Tropico Mines

Past Producer in Kern county in California, United States with commodity Gold
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. Controls for ore emplacement
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Ownership information
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10104171
MRDS ID MP25783
Record type Site
Current site name Tropico Mines
Alternate or previous names Claims: Tropico, Fairview, Lida, Pieute, Last Chance, Antelope, Topeka, Hattie, Bonanza, Home No. 1 & No. 2, H.B., Kid, Rosamond, Gold King

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -118.23284, 34.87972 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Kern(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Soledad Mountain(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Lancaster(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Los Angeles(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Antelope-Fremont Valleys(hydrologic unit)

Northern Mojave(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northern Mojave-Mono Lake(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Kern

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
San Bernardino 009N 013W 10,11,14,15 California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -118.23284, 34.87972

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike E-W
    Dip 60S
    Thickness 15.24M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault Fissures

Comments on the geologic information

  • K4:GANGUE:QUARTZ. RHYOLITE OCCURS IN THIN LAYERS WITH DISTINCT FACES (PROBABLY JOINT OR SHEAR PLANES), DIPPING 80S. ISOLATED MASSES OF GRANITIC ROCK GIVE IMPRESSION OF HAVING BEEN FLOATED IN BY RHYOLITE. VEINS ARE CUT BY SERIES OF NW-STRIKING FAULTS, DIPPING 60W. DISPLACEMENT ALONG FISSURES ESTIMATED UP TO 800 FT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

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

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Burton Brothers Inc. And H. Clifford Burton
    Home office Rosamond, Ca.
    First year 1949

Comments on the production information

  • LINE 1: 25 TONS/DAY CAME FROM TROPICO MINE, REST FROM EXPOSED TREASURE AND YELLOW DOG MINES IN MOJAVE DESERT.

Comments on the workings information

  • ALONG A TOTAL LENGTH OF 2000 FT ON THE H OME OR TROPICO, 4 FAULTED SEGMENTS OF WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN SAME ORE SHOOT, WAS MINED FOR 1600 FT. PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENT WORK IS ON THE HOME VEIN AND CONSISTS OF THREE SHAFTS. THE FAIRVIEW SHAFT, WHICH IS THE EASTERNMOST, HAS BEEN SUNK TO ABOUT 770 FEET ON THE VEIN. ONE THOUSAND FEET WEST, THE TROPICO SHAFT IS DOWN 775 FEET ON A 60 DEGREE INCLINATION. THE VERTICAL KID SHAFT, 1000 FEET WEST OF THE TROPICO, IS 850 FEET DEEP. THE KID SHAFT HAS BEEN CONCRETED TO THE 400 FOOT LEVEL. A FOURTH SHAFT, ON THE LIDA VEIN, IS 300 FEET DEEP. EIGHT LEVELS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED IN THE HOME VEIN. THE 600 AND 700 FOOT LEVELS EXTEND FROM THE FAIRVIEW SHAFT TO THE KID SHAFT. TOTAL DEVELOPMENT APPROXIMATES 18,000 FEET. INTHE FAIRVIEW, ONLY THE SHRINKAGE METHOD OF STOPING WAS USED. IT WAS ALSO LARGELY UTILIZED TO THE 600 FOOT LEVEL IN THE OTHER SHAFTS, BUT BELOW THIS LEVEL ALL STOPES ARE FILLED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    TUCKER, W.B., SAMPSON, R.J., AND OAKESHOTT, G.B., 1949, MINERAL RESOURCES OF KERN COUNTY: CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 45, NO. 2, P. 234-5, PL. 17.

  • Deposit

    CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, VOL. 29, P. 330-331.

  • Deposit

    CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, VOL 31, P. 482-483.

  • Deposit

    CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, VOL. 36, P. 37.

  • Production

    TUKER AND SAMPSON (1949), CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, VOL. 36, P. 37.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit 11 PATENTED CLAIMS. 220 ACRES. 2 5-ACRE MILLSITES SKETCH MAP OF CLAIMS AND WORKINGS IN CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, VOL 29, P. 330.
Deposit 4 PARALLEL VEINS. MOST OF ORE RANGES FROM 3-10 FT IN THICKNESS. IN PLACES, 50 FT OR MORE HAVE BEEN MINED. VEIN FILLING CONSISTS OF BRECCIATED SILICIFIED FHYOLITE. WEST OF KID SHAFT SOME OF BEST ORE FOUND IN AN ALTERED, BRECCIATED GRANITIC ROCK WHERE LESS ALTERED ROCK FORMS FOOTWALL. ON THE 800 FT LEVEL (ABOU;T 1080 FT ON THE DIP) THE ORE IS OF BETTER GRADE THAN THAT OF LEVELS ABOVE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1981 Nelson, Scott C. (Albers, John, P.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Authoritative California resources

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