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Black Rock Mine (Black Rock Tungsten deposit), Black Rock Canyon, Banner Ridge, Chidago Mining District, Benton Range, Mono County, California, USAi
Regional Level Types
Black Rock Mine (Black Rock Tungsten deposit)Mine
Black Rock CanyonCanyon
Banner RidgeRidge
Chidago Mining DistrictMining District
Benton RangeMountain Range
Mono CountyCounty
CaliforniaState
USACountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 40' 60'' North , 118° 31' 0'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
37.68333,-118.51667
GeoHash:
G#: 9qewrh4c3
GRN:
N26W67
Type:
Mine
KΓΆppen climate type:
Csb : Warm-summer Mediterranean climate
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Benton280 (2011)15.5km
Sunny Slopes182 (2017)18.9km
Swall Meadows220 (2017)22.6km
Mesa251 (2011)29.5km
Round Valley435 (2011)30.0km
Mindat Locality ID:
83015
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:83015:8
GUID (UUID V4):
9e36c628-c8e9-4179-97e4-ef187bc695dd


A former W-Cu-Mo mine located in secs. 14 & 23, T3S, R31E, MDM, in Black Rock Canyon, 5.5 km (3.4 miles) ESE of Banner Ridge (coordinates of record) and about 7Β½ miles S of Benton, on National Forest land. Discovered in 1917 by A.E. Beauregard. First produced in 1928. Owned by the Union Carbide Nuclear Corp. Operated by Wah Chang Mining Corp. MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 10 meters.

Mineralization is Late Cretaceous in age and hosted in marble and hornfels. Scheelite-bearing tactite occurs over an extensive area in the crest and gently-dipping West limb of an anticlinal sequence of calcareous rocks overlain by sericite hornfels. The ores of this mine also carry some Mo. The ore body is irregular in shape, strikes N and dips W with a depth-to-bottom of 182.88 meters, a width of 365.76 meters and a length of 731.52 meters. Controls for ore emplacement included an asymmetrical anticline that plunges N; contact with pluton. Local alteration involved the formation of tactite and bleaching. Rhyolite is an associated rock. Local rocks include Paleozoic marine rocks, undivided, unit 3 (Eastern Sierra Nevada) and/or Plio-Pleistocene and Pliocene loosely consolidated deposits.

Tectonic structures include the Sierra Nevada Batholith.

Workings include surface and underground openings comprised of 5 open pits and more than a mile of level workings, raises, winzes, and stopes. several open cuts, the largest of which was planned to be 450 feet by 300 feet.

Production information: 272,591 tons total production from 1928 to 1954 averaged a grade of approximately 0.5% WO3.

Reserve resource information: There are large, unexplored areas. Exploration through facility of DMEA 1951-1954 discovered substantial tonnage of ore.
Must use high-cost underground mining methods. Low grade deposit.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


14 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

β“˜ Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
β“˜ Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
β“˜ Diopside
Formula: CaMgSi2O6
β“˜ Epidote
Formula: (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
β“˜ 'Garnet Group'
Formula: X3Z2(SiO4)3
β“˜ Grossular
Formula: Ca3Al2(SiO4)3
β“˜ Hematite
Formula: Fe2O3
β“˜ Molybdenite
Formula: MoS2
β“˜ Muscovite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Description: Occurs in sericite-hornfels.
β“˜ Muscovite var. Sericite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Description: Occurs in sericite-hornfels.
β“˜ Nontronite ?
Formula: Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Description: Tentatively identified from the scheelite ore bodies.
β“˜ Powellite
Formula: Ca(MoO4)
β“˜ Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
β“˜ Pyrrhotite
Formula: Fe1-xS
β“˜ Quartz
Formula: SiO2
β“˜ Scheelite
Formula: Ca(WO4)
Description: Occurs in a garnet-amphibolite-diopside-calcite-epidote-quartz tactite as crystals up to 1.25 cm (most are microscopic).

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
β“˜Chalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
β“˜Pyrrhotite2.CC.10Fe1-xS
β“˜Molybdenite2.EA.30MoS2
β“˜Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
β“˜Hematite4.CB.05Fe2O3
β“˜Quartz4.DA.05SiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
β“˜Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
β“˜Powellite7.GA.05Ca(MoO4)
β“˜Scheelite7.GA.05Ca(WO4)
Group 9 - Silicates
β“˜Grossular9.AD.25Ca3Al2(SiO4)3
β“˜Epidote9.BG.05a(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
β“˜Diopside9.DA.15CaMgSi2O6
β“˜Muscovite9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
β“˜var. Sericite9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
β“˜Nontronite ?9.EC.40Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 Β· nH2O
Unclassified
β“˜'Garnet Group'-X3Z2(SiO4)3

