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Blanco Clay Mine

Producer in Esmeralda county in Nevada, United States with commodity Clay
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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. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10046837
MRDS ID M242052
Record type Site
Current site name Blanco Clay Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.8451, 37.91438 (WGS84)
Elevation 1686
Relative position ABOUT 8 MILES S.S.E OF COALDALE JUNCTION

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Esmeralda(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Rhyolite Ridge NE(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Goldfield(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Goldfield(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Southern Big Smoky Valley(hydrologic unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Nevada Desert Basins(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Esmeralda

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 001N 037E Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • IN FOOTHILLS OF SILVER PEAK RANGE

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Clay Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Montmorillonite Ore
Gypsum Gangue
Opal Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Argillic Alteration

Analytical data

Result THE PLASTIC VISCOSITY OF ONE SAMPLE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED BY REMOVING THE COARSER-THAN 2M FRACTION

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
    Rock unit name Esmeralda Formation
    Rock description Esmeralda Formation

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.8451, 37.91438
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Dip E TO NE
    Thickness 13.72M
    Length 30.78M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Rhyolitic Unit

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE MONTMORILLONITE UNIT CONTAINS QUARTZ PHENOCRYSTS AND SOME LITHIC FRAGMENTS, AS WELL AS A SMALL AMOUNT OF LIGNITIC MATERIAL

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Fish Lake Valley District

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner R. T. Vanderbilt Co., Inc.
    First year 1964
  • Type Owner
    Owner Western Talc Co.
    First year 1970

Comments on the workings information

  • 3 SMALL PITS

Comments on development

  • MINE OPERATED FROM 1963-1965. THE ORE IS INTERMITTENTLY MINED AND IS STOCKPILED FOR FUTURE USES AFTER CRUSHING AND GRINDING, THIS CLAY ISPROCESSED BY WET METHODS AT A BLANT IN CONNECTICUT. THE RECOVERED PRODUCTS ARE USED TO PRODUCE VARIOUS GRADES OF SUSPENDING AGENTS MARKETED UNDER THE NAME OF "VEEGUM."

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ALBERS, J.P., AND STEWART, J.H., 1972, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF ESMERALDA CO., NV.; N.B.M.G. BULL. 78, P.61

  • Deposit

    PAPKE, K.G., 1970, MONTMORILLONITE, BENTONITE, AND FULLER'S EARTH DEPOSITS IN NEVADA; N.B.M.G. BULL. 76, P.20-21.

  • Deposit

    OLSON, R.H., 1964, CLAYS, IN MINERAL AND WATER RESOURCES OF NEVADA; .B.M.G. BULL. 65, P. 185-189.

  • Deposit

    USBM, MILS DATA, 1978

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit HOMOGENEOUS, MASSIVE MONTMORILLONITE LAYER, FLANKED BY A HANGING WALL UNIT OF TUFFACEOUS SEDIMENTARY ROCKS AND A FOOTWALL UNIT OF TUFF AND TUFFACEOUS SEDIMENTS

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1981 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

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.