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Rainbow

Past Producer in Sierra county in California, United States with commodity Gold
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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. Ore body information
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10086510
MRDS ID X025374
Record type Site
Current site name Rainbow
Related records 10165438

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -120.83631, 39.45656 (WGS84)
Relative position 1 MI SSE OF ALLEGHANY

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Sierra(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Alleghany(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Truckee(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Chico(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Yuba(hydrologic unit)

Lower Sacramento(hydrologic accounting unit)

Sacramento(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Tahoe 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 Sierra

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 018N 010E 03 California

Comments on the location information

  • UTM EST. N 1/2

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • RAINBOW VEIN HAS YIELDED NEARLY ALL PRODUCTION. HIGH GRADE ORE ASSOC W COARE ARSENOPYRITE NR SERPENTINE. SML SHOOTS OF EXCEEDINGLY RICH ORE IN CLINTON OR NORTH VEIN GROUP. PRACTICALLY ALL PRODUCTION FROM JUNCTION OF RAINBOW & CLINTON VEINS. GOLD IN FLAKES ALSO, IN GOUGY SLIP OF PRESUMED INTERMINERAL AGE. HIGH GRADE ORE POSSIBLY ON 2 LOWEST LEVELS, AND NORTHERLY EXT OF PARALLEL VEIN. GROUND BETWEEN E. END OF RAINBOW WORKINGS, AND WORKINGS OF OR IFLAMME, IRELAN & ARCADE MINES UNEXPLORED

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Pyrite Ore
Ankerite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Serpentine Gangue
Siderite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Carbonate

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 273
USGS model code 36a
Deposit model name Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Mark3 model number 27

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Permian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Slate
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Amphibolite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Conglomerate
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert

Nearby scientific data

(1) -120.83631, 39.45656
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike NW
    Dip NE
    Thickness 1.83M

Comments on the geologic information

  • 3 VEINS OF SAME AGE. RAINBOW & BARREN PARALLEL VEINS ARE PARALLEL: THE CLINTON STRIKES N, DIPS STEEPLY W & LIMITS OTHER TWO. VEINS CUT BY SERPENTINE & GABBRO DIKE. CHLORITIZED AMPHIBOLITE SCHIST HANGING WALL HAS BEEN ALTERED TO MARIPOSITE, SIDERITE, ANKERITE. SCHIST DRAG IMPLIES REVERSE FAULTING, W UNKNOWN DISPLACEMENT. WALLROCK OFTEN BLACK PEBBLY SLATE. SERPENTINE DIKE &, IN GROVES ADIT, FOOTWALL. RAINBOW VEIN STRIKES N 75 - 80 W IN UPPER WORKINGS, N 45 - 55 W IN LOWER, DIPS 20 - 70 NE, STEEPER ABOVE. AVE THICKNESS NO MORE THAN 2 FT, QTZ LACKING IN PLACES. CONTINOUS FOR 1400 FT. PARALLEL VEIN LIES IN HANGING WALL OF RAINBOW VEIN, 100 FT E, CONTINUOUS, THIN, FOR 150 FT. CLINTON OR NORTH GROUP OF VEINS, SEPERATED IN PLACES BY SEVERAL FT OF COUNTRY ROCK, STRIKES N 8 W, DIPS STEEPLY W. ITS FISSURING FAULTS RAINBOW SYSTEM, THOUGH FILLING IS CONTEMPORANEOUS. POSSIBLY FISSURING FADED OUT AGAINST THE SERP DIKE TO THE S. N PROJECTION TO RAINBOW EXTENSION POSSIBLE. FAULT MOVEMENT IN DIFFERENT
  • DIRECTIONS AT DIFFERENT TIMES MAKE VEIN JUNCTION REGION COMPLEX. FISSURING & FOLDING LATER THAN VEIN BUT PRIOR TO AU INTRODUCTION IS SHOWN. POST-MINERAL MOVEMENT ALONG & IN VEINS. GREEN SCHIST, PROBABLY ALTERED TUFF, FORMS FOOTWALL BUT NOT WELL ENOUGH EXPOSED TO DETERMINE FAULT DISPLACEMENT, WHICH PROBABLY WASNT LARGE, LESS THAN 100 FT. ALTERED CARBONATE-MARIPOSITE TYPE WALLROCK W ANKERITE MARIPOSITE GREEN BANDING, & SIDERITE OR FE RICH ANKERITE BROWN BANDING MORE PROMINENT IN GREEN SCHIST THAN BLACK SLATE, SLICKENSIDE PLATED PYRITE OF SUPERGENE ORIGIN? TO E RAINBOW VEIN LOST IN STRINGERS WHICH STEEPEN & FOLLOW SLATE CLEAVAGE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant Yes

Comments on the production information

  • RAINBOW VEIN YIELDED ALL BUT $50,000 . BEFORE 1884 AS MUCH AS $60,000 TAKEN OUT IN SINGLE DAY, & $100,000/MO. A SINGLE SPECIMEN EXHIBITED IN SAN FRANCISCO CONTAINED $20,468 AU. FERGUSON GIVES $145/FT RATIO FOR RAINBOW, $22/FOOT FOR CLINTON.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Overall depth 243.84M

Comments on the workings information

  • WINZES FROM GRAVEL ADIT. LONG XCUT GROVES TUNNEL 1400 FT. LOWER ADIT W INCLINED SHAFT ON VEIN.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VEINS, ORE SHOOTS

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1979 Hayden, F. (Albers, J.) 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.