The Griffith is a gold mine located in Grant county, Oregon at an elevation of 5,600 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
Elevation: 5,600 Feet (1,707 Meters)
Commodity: Gold
Lat, Long: 44.78389, -118.31306
Map: View on Google Maps
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.
Griffith MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Griffith
Commodity
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Platinum
Location
State: Oregon
County: Grant
District: Granite Area, Bald Mountain District
Land Status
Land ownership: National Forest
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.
Administrative Organization: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Type: Surface
Ownership
Owner Name: Harris, Harris, Beus, And Johnson
Years: 1980 -
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: Stream Placer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Columbia Plateau
Physiographic Section: Blue Mountain Section
Physiographic Detail: Blue Mountains
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: Placer Au-PGE
Orebody
Form: STREAM SEDIMENT DEPOSITS
Structure
Type: L
Description: Normal Faults
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Serpentinite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pliocene
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: GOLD $.35 AND $.75 PIECES ARE SAID TO BE OCCASIONALLY FOUND.
Analytical Data: BLACK-SAND CONCENTRATE SAMPLE CONTAINED 1.5 OZ/TON PT (50 PPM)
Materials
Ore: Gold
Comments
Comment (Development): LITTLE OR NO MINING SINCE 1900 (PARDEE, 1909)
Comment (Geology): GRAVEL ON HIGH TERRACE LIES UNCONFORMABLY UPON FINE SEDIMENTS AND IS THICKLY BEDDED. BEDROCK IS DECOMPOSED GRANITE AND ARGILLITE
Comment (Location): ON WEST SLOPE OF BLUE MOUNTAIN DIVIDE. LOCATION GIVEN IS FOR MINE SYMBOL SHOWN ON TOPO MAP
Comment (Production): PRODUCTION AROUND 1900
Comment (Deposit): SIMILAR TO NEARBY WEAVER MINE. DEPOSIT EXTENDS NORTHWEST ABOUT 1 MI WHERE IT DISAPPEARS UNDER A BASALT FLOW
Comment (Workings): HYDRAULICALLY MINED IN A PIT 300 FT ACROSS WITH A 50 FT FACE
References
Reference (Deposit): OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES, 1941, OREGON METAL MINES HANDBOOK, NORTHEASTERN OREGON--WEST HALF: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULLETIN 14-B, P. 51.
Reference (Deposit): PARDEE, J.T., AND HEWETT, D.F., 1914, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SUMPTER QUADRANGLE: OREGON BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, MINERAL RESOURCES OF OREGON, V. 1, NO. 6, P. 127.
Reference (Deposit): PARDEE, J.T., 1909, PLACER GRAVELS OF SUMPTER AND GRANITE DISTRICTS, OREGON, IN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 1909: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 430, P. 60, 62.
Reference (Deposit): PARKS, H.M., AND SWARTLEY, A.M., 1916, HANDBOOK OF THE MINING INDUSTRY OF OREGON: OREGON BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF OREGON, V. 2, NO. 4, P. 114-115.
Oregon Gold
"Where to Find Gold in Oregon" 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 Oregon. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Oregon.
