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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Virgin Opal Mine

Past Producer in Humboldt county in Nevada, United States with commodity Gemstone
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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. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10045032
MRDS ID M232684
Record type Site
Current site name Virgin Opal Mine
Alternate or previous names Bonanza Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -119.07852, 41.83876 (WGS84)
Elevation 1646

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Humboldt(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Virgin Valley(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Vya(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Vya(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Thousand-Virgin(hydrologic unit)

Black Rock Desert(hydrologic accounting unit)

Black Rock Desert-Humboldt(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Humboldt

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 045N 026E 06,07 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • 8 KM SW FROM DUFFERENA ON VIRGIN VALLEY RD; THEN 3 KM NW ON DIRT RD LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 7-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH USFS LAND OWNERSHIP BOUNDARIES, 1:126,720 SCALE.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gemstone Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Opal Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Volcanic Ash

Nearby scientific data

(1) -119.07852, 41.83876
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Bedding

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET
    Dip 0
    Thickness 1.22M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Sedimentary Bedding

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE OPAL-BEARING HORIZON AVERAGES MORE THAN 12. M. THICK AND CONSISTS PRIMARILY OF LIGHT-COLORED BENTONITE CONTAINING VARYING AMOUNTS OF PETRIFIED WOOD, RHYOLITE PEBBLES, ASH, AND OPAL. PRECIOUS OPALS ARE USUALLY FOUND IN THE UPPER HALF OF THE HORIZON.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1908
Discoverer I. Dow, G. Mathewson, A. Thompson, And Others

Mining district

District name Virgin Valley District

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Hodson, Keith
    First year 1980
  • Type Owner
    Owner Hodson, Keith

Comments on the production information

  • ONE BROKEN PRECIOUS OPAL 3.3 KG. PLUS MANY SMALLER ONES.

Comments on the workings information

  • CUTS, ADIT

Comments on development

  • LISTED IN 1980 AS AN ACTIVE OPEN-PIT MINE EMPLOYING 2 PERSONS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PROBABLY FIRST LOCATED BY I. DOW, G. MATHEWSON, A. THOMPSON AND OTHERS IN 1908. IT WAS RELOCATED IN 1943 BY MR. GARAVENTA AS THE VIRGIN OPAL CLAIM. IT WAS PURCHASED IN 1955 BY THE CURRENT OWNER, KEITH HODSON. IT IS DEVELOPED BY SEVERAL SIZEABLE CUTS, ONE ADIT, AND A STORAGE BUILDING. LISTED IN 1980 AS AN OPEN PIT MINE EMPLOYING 2 PERSONS. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit 1800 FT X 100 FT MINEABLE AREA

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1981 La Pointe, D. D. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-NOV-1990 Skurski, M. (Marcus, Sue) 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 Nevada resources

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