Walkermine

The Walkermine is a copper, gold, and silver mine located in Plumas county, California at an elevation of 6,181 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

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Walkermine
Secondary: Walker Mine
Secondary: Walker Extension - 2 Miles North
Secondary: Native Son

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver

Location

State: California
County: Plumas
District: Genessee District

Land Status

Land ownership: Mixed
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

Type: Other
Type: Located Claim
Type: Patented

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Amax Inc.
Percent: 50.00
Home Office: Nevada
Info Year: 1978

Owner Name: Continental Oil Co. (Connoco)
Percent: 50.00
Home Office: Nevada
Info Year: 1978

Owner Name: Calicopia Corp.,Robt Barry Pres. Beverly Hills Cal
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: California
Info Year: 1978

Production

Year: 1941
Time Period: 1935-1941
Description: Continuous Production 1935-1941 1955000 Metric Tons Mined
Year: 1932
Time Period: 1916-1932
Description: Continuous Production From 1916-1932 2876000 Metric Tons Mined
Year: 1931
Description: 25.187 Wt % Cu Concentrate 23000 Metric Tons Conc Produced
Year: 1931
Description: 90.49 % Recovery 0.1648 Cu In Tailings 392000 Ore Milled Dry Metric Ton
Year: 1931
Description: 1.63 Wt% Cu Grade Of Heads 392000 Ore Milled Dry Metric Ton

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Underground
Mining Method: Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Tailings
Milling Method: Flotation
Year First Production: 1916
Discovery Year: 1844
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: L

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

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Unknown: Actinolite
Unknown: Tourmaline
Unknown: Tetrahedrite
Unknown: Stibnite
Unknown: Sphalerite
Unknown: Quartz
Unknown: Pyroxene
Unknown: Magnetite
Unknown: Jamesonite
Unknown: Pyrite
Unknown: Gold
Unknown: Garnet
Unknown: Galena
Unknown: Feldspar
Unknown: Chlorite
Unknown: Chalcopyrite
Unknown: Chalcocite
Unknown: Biotite
Unknown: Pyrrhotite

Comments

Comment (Workings): SINCE CUT AND FILL WOULD BE USED, DUMPS AND TAILING SHOULD BE MINIMAL

Comment (Reserve-Resource): OTHER NAME:NATIVE SON. OWNER: AMERICAN METALS

Comment (Geology): G-TOB OTHER IS MASSIVE SULFIDE STRIKE AND DIP THE MINERALIZED ZONE VARIES FROM N20 TO 33W AND DIPS FROM 32 TO 70 NE.

Comment (Geology): SPHALERITE, GARNET, STIBNITE, CUBANITE, TETRAHEDRITE, GOLD AND JAMESONITE TOGETHER COMPRISE 0.59 WT-PCT OF THE TOTAL MINERALS PRESENT. FELDSPAR, BIOTITE, PYROXENE, ACTINOLITE, AND TOURMALENE TOGETHER COMPRISE 5.0 WT-PCT OF THE TOTAL MINERALS PRESENT THE TOTAL MINERAL BREAKDOWN IS AS FOLLOWS: 3.02 WT-PCT CHALCOPYRITE 0.20 WT-PCT CHALCOCITE 75.00 WT-PCT QUARTZ TOURMALENE 2.50 WT-PCT CHLORITE 7.47 WT-PCT MAGNETITE 0.98 WT-PCT PYRITE 0.24 WT-PCT PYRRHOTITE 0.59 WT-PCT SPHALERITE+GALENA+STIBNITE+CUBANITE+GOLD+ TETRAHEDRITE+JAMESONITE 5.00 WT-PCT FELDSPAR+BIOTITE+PYROXENE+ACTINOLITE+ TOURMELENE ------ 100.00 WT-PCT TOTAL MATRIX 1 RECORD 12 THE MINERAL IS CUBANITE

Comment (Environmental Factors): ACID MINE DRAINAGE FROM THE WALKER MINE HAS HAD ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT SINCE THE MINE CLOSE IN 1941. FAIRLY HIGH LEVELS OF COPPER AND ZINC ARE DISCHARGING FROM A SMALL SEDIMENTATION POND CONSTRUCTED IN 1978 WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY ACCUMULATED COPPER AND ZINC. ACIDIC DRAINAGE CONTAINING HEAVY METALS (COPPER, ZINC, ALUMINUM, AND IRON) DISCHARGES FROM THE MAIN ACCESS ADIT AND FROM A MINE WASTE DUMP INTO DOLLY CREEK. SUBSIDENCE AREAS ABOVE THE CENTRAL AND PIUTE OREBODIES HAVE CREATED SINKHOLES WHICH CONNECT THE MINE TO THE SOUTH AND MIDDLE FORKS OF WARD CREEK, AND THERE IS ALSO A LOW INFLOW OF GROUNDWATER. THERE IS THOUGHT TO BE SOME DISCHARGE OF MINE WATER TO THE DEEP GROUNDWATER SYSTEM (20-200 GPM), AND THE REMAINDER DISCHARGES FROM THE 700 LEVEL PORTAL.

