Location
West flank of the Black Mountains, Tps. 19 and 20 N., Rs. 20 and 21 W.
Topographic Map
Oatman 7 1/2-minute quadrangle.
Geologic Maps
Lausen, 1931, Geologic map of the Oatman district, Mohave County, Arizona (pi. 1), scale ~ 1:40,000.
Ransome, 1923b, Geologic map of the Oatman district, Arizona (pi. 1), scale 1:48,000.
Wilson and Moore, 1959a, Geologic map of Mohave County, scale 1:375,000
Access
From Kingman, about 30 miles west to Oatman on the King man-Oatman-Topock road; a light-duty road parallels Silver Creek wash west of Oatman, and dirt roads lead to small placer areas near Oatman.Extent
Small placer deposits have been worked in the vicinity of some gold mines near Oatman and in the valley of Silver Creek, which drains northwest from the Oatman Camp. Three small placers were worked in the Oatman area: (1) Placer gold was recovered from small side streams tributary to Silver Creek in the vicinity of Mount Hardy (sees. 5 and 6, T. 19 N., R. 20 W.).
The gold here was of two different colors—pale yellow and darker yellow—and might not have been recovered from the same stream. The size of the gold from this locality varied from small flat flakes to particles as large as the size of wheat grains. (2) Placer gold was recovered from different points along a small stream below the Pioneer mine (sec. 2, T. 19 N., R. 20 W.)
The gold here was mostly fine particles and occurred within 3 feet of bedrock. (3) Placer gold was recovered from gravels below the Moss Vein (sec. 19, T. 20 N., R. 20 W.) , 2 miles north of Silver Creek. According to Lausen (1931, p. 89), one important ore shoot on the Moss veins contains coarse gold, and he suggests that the placer gold was coarse.
In addition to the small amounts of placer gold recovered in the vicinity of the Oatman Camp, gold was recovered from the valley of Silver Creek, about 5 miles northwest of Oatman (possibly from the gravels found in secs. 31 and 32, T. 20 N., R. 20 W.).
This deposit was tested in 1923 and during the period 1932-33, and, although one report indicates that gold values in the 5 feet above bedrock were high and that the average value might be $1 per cubic yard, the amount of gold in the gravels was apparently not sufficient to encourage mining operations. The gold is found in the gravel which overlies an irregular pediment formed on volcanic rocks.
Production History
The richest lode-gold mining area in Mohave County is the San Francisco district. Placer-gold production from this district has been negligible compared with lode production, despite the fact that placers have been worked since about 1865. Although the placers in Silver Creek were prospected and large sums of money expended to investigate the gold-bearing gravels, very little production was recorded. Apparently, most of the placer mining in the district was done on a very small scale.
Source
The small amount of placer gold found in the district was derived from the gold-quartz-calcite veins in Tertiary igneous rocks that formed in late Tertiary time. Lausen (1931, p. 88-89) suggests several factors that might be responsible for the lack of rich placer deposits. The most important is the small size of the gold in the ores; these small particles could be transported for a long distance during floods. Owing to lack of water, the deposits were mined by drywashing machines, which cannot collect fine gold.
Literature
Allen, 1922: Notes placer occurrence along Silver Creek.
Arizona Mining Journal, 1924: Reports discovery of buried gravels averaging $1.50 per yard (with gold valued at $20.67 per oz).
Doman, 1922: Notes placer-mining activity about 1865.
Lausen, 1931: Locates three placers in Oatman area; size of gold particles; source; reasons for general absence of placers in important lode district.
Mining Journal, 1932b: Reports production from gravels below Warner Gulch.
Ransome, 1923b: Placer-mining operations in Silver Creek.
Salt Lake Mining Review, 1923: Placer-mining developments in Silver Creek; depth of gold-bearing gravels; thickness of rich layer; average value of gravels.
Wilson, 1961: Placer-mining operations during the period 1932-33 in Silver Creek; geologic occurrence of gravels; fineness of gold.
