The Fravel Mine is a silver and gold mine located in Washoe county, Nevada at an elevation of 6,079 feet.
About the MRDS Data:
All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.
Mine Info
Elevation: 6,079 Feet (1,853 Meters)
Commodity: Silver, Gold
Lat, Long: 39.59667, -119.90083
Map: View on Google Maps
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Mine Description
The Fravel mines, including the Golden Fleece mine, are located at the abandoned camp of Poeville in secs. 13 and 24, T. 20 N., R. 18 E. The mineralization occurs in schistose metavolcanics cut by dikes of quartz monzonite porphyry of Tertiary age. The rocks are bleached in the zone of weathering and grade downward into greenish propylitized rocks containing abundant pyrite. The trend of the foliation in the meta volcanics ranges from about N. 30° E. to about N. 70° E. with a near vertical dip.
The economic metallic mineralization occurs in quartz-calcite stringers or veinlets, which contain abundant pyrite and varying amounts of enargite, galena, sphalerite and argentite. These veinlets are concentrated in lodes or stockwork-like bodies of unknown dimensions which, in general, parallel the foliation of the metamorphic rocks.
Hill (1915, p. 193) states that the ore in general was low grade, ranging between $4.60 and $12.00 per ton in gold and silver. Some pockets of high grade gold-silver ore were mined in the oxidized zone, and small bunches of rich silver-copper are have been mined in the sulfide zone.
The workings in the Poeville area consist of several shafts and tunnels and numerous pits and trenches. The main shaft at the Fravel-Paymaster mine is reportedly 400 feet deep and includes 2,000 feet of lateral workings (Overton, 1947, p. 76). Most of the workings are now inaccessible. None of the shafts can be entered.
Source: Geology and Mineral Deposits of Washoe and Storey Counties, Nevada. Bulletin 70, Nevada Bureau of MinesFravel Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Fravel Mine
Secondary: Poe Consolidated
Commodity
Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Lead
Location
State: Nevada
County: Washoe
District: Peavine District
Land Status
Land ownership: Private
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Not available
Ownership
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Pacific Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Cascade-Sierra Mountains
Physiographic Section: Sierra Nevada
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Not available
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Propylitic
Rocks
Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous
Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Enargite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Pyrite
Comments
Comment (Workings): MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN SCHISTOSE METAVOLCANICS CUT BY DIKES OF QUARTZ MONZONITE PORPHYRY. ROCKS ARE BLEACHED IN WEATHERED ZONE, GRADE DOWN INTO GREENISH PROPYLITIZED ROCKS CONTAINING ABUNDANT PYRITE. TREND OF FOLIATION IN METAVOLCANICS RANGES FROM N30E TO N70E, WITH NEAR VERTICAL DIP. ECONOMIC MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN QUARTZ-CALCITE STRINGERS WHICH PARALLEL THE FOLIATION IN THE METAVOLCANICS. VEINLETS ARE CONCENTRATED INTO LODES OR STOCKWORK-LIKE BODIES.
References
Reference (Deposit): BONHAM, H F, GEOL & MIN DEP OF WASHOE & STOREY CO, NEV, NBMG BULL 70, 1969
Reference (Deposit): OVERTON, T D, MINERAL RESOURCES, DOUGLAS, WASHOE, ORMSBY CO, NEV, NBMG BULL 46, 1947
Reference (Deposit): HILL, J F, USGS BULL 594, 1915
Nevada Gold
Nevada has a total of 368 distinct gold districts. Of the of those, just 36 are major producers with production and/or reserves of over 1,000,000 ounces, 49 have production and/or reserves of over 100,000 ounces, with the rest having less than 100,000 ounces. Read more: Gold Districts of Nevada.