Comment (Production): BEDROCK SAMPLING CONDUCTED BY THE BUMINES IN 1978 THERE HAS BEEN NO MINING ACTIVITY AT THE WALKER SINCE 1978, IN 1983, HOWEVER, AN UNSPECIFIED COMPANY DID SOME LIMITED GEOL. MAPPING. JOHN BURNETT, CAL. DIV. OF MINES & GEOL., PERS. COMM WITH U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, WFOC APRIL 4, 1984.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): 90 PERCENT PROBABLITY REPRESENTS ORE BLOCKED OUT AS OF 1941 WHEN PRODUCTION CEASED.ANACONDA COMPANY DATA. 75 PERCENT PROBABLITY REPRESENTS COMB- INED PROBABLE AND POSSIBLE ORE AS PROPOSED BY ANACONDA IN 1941 50 PERCENT PROBABILITY IS ASSUMED ON THE BASIS OF FAVORABLE GEOLOGIC CONDIT- IONS. ADDITIONAL TONNAGES MAY BE PRESENT-EXPLORATION BY CONOCO (CONTINENTAL OIL COMPANY) AND AMERICAN METALS CLIMAX IS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS. WORK IS ONGOING SINCE 1975.

References

Reference (Deposit): COOPER,J.H.,1930,COMPRESSED AIR AN ESSENTIAL AID TO SUCESS-

Reference (Deposit): UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY. MINING WASTE STUDY,

Reference (Deposit): FINAL REPORT, JULY 1988, 416 PP. (P. 231-235).

Reference (Deposit): AVERILL,C.V.,1973,MINERAL RESOURCES OF PLUMAS COUNTY,CALIF

Reference (Deposit): CALIF.JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY V.33 P.95-103.

Reference (Deposit): NATIONAL ATLAS OF THE USA US DEPT OF THE INTERIOR,GEOL

Reference (Deposit): SURVEY, WASHINGTON D.C. 1970

Reference (Deposit): SMITH,A.R.,1970, TRACE ELEMENTS IN THE PLUMAS COPPER BELT

Reference (Deposit): PLUMAS COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. CALIF.DIV.OF MINES AND GEOL

Reference (Deposit): SPECIAL REPORT 103, 26 P

Reference (Deposit): WETZEL,N,1978,THE WALKER COPPER MINE,PLUMAS COUNTY, CALIF

Reference (Deposit): US BUMINES MAS REPORT, JULY 1978, 34P.

Reference (Deposit): YOUNG,G.J.,1924,ANACONDAS WALKER MINE AND MILL,ENGINERING

Reference (Deposit): AND MINING JOURNAL PRESS, VOL 117, NO.18 P.725.

Reference (Deposit): FUL MINING;COMPRESSED AIR MAGAZINE, NOV.1930 P.3308-

Reference (Deposit): 3313

Reference (Deposit): COPPER IN CALIFORNIA, 1948,DNR DIV. OF MINES BULL 144,1948

Reference (Deposit): P. 290.

Reference (Deposit): COPPER MINING IN NORTH AMERICA;US BUMINES BULL 405, 1938

Reference (Deposit): P.61

Reference (Deposit): DILLER,J.S.,1908, GEOLOGY OF THE TAYLORSVILLE REGION:USGS

Reference (Deposit): BULL 353, 128 P.

Reference (Deposit): DRAVO CORPORATION, ANALYSIS OF LARGE SCALE NON-COAL UNDER-

Reference (Deposit): GROUND MINING METHODS, USBM CONTRACT REPORT S0122059

Reference (Deposit): JAN. 1974, P.402-408

Reference (Deposit): EARLL,F.N,STOUT,K.S.,GRISWALD,G.S.,SMITH,R.I,KELLY,F.H.,

Reference (Deposit): EMBLEN,D.J.,VINE,W.A.,AND DAHLEN,D.A,1976, HANDBOOK

Reference (Deposit): FOR SMALL MINING ENTERPRISES. MONTANA BUMINES AND

Reference (Deposit): GEOLOGY BULL.99 P.78-80.

Reference (Deposit): MINERAL PROCESSING FLOWSHEETS. DENVER EQUIPMENT COMPANY

Reference (Deposit): DENVER COLORADO, 1962, P.28-30

California Gold

"Where to Find Gold in California" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in California. Read more: Where to Find Gold in California.