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Moonlight Mine

Past Producer in Humboldt county in Nevada, United States with commodities Uranium, Manganese, Silver, Arsenic, Barium-Barite, Copper, Molybdenum, Fluorine-Fluorite
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10037003
MRDS ID M029068
MAS/MILS ID 0320130092
Record type Site
Current site name Moonlight Mine
Alternate or previous names King's River Area, Platora Mine, Moonlight and Forget-Me-Not Claims, NBMG Sample Site 2414.
Related records 10295084

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -118.16071, 41.79155 (WGS84)
Elevation 1445
Relative position Coordinates should be for S2 of SW4 sec. 9.
(click for info)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Humboldt

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 045N 034E 09 S2 of SW Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • MOUTH OF CALAVERA CANYON; W. FLANK DOUBLE H. MTNS
  • Deleted duplicate record (MAS 0320130092 = 10037003) gave coordinates (NAD27) as 41-47-19, -118-9-30. Main Entrance, 10 m.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Uranium Primary
Manganese Tertiary
Silver Tertiary
Arsenic Tertiary
Barium-Barite Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Molybdenum Tertiary
Fluorine-Fluorite Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Carnotite Ore
Torbernite Ore
Uraninite Ore
Fluorite Gangue
Galena Gangue
Pyrite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) Silicification, Argillization And Potassic (Potash Feldspar And Sericite)

Analytical data

Result TEMP. OF ORE DEPOSITION = 340 DEGREES C - +7 (FLUID INCLUSIONS) A RHYOLITIC FLOW IS ANOMALOUSLY RADIOACTIVE OVER ALARGE AREA AND CONTAINS UP TO 0.02% U3O8. ASSAYS OF ORE RANGED FROM 0.07 TO 0.22% U3O8. BACKGROUND RADIOACTIVITY = 30 CPS.
Result HIGH = 2600 CPS. SELECT SAMPLES CONTAIN UP TO 0.17 % U308 AND 0.39 % EU. THE BRECCIA VEIN AVERAGES 0.04 % U308. ALTERED COUNTRY RO-CK IS ENRICHED WITH CHIP SAMPLES REPRESENTING LARGE VOLUMES OF- ROCK CONTAINING UP TO 77 PPM U308. BACKGROUND RADIOACTIVITY I-N COUNTRY ROCK IS 200-300 CPS (60-90 UR). THE BRECCIA VEIN RAN-GES FROM 4000-20000+CPS (1200-5800+ UR) FOR A DISTANCE OF ABOU-T 450 FT. ALTERED ROCK ADJACENT TO THE VEIN RANGES BETWEEN 500- AND 4000 CPS (150-1200 UR). SAMPLE 2414 FROM U-BEARING FAULT ZONE CONTAINS 10 % FE, 0.1 % MG, 0.15 % CA, 0.5 % TI, +5000 PPM MN, 5 PPM AG, 50-00 PPM AS, 50 PPM B, 2000 PPM BA, 1 PPM BE, 100 PPM C0, 70 PPM- CR, 150 PPM CU, 200 PPM M0, 30 PPM NI, 50 PPM PB, 150 PPM SB,- 30 PPM SC, 200 PPM SR, 100 PPM V, 100 PPM Y,300 PPM ZN, +1000- PPM ZR.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 155
USGS model code 25f
BC deposit profile D06
Deposit model name Volcanogenic U

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Latite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Felsic Volcanic Rock > Rhyolite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -118.16071, 41.79155
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Geologic structures

Type Description Terms
Regional Rhyolite Dome Along Sw Ring Fracture Zone Of Mc Dermitt Caldera
Local N-Trending Normal Fault (Moonlight Fault). Uraniferous Vein Is Apparently Along A Major Ring Fracture Bounding The Mcdermitt Caldera. This Fracture Can Be -Traced For At Least 4 Miles To The North

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET
    Strike N TO N10E TO N15W
    Dip 45-60E
    Thickness 73.15M
    Width 2.74M
    Length 137.16M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Brecciation Zone Along Ring Fracture

