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Darwin Group

Producer in Inyo county in California, United States with commodities Lead, Zinc, Silver, Gold, Tungsten, Copper
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10108953
MRDS ID K002921
Record type Site
Current site name Darwin Group
Alternate or previous names Bernon, Columbia, Defiance Driver, Essex, Independence, Lane, Liberty, Lucky Jim, Promontory, Rip Van Winkle, Southwest and Thompson.
Related records 10139283

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.60062, 36.28025 (WGS84)
Relative position 30 MILES EAST OF OLANCHA
(click for info)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Inyo

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 019S;019S 040E;041E 11,12,13,14,23,24,25,30 California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Lead Primary
Zinc Primary
Silver Primary
Gold Secondary
Tungsten Secondary
Copper Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • CLOSED (TEMPORARILY) BY ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN 1957, BUT A VERY IMPORTANT DISTRICT IN RECENT YEARS, CHIEF PRODUCTION SINCE 1945 WAS LEAD, ZINC, AND SILVER WITH SOME COPPER. (MC KNIGHT, 1960?, UNPUBLISHED DATA.)

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Clay Gangue
Fluorite Gangue
Gypsum Gangue
Iron Gangue
Jarosite Gangue
Jasper Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 72
USGS model code 19a
Deposit model name Polymetallic replacement
Mark3 model number 47

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Quartz Monzonite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.60062, 36.28025
ListMap

Geologic structures

Type Description Terms
Regional Thrust Fault, Igneous Intrusions
Local Faults, Folds

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Faults

Comments on the geologic information

  • DEPOSITS ARE MESOTHERMAL REPLACEMENT BODIES IN LIME SILICATE CONTACT METAMORPHIC ROCK (PENNSYLVANIAN), ALONG AND NEAR STRIKE SLIP FAULTS, BELOW A MAJOR THRUST FAULT, AND ADJACENT TO IGNEOUS STOCK; PARTLY IN IRREGULAR PIPES. SMALL STOCK OF QUARTZ MONZONITE AND GRANODIORITE, SILL OF QUARTZ MONZONITE, DIKES OF APLITE, AGE PROBABLY CRETACEOUS. (MC KNIGHT, 1960?, UNPUBLISHED DATA.) ; GEOL.DESC: DEPOSITS; IN A THICK SERIES OF PALEOZOIC LIMESTONE, DOLOMITE, SHALE AND QUARTZITE WHICH IS FOLDED AND FAULTED. PRINCIPAL STRUCTURE IS NW - PITCHING ANTICLINAL FOLD, EAST FLANK OF FOLD IS INTRUDED BY DARWIN GRANODIORITE STOCK AND ASSOCIATED DIKES AND SILLS WHICH GRADE FROM GRANITE TO GABBRO. PERIPHERAL TO STOCK IS A 2500 FT. WIDE ZONE OF TACTITE. ALL MINERALIZATION RELATED TO STOCK. SEDIMENTARY SERIES INTRUDED ON THE WEST AND SOUTH BY COSO GRANITE BATHOLITE. LARGEST FAULT IS THE DARWIN TEAR FAULT, STRIKES N 60 - 75 W, DIPS STEEPLY SOUTH, TRACEABLE FOR 10 MILES.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No

Mining district

District name Darwin

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION RECORD NOT COMPLETE, 1941 - 1943 , 28,400 TONS OF ORE WAS MINED, 17,000 TONS WAS SHIPPED, AVERAGING 9 % PB, 4 % ZN. 1957 INFORMATION; PRODUCTION IN RECENT YEARS HAS BEEN 8,000 - 10,000 TONS PER MONTH, REDUCED TO 20 % OF ORIGINAL VOLUME BY MILLING AND FLOATATION. MILL HEADS HAVE AVERAGED 6 OZ. AG, 6.5 % PB, 6.4 % ZN, SOME GOLD. BEFORE ANACONDA OPERATIONS, ESTIMATED PRODUCTION IS $7,000,000 . COPPER AND TUNGSTEN AS BY - PRODUCTS. ANACONDA PRODUCES, 8,000 TONS PER MONTH.

Comments on the workings information

  • UNDERGROUND WORKINGS TOTAL SEVERAL MILES IN LENGTH, NEW WORKINGS ARE ADVANCED AT RATE OF 7,000 FT/YEAR. 45 PATENTED CLAIMS AND 44 UNPATENTED CLAIMS

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS K002921

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    GOODWIN, J. C., 1957 , LEAD AND ZINC IN CALIFORNIA; CALIF. JOUR. MINES AND GEOLOGY VOL. 53 , NO. 3 & 4 ; DIV. OF MINES, P. 466

  • Deposit

    HALL, W. E. AND MACKEVETT, E. M., 1958 , ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF THE DARWIN QUADRANGLE, INYO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA; DIV. OF MINES SPEC. REPT. 51 , P. 25 - 30 .

  • Deposit

    NORMAN, L. A. AND STEWART, R. M., 1951 , MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF INYO COUNTY; CALIF. JOUR. MINES AND GEOLOGY, VOL. 51 , NO. 1 ; DIV. OF MINES, P. 59 - 68 .

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THREE TYPES OF ORE BODIES ARE RECOGNIZED: REPLACEMENTS OF SILICIFIED LIMESTONE, BEDDING REPLACEMENT, AND FISSURE FILLING.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1975 Wedow, Helmuth U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-JUL-1978 Fraticelli, L. A. (Albers, J.) U.S. Geological Survey