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Pioneer Chief Mine

Past Producer in Calaveras 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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Workings at the site
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10102669
MRDS ID M006179
Record type Site
Current site name Pioneer Chief Mine
Alternate or previous names Thorn
Related records 10187188

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -120.6799, 38.17019 (WGS84)
Relative position 1 1/2 MI S OF SAN ANDREAS

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Calaveras(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

San Andreas(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

San Andreas(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Sacramento(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Calaveras(hydrologic unit)

San Joaquin(hydrologic accounting unit)

San Joaquin(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Calaveras

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 004N 012E 29 California

Comments on the location information

  • UTM EST W 1/2 LOT 37

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • SAMPLING IN 1930'S INDICATED GRADE TOO LOW TO WARRANT PRODUCTION

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore
Quartz Gangue

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metasedimentary Rock > Slate
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Metavolcanic Rock > Mafic Metamorphic Rock > Greenstone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -120.6799, 38.17019
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike NW
    Dip NE

Comments on the geologic information

  • 5 FT THICK VEIN W 40 FT OF GOUGE ON HANGING WALL SLATE HANGING WALL, GREENSTONE FOOTWALL. LOGAN, 1935 , SAYS FOOTWALL IS A DIKE OF CHLORITIC FELSITE & HANGING WALL IS SERPENTINE

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Comments on the production information

  • ACTIVE IN 1860'S, BUT WORK CEASED IN 1884 . REOPENED IN 1916 , WORKED INTERMITTENTLY TILL 1930'S . PRODUCTION IN 1928 AVERAGED $2/TON AU.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Area 5.666HA
    Overall depth 126.49M

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED LATERALLY AND IN DEPTH FOR AT LEAST TWO PERIODS. EARLY IN 1931 A VERTICAL SHAFT WAS EXTENDED TO DEPTH OF 415 FT. 200-FT LEVEL WAS RUN FOR 125-FT. 350-FT LEVEL WAS 230-FT LONG, AND 500-FT LEVEL HAD BEEN RUN 60 FT. RECENT DEVELOPMENT WORK WAS DISAPPOINTING.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CLARK, W.B., & LYDON, P.A., 1962 , MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALAVERAS COUANTY, CALIF.: CALIF. DIV. MINES & GEOL., COUNTY REPORT 2 , P. 174 & PL B

  • Deposit

    LOGAN, C.A., FRANKE, H., 1936 , MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALAVERAS CO.: CDM CALIF. JOUR. MINES & GEOL., VOL. 32 , NO. 3 , P. 316

  • Deposit

    LOGAN, C.A., 1935 , MOTHER LODE GOLD BELT OF CALIF.: CDM BULL. 108 , P 146 & PL 6

  • Production

    LOGAN, 1935

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VEIN

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.