Comments on the geologic information

  • BRECCIA ZONE WHICH LOCALIZES ORE PARALLELS FLOW FOLIATION PLANES WITHIN THE DOME. URANIUM MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN A SILICIFIED BRECCIA ZONE IN THE HANGING WALL OF A NORTH-TRENDING FAULT WHICH DISPLACES TERTIARY RHYOLITIC ASH-FLOW TUFFS, OVERLYING A JURASSIC QUARTZ MONZONITE TO GRANODIORITE INTRUSIVE.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Both metallic and non-metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1955
Year of first production 1955

Mining district

District name Disaster District; Disaster Peak District
District name Opalite Mining District

Land status

Ownership category BLM Administrative Area

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Anaconda Exploration (Had A Lease On The Property 2-3 Years Ago.)
  • Type Owner
    Owner Sweeney And Nachiondo
    First year 1984

Comments on the production information

  • ABOUT 2000 LBS U PRODUCED 1953-1955, GRADING 0.07 TO 0.22 % U308

Comments on the workings information

  • ONE SMALL ADIT ABOUT 25 FT LONG (THE MOST SOUTHERLY OF THE WORKINGS). SMALL INCLINE SHAFT-NO TIMBER, WATER IN BOTT-OM, MAYBE 50 FT DEEP. THIRD AND LARGEST OF THE WORKINGS (ALSO -MOST NORTHERLY) IS A TIMBERED INCLINED SHAFT WHICH MAY BE 100 -FT DEEP ON APPROX 45 DEGREE DECLINE. SHAFT NOT USABLE. REMAINS- OF ORE BIN STILL STANDING. WORKINGS ARE SUNK DOWN DIP ON MINE-RALIZED FAULT ZONE.

Comments on development

  • NOTICE PASTED IN CABIN THAT ASSESSMENT WORK FOR 1982 HAD BEEN DONE.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS M029068
U.S. Bureau of Mines Minerals Availability System MAS 0320130092 = 10295084, merged and deleted.

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    WILLDEN, R., 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF HUMBOLDT CO., NEV; NEV. BUREAU OF MINES BULL. 59, pl. 3.

  • Deposit

    RYTUBA, J.J., 1976, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE MC DERMITT CALDERA, NEVADA-OREGON; U.S.G.S. OPEN FILE REPORT 76-535.

  • Deposit

    GARSIDE, L.J., 1973, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES IN NEVADA; NEV. BUREAU OF MINES BULL. 81, p. 58.

  • Deposit

    JONES, R. B., 1984, FIELD EXAMINATION 8-15-84 AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS.

  • Deposit

    CASTOR, S. B., 1980, FIELD EXAMINATION REPORT OF URANIUM OCCURENCE.

  • Deposit

    SHARP, B. J., 1955; USAEC REPORT RME-2032, 14 PP.

  • Deposit

    TAYLOR, A. O., AND POWERS, J. F., 1955; USAEC REPORT TEM-874-A.

  • Deposit

    RYTUBA, J. J. AND GLANZMAN, R. K., 1978, USGS OFR 78-926.

  • Deposit

    MINOBRAS: NEV IND MIN (1973) P 20.

  • Production

    RYTUBA, J.J., 1976.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit Discovery Year: 1950'S ?
Deposit IN THE HANGING WALL ABOVE THE MINE IS A SEQUENCE OF BIOTITIC RHYOLITE TO QUARTZ LATITE ASH FLOW TUFFS NEARLY 500 F-T THICK. ABOVE THIS LIES ONE OR MORE PERALKALINE ASH FLOWS COM-PRISING UP TO 700 FT OF SECTION
Deposit SEVERAL CARLOADS OF ORE WERE SHIPPED BY PLATORA URANIUM CORPORATION (AT A LOSS). ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-78 Walker, George W. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-AUG-85 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Editor 31-OCT-11 Wilson, Anna B U.S. Geological Survey merged and deleted duplicate record 10295084 ((0320130092).
Reporter 08-MAR-94 Robinson U.S. Bureau of Mines 0320130092 = 10295084