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hβ“˜ Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Hβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Hβ“˜ NontroniteNa0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Hβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
CCarbon
Cβ“˜ CalciteCaCO3
OOxygen
Oβ“˜ CalciteCaCO3
Oβ“˜ DiopsideCaMgSi2O6
Oβ“˜ Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Oβ“˜ GrossularCa3Al2(SiO4)3
Oβ“˜ HematiteFe2O3
Oβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Oβ“˜ NontroniteNa0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Oβ“˜ PowelliteCa(MoO4)
Oβ“˜ QuartzSiO2
Oβ“˜ ScheeliteCa(WO4)
Oβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Oβ“˜ Garnet GroupX3Z2(SiO4)3
NaSodium
Naβ“˜ NontroniteNa0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
MgMagnesium
Mgβ“˜ DiopsideCaMgSi2O6
AlAluminium
Alβ“˜ Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Alβ“˜ GrossularCa3Al2(SiO4)3
Alβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Alβ“˜ NontroniteNa0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Alβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
SiSilicon
Siβ“˜ DiopsideCaMgSi2O6
Siβ“˜ Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Siβ“˜ GrossularCa3Al2(SiO4)3
Siβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Siβ“˜ NontroniteNa0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Siβ“˜ QuartzSiO2
Siβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Siβ“˜ Garnet GroupX3Z2(SiO4)3
SSulfur
Sβ“˜ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Sβ“˜ MolybdeniteMoS2
Sβ“˜ PyriteFeS2
Sβ“˜ PyrrhotiteFe1-xS
KPotassium
Kβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Kβ“˜ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
CaCalcium
Caβ“˜ CalciteCaCO3
Caβ“˜ DiopsideCaMgSi2O6
Caβ“˜ Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Caβ“˜ GrossularCa3Al2(SiO4)3
Caβ“˜ PowelliteCa(MoO4)
Caβ“˜ ScheeliteCa(WO4)
FeIron
Feβ“˜ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Feβ“˜ Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Feβ“˜ HematiteFe2O3
Feβ“˜ NontroniteNa0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Feβ“˜ PyriteFeS2
Feβ“˜ PyrrhotiteFe1-xS
CuCopper
Cuβ“˜ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
MoMolybdenum
Moβ“˜ MolybdeniteMoS2
Moβ“˜ PowelliteCa(MoO4)
WTungsten
Wβ“˜ ScheeliteCa(WO4)

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:10008717

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North America PlateTectonic Plate
USA

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References

(n.d.) Minerals Availability System (MAS), U.S. Bureau of Mines.file ID #0060510172
Lemmon, D.M., Tungsten deposits in the US; Vol. I, unpublished data.
GQ-99.
Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA) Reports Index California-Nevada, DMA No. 1377: 5.
Hess, Frank L. & Esper S. Larsen (1922), Contact-metamorphic tungsten deposits of the United States: USGS Bulletin 725: 276-277.
Sampson, Reid J. (1940), Mineral resources of Mono County: California Mining Bureau. Report 36(2): 147-149.
Lemmon, Dwight Moulton (1941b), Tungsten deposits of the Benton Range, Mono County, California: USGS Bulletin 922-S: 587-591.
Partridge, John F., Jr. (1941), Tungsten resources of California: California Journal of Mines and Geology, California Division of Mines (Report 37): 37(2): 314-315.
U. S. Bureau of Mines (1941), Direxpl.
Dupuy, L.W. (1948) Black Rock tungsten deposit, Mono County, California. US Bureau Mines Report of Investigation 4210, 6 pp.: 4, 8.
Rinehart, Charles Dean & Donald C. Ross (1953), Geological Map, Report, maps.
Rinehart, Charles Dean & Donald C. Ross (1956), Economic geology of the Casa Diablo Mountain quadrangle, California: California Division Mines Special Report: 48, 17 pp.: 11-16, Pl. 1.
California Division of Mines and Geology (1957), Bulletin 176: 659-661.
Johnson, A.C. and Fillip, N.M. (1960) Mining methods and costs, Black Rock tungsten mine, Wah Ching Mining Corp., Mono County, California. U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 7945, 19 pp.: 61 (sic).
Lemmon, Dwight Moulton and Tweto, O.L. (1962) Tungsten in the United States, exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii. USGS Mineral Investigative Resources Map MR-25.
Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 176, 280, 331.
Elliott, J.E. (1971), The Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Tungsten Deposits of the Black Rock Mine, Mono County, California, Stanford University, unpublished PhD Thesis, 131p.
U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report MLA 83-82 (1982), Table 2: 13.
Pemberton, H. Earl (1983) Minerals of California. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc.
(2005) Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS), US Geological Survey.
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