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Custer Mine, Darwin, Darwin District, Inyo Co., California, USA

Latitude: 36°16'23"N
Longitude: 117°34'28"W
A former Pb, Ag, Cu, Zn and Au mine located in sec. 19, T19S, R41E, MDM, 1 mile ENE of Darwin, in a narrow canyon, locally called Custer Canyon. The road is washed out and one has to hike down the canyon. It was in operation from the 1870’s till the 1950’s, but with long idle periods. It was re-timbered in the early 1950’s, but operation was closed down a few years later.

The ore body is on the contact between a dark brown calc-hornfels and a body of blue-gray limestone.

It comprises 2 separate workings. The main working consists of an inclined shaft on the north side of Custer canyon with a depth of 400 feet and with levels at 50, 200, 250 and 300 feet. A wince extends another 240 feet.

The minor part consists of an adit, approx. 125 feet long, which was driven in the 1950’s into a mineralized copper-lead-zinc contact zone that occurs on the south side of the canyon. No viable ore reserves were found and this operation was ended.

Most of the minerals interesting for collectors come from this adit with the approx position of N36.27259 W117.57362. Entry was possible without restriction and dumps were accessible in 2003.

Production data are also found in: Goodwin, J.C. (1957): 465.

It produced till 1949 approx. 141 oz of Gold, 17’000 oz of Silver, 6’600 lbs of Copper, 97’000 lbs of Lead and 72 lbs of Zinc.

Corrected description and position N36.27317 W117.57432 by Richard Muster, courtesy Gail Dunning, Walt Margerum and Robert Hously.

Mineral List

Andradite
Aurichalcite
Calcite
Cerussite
Fluorite
 Galena
Goethite
Hematite
Hemimorphite
Hydrozincite
 Jarosite
Limonite
Malachite
Opal
var: Opal-AN
Pyrite
 Scheelite
Siderite
Sphalerite
Titanite
Wollastonite


20 entries listed. 18 valid minerals.

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References

Knopf, Adolph (1914) The Darwin Lead-Silver Mining District California, USGS Bulletin 580-A, 19 p.

Waring, C.A. (1915), Inyo County; 15th Report of the State Mineralogist, California Mining Bureau: 89.

Tucker, W. Burling (1926), Imperial, Inyo Counties: California Mining Bureau. Report 22: 482-483.

Norman, L.A., and Stewart, R.A.(1951), Mines and Mineral Resources of Inyo County, California, California Division of Mines and Geology Report 47): 47(1) (January 1951).

Goodwin, Joseph Grant (1957) Lead and zinc in California. California Journal of Mines and Geology, Division of Mines: 53(3&4): 465.

Hall, Wayne Everett & E.M. Mackevett (1958), Economic geology of the Darwin quadrangle, Inyo County, California: Calif Division of Mines Special Report 51, p: 65.

Hall, Wayne Everett & Edward M. Mackevett (1963), Geology and ore deposits of the Darwin quadrangle, Inyo County, California: USGS Professional Paper 368: 59, 76, 77.

Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 106, 107.

Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 102 (map 3-6), 125-126, 234, 333.

Stolburg, C. S. (1984) The Mines and Minerals of Darwin, California, The Mineralogical Record: 15(1): 5-18.

Randol Mining Directory (1990).

Cooper; Fen and Dunning, Gail (2003) : Occasional Publication of the Bay Area Mineralogists, February, 2003.

Margerum, W. (2004) The Darwin Tungsten Area Part II: Mines and Mineralogy in the Bulletin of the Mineralogical Society of Southern California Vol. 74(5).

USGS (2005), Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS): U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, loc. file ID possibly # 10236052.

USGS indicates an accuracy of 1000 m for their indicated position and it would fall within this radius.

Mineral Availability System (MAS) database file possibly # 0060270300.

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Copyright © Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau 1993-2013. Site Map. Locality, mineral & photograph data are the copyright of the individuals who submitted them. Further information contact the Site hosted & developed by Jolyon Ralph. Mindat.org is an online information resource dedicated to providing free mineralogical information to all. Mindat relies on the contributions of hundreds of members and supporters. Mindat does not offer minerals for sale. If you would like to add information to improve the quality of our database, then click here to register.
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