, AND LIMESTONE, THE LOWER UNIT IS CRETACEOUS AND THE UPPER EOCENE. OVER THIS LIES THE MIOCENE TEMBLOR FORMATION GRADING FROM CGL THROUGH SANDSTONE TO DIATOMACEOUS SHALE. UNITS ABOVE THIS SHALE ARE THE MONTEREY FORMATION, A SHALE WITH INCLUDED FELSIC VOLCANICS. ALLUVIUM OVERLIES THIS. STRUCTURES TREND W AND NW. OLDEST ROCKS DIP NE AND SHOW CRUMPLING, FOLDING, FLOWING, AND FAULTING. MAJOR FAULTS ARE STRIKE - SLIP; THE LARGEST IS THE BEN TROVATO. ROCKS OF INTERMEDIATE AGE ARE LESS DEFORMED. { THE SILICA - CARBONATE ROCK IS SERPENTINE HYDROTHERMALLY ALTERED TO SILICA (QUARTZ, CHALCEDONY, OR
  • IN THIS DISTRICT, SERPENTINE IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ORE ZONES, BUT IS NOT THE PRINCIPAL HOST ROCK AS IN THE COAST RANGES. POSSIBLY A HOT SPRINGS DEPOSIT WITH MANY IRREGULAR CONDUITS, BUT MORE LIKELY A SILICA-CARBONATE DEPOSIT NOT HOSTED BY SERPENTINE

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1871
Year of first production 1875
Production years 1875-1880, 1894-1901, 1929-1945(INTERMITTENT)

Mining district

District name Altoona District

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Sonoma Mines, Inc.
    First year 1972
  • Type Owner
    Owner Castella Corp.

Production statistics

  • Year 1962
    Period To 1962
    Material HG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^10-20 Lb/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Mercury Mercury 6776g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • DISTRICT HAS YIELDED 40% OF US MERCURY - SEE INDIVIDUAL MINES FOR PRODUCTION FIGURES. 4% HG ORE
  • PRODUCED MORE THAN 100 FL IN 1959, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971: MORE THAN 500 FL IN 1968, 1970. IDLE 1960-1965. CLOSED IN 1971

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • SUBMARGINAL ORE EXISTS AND HAS BEEN WORKED FROM TIME TO TIME.
  • 1957 DIREXPL DMEA, INDICATED RESERVES OF 55,000 TONS

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 3048M
    Overall depth 182.88M

Comments on the workings information

  • SIZES OF ORE BODIES VARIED GREATLY. DATA ABOVE IS FOR LARGEST (M60 AND M50). NEW ALMADEN IS THE DEEPEST MERCURY MINE IN THE WORLD
  • CAVED. 258 LB/FT OF WORKINGS. FLOODS EASILY

Comments on development

  • MANY NEW METHODS OF MINING AND REFINING THE ORE WERE FIRST USED AT NEW ALMADEN.
  • 25 TON ROTARY, 1944. GOULD ROTARY FURNACE, ELECTRIC POWER AND A 100 KW DIESEL PLANT FOR EMERGENCY USE, 1958. NO DEVELOPMENT OR MINING HAS BEEN DONE BELOW 600 FT. ; ECON.COM: ELECTRIC POWER AT THE SITE

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BAILEY, E.H., U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, PERSONAL FILES

  • Deposit

    HOLMES, G.W., JR., 1965, MERCURY IN CALIFORNIA, IN MERCURY POTENTIAL OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 8252, P. 173-174, 199.

  • Deposit

    O'BRIEN, J.C., 1965, MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF TRINITY COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY COUNTY REPORT 4, P. 48-49.

  • Deposit

    INTFEN, S.F., AND DAVID, F.F., 1972, DIRECTORY OF MINERAL PRODUCERS IN CALIFORNIA FOR 1970: CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY PAMPHLET, P. 16.

  • Deposit

    SWINNEY, C.M., 1950, THE ALTOONA QUICKSILVER MINE, TRINITY COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 46, NO. 3, P. 395-404.

  • Deposit

    U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, 1959-1973, MINERALS YEARBOOKS: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES

  • Production

    USBM DATA

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit FOR AN EXTENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY SEE BAILEY AND EVERHART 1964
Deposit STEEP TABULAR BODIES UP TO 200 X 200 X 5 FT
Deposit Discovery Year: 1824 BUT USED BY INDIANS FOR PAINT BEFORE THIS.
Deposit 1957 DIREXPL RARE METAL CORP OF AMER - ORE TO 750 FT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 1975-12-01 Gassaway, J. S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 1991-01-01 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 1982-06-14 Western Field Operations Center (WFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines MAS 0061050192 = 10262844
Editor 2010-11-05 Wilson, Anna B. U.S. Geological Survey MAS 0061050192 = 10262844, merged and deleted.

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.