Show MINING IN SOUTHERN NEVADA A detailed investigation of the geology gy of goldfield bullfrog and other mining minin t districts in southern nevada was carried on during the autumn and winer of 1905 6 by members of the united states geological survey complete reports on these districts are now in preparation but a preliminary bulletin has been prepared by F L ransome W H emmons and G H garrey which is immediately available in the development of mining districts in this general area 1 the discovery of tonopah in 1900 marked ked I 1 for nevada the begin beginning nin of a new era in its mining industry which in the beirs years following the decline of the comstock had sunk to a very low ebb As the size and richness of the tonopah bonanzas became known new stimulus was given to prospecting and the desert ranges of southwestern nevada 11 were more thoroughly searched than ever before among the many new camps that have cone come into existence within the last few years as a result of this activity goldfield situated in esmeralda county twenty four miles nearly due south of tono pah has attained chief importance the topography general geology and ore deposits of the goldfield district are briefly told in this bulletin the deposits hitherto of most importance in the goldfield district are irregular bodies of rich oxidized gold ore the most notable features of these ore bodies are their remarkable richness and their equally remarkable irregularity shipments averaging over 1000 a ton are by no means uncommon the principal producing mines in the goldfield district in the latter part of 1905 were the combination mohawk florence january redtop sandstorm and kendall the jumbo one of the most important properties in the district was involved in litigation at this time and had produced ab nb no ore since the early part of the year the quartzite mine at black butte now part of the black butte consolidated property was also practically idle although it had shortly before attained a considerable production the reilly lease although on the florence ground was worked as a separate mine and added about to the production of the district in less than two months time the bullfrog district described in this report lies sixty miles south southeast of goldfield and about twenty miles northeast of the great trough of death valley the principal town is rhyolite the other towns in the district are bullfrog and beatty aty work in the district up to the end of the year 1905 had been confined mainly to prospecting and to blocking out ore the montgomery shoshone mine is said to have shipped about loo tons of rich ore the or 1 1 inal bullfrog about thirteen tons and the denver at the beginning r of the year 1906 had shipped 1000 sacks As all ore at the time the survey members visited the district had to be hauled by wagons to goldfield or las vegas the general tendency among the mine owners was to delay shipping 0 until the entrance of a railroad should afford better facilities the study of the general geology of the bullfrog district was made by mr IV H emmons and mr G H garrey the rocks in the main are tertiary lavas intricately faulted and tilted all of the ore thus far mined or opened up is more or less ins oxidized and in most cases contain no sulphides sulphide sulp hides ss the ore as sacked range from to a ton but the deposits on the whole are much lower in grade than those at goldfield it is evident that the future prosperity of the camp must depend upon the successful working or ore much inferior in grade to that sacked for shipment under present conditions dit ions A brief visit was made in february 1906 to the searchlight district which is in the extreme southern point of nevada in lincoln county twelve miles west of the colorado river and about fifty miles north of needles A day wa was wab b also spent in tho eldorado canyon district this canyon heads about twenty two miles north of searchlight and is ten miles in length mining in eldorado canyon is said to date from about the year 1857 but the searchlight district is of comparatively recent development ore having been discovered there in 1898 the total output of the eldorado district is not known and is difficult to estimate it may be anywhere between and the production of the searchlight district to the end of the year 1905 probably lies between and the principal mines and prospects in the searchlight district are in a north south belt about four miles long and three fourths of a mile wide which lies just west of the town the material thus far scoped is almost wholly free lilliin g gold silver ore it is evident however that below the zone of oxidation ores may be expected that will not yield to direct amalgamation the principal groups of mines in the El district is situated near the head of the canyon the impression carried away from a hasty examination without measurements or assays essays of the quaker C city 1 ty mocking bird wall street and cup mines was that the development of these the e properties under a single management and by modern methods constitutes a problem that is well worthy of careful consideration eiji era ion tion brief notices are given of the crescent and the gold mountain districts A final chapter on the manhattan district is th work of emmons and garrey GL was discovered at manhattan in april 0 the production up to march 1906 0 so o fal fa as could be learned had been about sao 50 the typical rich ore of the camp i either a dense white gold bearing quart stained in places to a yellowish color b h iron oxides or a mass of porous white quartz formed by tabular crys atals of quartz which are after 1 calcite the average value has been about t a ton this report is listed as bulletin no and is published for free distribution U I 1 n contains a valuable topographic map tte the work of R H chapman and B D it stewart of an area covering squat square i miles of southern nevada |