The Kearsarge district is on the east flank of the Sierra Nevada about eight miles west of Independence in Inyo County. The district was named in 1864 for the U S.S. Kearsarge, a famous Union warship. The Rex Montis mine, the principal gold source, was worked on a substantial scale from 1875 to 1883, reportedly yielding 12,333 ounces of gold and silver in 1877. The Kearsarge mine also has yielded some values. The deposits consist of narrow quartz veins in quartz monzonite that contain native gold, sulfides, and reportedly native silver.
Bibliography
Moore, J.G., 1963, Geology of the Mount Pinenot quadrangle: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 1130, 152 pp.
Tucker, W. 8., 1938, Inyo County, Rex Montis mine: California Div. Mines Rept. 34, pp. 415-416.
