Location and History
Chloride Cliff is in the Funeral Range in the eastern part of Death Valley National Monument, about 20 miles north of Furnace Creek. It is sometimes known as the South Bullfrog district. Gold was probably discovered here at an early date, but the chief period of activity was from around 1900 to 1916 when the Keane Wonder and Chloride Cliff mines were active. There has been minor work since. The Keane Wonder mine is credited with a total output of more than $1 million.
Geology
The district is underlain predominantly by Precambrian schist, quartzite and gneiss, which in places have been cut by dioritic dikes. The ore bodies occur in lenticular quartz veins as much as 30 feet thick. The ore contains fine free gold, pyrite, and galena. Most of the ore contained y, ounce of gold or less per ton, but the ore shoots were as long as 300 feet.
Bibliography
Tucker, W. B., 1938, Inyo County, Keane Wander mine: California Div. Mines Rept. 34, pp. 402-403.
Waring, C. A., and Huguenin, Emile. 1919, Inyo County, Chloride Cliff and Keane Wonder mines: California Min. Bur. Rept. 15, pp. 76-77 and 79-81.
