Millett, Mine Mountain, Mineral Basin Districts

Publication Info:
Nevada Mining Districts (Compiled Reports)
The Districts Described in This Section are from the following publications:

Mining Districts of Nevada - Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Report 47 (updated 1998); Placer Gold Deposits of Nevada - USGS Bulletin 1356 (1973)

Table of Contents

Millet District

Overview

Other Names: North Twin River, Twin River, Milletts, Millet, Blue Spring, Park Canyon, Smoky Valley, Big Smoky, Marysville

County: Nye

Organized: 1863

Commodities: silver, gold, lead, copper, zinc, tungsten, barite

Comments

Located in T14N, R42-43E. The North Twin River and Blue Spring districts were organized in this area in 1863. The area was also included in the large Smoky Valley district that covered most of the eastern slope of the Toiyabe Range in 1866. The North Twin River district included both Summit and Park Canyons. Millett(s) name was used for the entire area from about 1912.

Kral (1951), and Kleinhampl and Ziony (1984), combined Millett with the Twin River district, which is to the south. Todd and Welton (1866) place the historic Maryville district on the west side of the Toiyabe Range, including the west portion of the present Millett and Twin River districts.

References

Todd and Welton, 1866; General Land Office map, 1866; Stretch, 1867, p. 59; White, 1869, p. 65; Whitehill, 1873, p. 106; Angel, 1881, p. 516, 518; Hill, 1912, p. 223; Lincoln, 1923, p. 177; Stoddard, 1932, p. 69; Lotz, 1934, p. 22; Nevada State Writers Project, 1941, p. 57; Kral, 1951, p. 178; Kleinhampl and Ziony, 1984, p. 195; Stager and Tingley, 1988, p. 153

Millett Placer District Description

Location

East and west flanks of the Toiyabe Range at Ophir and Crane Canyons, T. 13 N., Rs. 41 and 42 E.

Topographic Maps

Round Mountain 30-minute quadrangle.

Geologic Maps

Ferguson and Cathcart, 1954, Geologic map of the Round Mountain quadrangle, Nevada, scale 1:125,000.

Access

From Tonopah, 65 miles north on State Highway 8a to dirt road leading west to Ophir Canyon; this road continues across the Toiyabe Range paralleling Ophir Creek and Clear Creek, half a mile south of Crane Canyon.

Extent

Small placers occur in gravels near the eastern range front along Ophir Canyon (approximately sec. 34, T. 13 N., R. 42 E.) and along Crane Creek, on the west side of the range (T. 13 N., R. 41 E.).

Production History

Placer gold was first credited to the district in 1910. The placers described here were located and prospected during the period 1946-47, but no production was recorded for 1946-47.

Source

Small gold veins occur at various localities throughout this area, but the major producing mine was the Murphy or Ophir, a silver mine in Ophir Canyon. Near the Murphy mine, high-grade gold ore occurs in a narrow quartz vein, and near-surface ores reportedly yielded ap- preciable quantities of gold. The placer gold was probably derived from this type of deposit.

Literature

Krai, 1951: Locates small placers below mouth of Ophir Canyon.

Mining World, 1947: Reports plans of Natomas Co. to test gravels in Crane Creek; notes placer discovery the previous summer (1946) in Ophir Canyon in this same area.

Mine Mountain District

Overview

Other Names: Tippipah Spring

County: Nye

Discovered: 1928

Commodities: mercury, lead, silver, antimony

Comments

The Mine Mountain district is located about 7 miles west of Yucca Flat on the Nevada Test Site, and includes all of Mine Mountain and its flanks. Shafer and Cook (1947) used the name Tippipah Spring for this district.

References

Cornwall, 1972, p. 39; Shafer and Cook, 1947

Mineral Basin District

Overview

Other Names: Buena Vista

County: Pershing, Churchill

Discovered: 1880

Commodities: iron, silver, antimony, mercury

Comments

Located in Mineral Basin in Pershing County and the Buena Vista Hills in Pershing and Churchill Counties.

References

Lincoln,1923,p.210; Stoddard,1932,p.19, 78; Vanderburg,1936b,p.22; Willden and Speed, 1974, p. 78; Johnson, 1977, p. 68

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