Balaklava Mine

Past Producer in Shasta county in California, United States with commodities Copper, Gold, Sulfur-Pyrite, Silver, Sulfur, Zinc
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. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Mineral rights holdings
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10140509
MRDS ID W025289
MAS/MILS ID 0060890360
Record type Site
Current site name Balaklava Mine
Alternate or previous names Balaklala Mine
Related records 10077587

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -122.4919, 40.73875 (WGS84)
Elevation 731

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Shasta(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Shasta Dam(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Redding(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Redding(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Sacramento Headwaters(hydrologic unit)

Upper Sacramento(hydrologic accounting unit)

Sacramento(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management CA)

Bureau of Land Management CA BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Shasta-Trinity 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 Shasta

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 033 N 006 W 12 NWSESW California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Sulfur-Pyrite Tertiary
Silver Secondary
Sulfur Tertiary
Zinc Critical Secondary

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 184
USGS model code 28a
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, kuroko
Mark3 model number 93

Nearby scientific data

(1) -122.4919, 40.73875

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 35M
    Length 610M
    Width 150M
    Area 15HA
    Depth to top 61M
    Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 REPLACEMENT
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #2 TABULAR
    Type of Orebody #3 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #3 MASSIVE
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Secondary mode of Origin CONT METASOMATIC
    Primary Ore Control FAULTING
    Secondary Ore Control FOLDING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. MODERATE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 SERICITIC
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #2 INTERM ARGILLIC
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #3 PYRITIZATION
    Minimum Depth to Top 10
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 5
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Total Surface Area (HA) 15
    Date of Last Modification 830316

Comments on the geologic information

  • OTHER ON COLUMS 46-52 MASSIVE SULPHIDE

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1890
Year of first production 1906

Mining district

District name Flat Creek Area

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Patented

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner U. V Chemical Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office California
    Year 1978

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY. MINING WASTE STUDY,

  • Deposit

    FINAL REPORT, JULY 1988, 416 P. (P. 215-2190.

  • Deposit

    CLAWSON R. F. 1969, SQUAW CR. CU INV CAL. DEP. WAT. RES.

  • Deposit

    MEM. REPORT, 29 P.

  • Deposit

    ERIC J. H., 1948, TABULATION OF CU DEP OF CALIF. PART 3 IN

  • Deposit

    CAL. CAL. DIV. OF MINES BULL. 144 PGS. 197-387

  • Deposit

    KINKLE A. R., HALL W. E., AND ALBERS J. P., 1956, GEOL &

  • Deposit

    BASE METAL DEP OF WEST SHASTA CU-ZN DIS. SHASTA CO. CALIF.

  • Deposit

    USGS PROF. PAPER 285 156 P.

  • Deposit

    MOORE, L., 1970, CU RES & PRODUCTION OF W SHASTA MIN DIST

  • Deposit

    USBM REP. 85.

  • Deposit

    HILLMAN,C. T., SCHUMACHER & GOSLING B.; 1977, THE WEST

  • Deposit

    SHASTA DIST. SHASTA COUNTY CALIF. USBM MAS REPT 40 P.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Environmental Factors THE BALAKLALA MINE HAS THREE MAIN PORTALS, THE WEIL PORTAL, WHICH WAS THE ENTRANCE TO THE MAIN HAULAGE ADIT, AND THE UPPER AND LOWER WINDY CAMP PORTALS. A COLLAPSED STOPE HAS CREATED A LARGE INFILTRATION GALLERY CONSISTING OF TWO SINKHOLE-TYPE ENTRACES ABOVE THE WINDY CAMP PORTALS, CURRENTLY CALLED THE "GLORY HOLE." ACID MINE DRAINAGE DISCHARGED FROM ALL THREE PORTALS, ALTHOUGH THE WEIL PORTAL HAS NOW BEEN SEALED. ACID MINE DRAINAGE EVENTUALLY DISCHARGES INTO SHASTA LAKE VIA WEST SQUAW CREEK (SOUTH FORK). THE LOWER WINDY CAMP PORTAL DISCHARGES 250 TO 10,000 GPM OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE WHILE THE UPPER PORTAL DISCHARGES 50 TO 400 GPM OF DRAINAGE WHICH FLOWS THROUGH THE WINDY CAMP WASTE DUMP. MONITORING DATA SHOW HIGHLY VARIABLE FLOW RATES AND METALS CONCENTRATIONS (COPPER, ZINC, CADMIUM, AND IRON). BALAKLALA CURRENTLY DISCHARGES WATER WITH A PH OF 2.6-2.9 WHICH CONTRIBUTES ABOUT 30 TO 90 PERCENT (SEASONAL VARIATION) OF THE HEAVY METALS IN WEST SQUAW CREEK.
Deposit SEE SEQUENCE NO. 0060890475 FOR BENEFICIATION AND UNDERGROUND MINING.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 24-JUN-97 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines

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.