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Holston Mine

Past Producer in Tulare county in California, United States with commodities Chromium, Platinum, Palladium, Iridium, Ruthenium, Rhodium
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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. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  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 10043440
MRDS ID M100203
Record type Site
Current site name Holston Mine
Alternate or previous names Vaughn Ranch Mine, Vaughn Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -118.95372, 36.02386 (WGS84)
Elevation 335
Location accuracy 1000(meters)
Relative position 4 MI SOUTHEAST OF PORTERVILLE, Estimated Within South Half Of Section

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Tulare(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Success Dam(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Three Rivers(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Fresno(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Tulare Lake Bed(hydrologic unit)

Tulare-Buena Vista Lakes(hydrologic accounting unit)

Tulare-Buena Vista Lakes(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Tulare

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 022S 028E 9 S2 California

Comments on the location information

  • ON SOUTH SIDE OF RIDGE NORTH OF DRY (DEER?) CREEK

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary
Platinum Critical Tertiary
Palladium Critical Tertiary
Iridium Critical Tertiary
Ruthenium Critical Tertiary
Rhodium Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Ore
Olivine Gangue
Serpentine Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Ultramafic Rocks Highly Serpentinized

Analytical data

Result 1 PGE ANALYSIS: PT=76 PPB
Result PD=<1 PPB
Result IR=120 PPB
Result RU=110 PPB
Result RH=11 PPB.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 15
USGS model code 8a
Deposit model name Podiform chromite (minor)
Mark3 model number none

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite
    Rock unit name Kings-Kaweah Ophiolite
    Rock description Kings-Kaweah Ophiolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pennsylvanian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Dunite

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Intense Shearing

Ore body information

  • General form LENSES OF MASSIVE AND DISSEMINATED ORE
    Strike N20W
    Dip 75SW
    Thickness 3M
    Length 80M
    Width 6M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Magmatic Segregation

Comments on the geologic information

  • PERIDOTITE LIES BETWEEN GABBRO AND DIORITE MASSES AND IS NEAR METAVOLCANIC AND METASEDIMENTARY ROCKS. A FAULT STRIKING N70E AND DIPPING 50NW OFFSETS ONE GROUP OF ORE BODIES. THE DEPOSIT IS NEAR THE SOUTH END OF THE OPHIOLITE, WHICH IS ABOUT 6 KM WIDE AND EXTENDS FOR 40 KM TO THE NORTHWEST

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1895
Year of last production 1918

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner California Magnesite Co.
    Home office Porterville
    First year 1918
  • Type Owner
    Owner Holston, Howard V.
    Home office 2927 E. Gettysburg, Fresno, Ca
    First year 1975
  • Type Owner
    Owner Mc Ghee, Nell Marie
    Home office 2927 E. Gettysburg, Fresno, Ca
    First year 1975

Production statistics

  • Year 1916
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^45-50% Cr2o3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Cr2O3 Chromium Chromium 48wt-pct
  • Year 1917
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^45-50% Cr2o3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Cr2O3 Chromium Chromium 48wt-pct
  • Year 1918
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^45-50% Cr2o3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Cr2O3 Chromium Chromium 48wt-pct
  • Year 1919
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^45-50% Cr2o3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Cr2O3 Chromium Chromium 48wt-pct
  • Year 1919
    Period 1916-1919
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^45-50% Cr2o3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Cr2O3 Chromium Chromium 48wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • A LITTLE ORE MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN PRODUCED IN 1915

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 22.86M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS COMPRISED OF TWO LARGE OPEN CUTS (100 X 10 X 5 FT AND 60 X 30 X 15 FT), GLORY HOLE (45 X 10 X 20 FT), SEVERAL SMALLER CUTS, AN ADIT, AND SOME CAVED TUNNELS

Comments on development

  • IDLE SINCE 1918

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STINSON, M.C., 1975, CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY MINERAL PROPERTY REPORT, UNPUB.

  • Deposit

    RYNEARSON, G.A., 1948, GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF CHROMITE IN CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF MINES BULLETIN 134, PT. 3, CH. 3, P. 98

  • Deposit

    CARLSON, C.A., AND OTHERS, 1985, ANALYSES FOR PLATINUM-GROUP ELEMENTS IN SAMPLES FROM PODIFORM CHROMITE DEPOSITS, CALIFORNIA AND OREGON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 85-442, 14 P.

  • Deposit

    GOODWIN, J.G., 1958, MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF TULARE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY V. 54, NO. 3, P. 336.

  • Production

    RYNEARSON, 1948

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ORE LENSES OCCUR IN THREE GROUPS OF ORE BODIES IN SHEARED ROCK. ORE IS MASSIVE AND DISSEMINATED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-82 Oster, Karel L. (Albers, John P.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-90 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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.