Virgin Valley Ranch Deposit

The Virgin Valley Ranch Deposit is a uranium mine located in Humboldt county, Nevada at an elevation of 4,951 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

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.

Site Name

Primary: Virgin Valley Ranch Deposit
Secondary: Monday
Secondary: Tuesday
Secondary: Wednesday
Secondary: Thursday
Secondary: Friday
Secondary: Saturday
Secondary: Wee Marie
Secondary: September
Secondary: October
Secondary: March
Secondary: 4th of July No. 1
Secondary: 4th of July No. 2
Secondary: February
Secondary: April Fool No. 1
Secondary: April Fool No. 2
Secondary: January
Secondary: November
Secondary: August and December Claims. Also called Crane Claims.
Secondary: Virgin Valley Ranch Uranium Claims
Secondary: Virgin Valley Uranium Claims
Secondary: Uranium Prospects

Commodity

Primary: Uranium
Secondary: Gemstone

Location

State: Nevada
County: Humboldt
District: Virgin Valley District

Land Status

Land ownership: Federal
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.

Holdings

Type: Located Claim

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Prospect
Deposit Type: Sedimentary
Operation Type: Surface
Discovery Year: 1950
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Great Basin
Physiographic Detail: Basin And Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Volcanogenic U

Orebody

Form: TUFF AND ASH BEDS, DISCONTINUOUS

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Clay, Silicification

Rocks

Name: Tuff
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Name: Tuff
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: URANIUM CONTENT OF OPAL RANGES FROM 0.002 % TO 0.14 %

Materials

Ore: Weeksite
Ore: Carnotite

Comments

Comment (Production): SEVERAL THOUSAND POUNDS OF OPAL SHIPPED

Comment (Deposit): 19 CLAIMS LOCATED BY JACK AND TONI CRANE IN 1950. BEFORE THE DISCOVERY OF URANIUM MINERALS IN 1950, ABOUT 20 SMALL PITS HAD BEEN DUG FOR PRECIOUS OPAL. CRANE DISCOVERED URANIUM MINERALS IN 1950. DEVELOPMENT SINCE THEN CONSISTS OF A 315-FT. DOZER TRENCH AND 12 SMALL PITS ON THE E. SIDE OF THE VALLEY, AND 3 SMALL PITS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Location): 200 YD NW AND 300 YD NE OF VIRGIN VALLEY RANCHHOUSE

Comment (Workings): BULLDOZER TRENCHES AND PITS

Comment (Geology): URANIFEROUS OPAL OCCURS IN DISCONTINUOUS LAYERS PARALLEL TO THE BEDDING OF THE ASH AND TUFF BEDS. CARNOTITE OCCURS AS COATINGS ON PARTING PLANES AND FRACTURES. URANIUM ALSO OCCURS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE OPAL. OPAL LAYERS VARY IN SIZE: SOME ARE UP TO 1200 FT. LONG ALONG STRIKE. THICKNESS VARIES FROM 0.1 TO 3.9 FT. THICK.

Comment (General): From deleted record 10125507 (MAS 0320130390) [note that lines appear to be prematurely terminated so information is missing]: USBM WFOC CHARLES SHELDON GAME RANGE OPEN-FILE WILDERNESS RP GEOLOGY: LARGE AREA REPORTED TO AVERAGE .02 PERCENT U203 IN TUFF ASH IN VIRGIN VALLEY FORMATION. HIGHER GRADE MATERIAL A WITH OPALITE. MINERAL IS CARNOTITE AS COATING ALONG THIN FRA AMONG OTHERS THIS SE-N-NE CRESENT SHAPE DEPOSIT INCLUDES T NEV.URAN. GRP., LEONARD CRK., & VIRGIN VALLEY URANIUM CLAIMS TIONS ARE- SEC.21-22,27-28,33-34,T46S,R28E/ SEC.36 T42N R28E T41N R28E/ SEC.31,36,25 T45N R25E, SEC.2,3 T44N R26E & SEC 1 T45N R25E RESPECTIVELY.

Comment (Identification): Be sure to cross reference with related record 10036999, Virgin Valley Opalite Deposits that covers the same area.

References

Reference (Production): STAATZ, M. H., AND BAUER, H. L., 1951.

Reference (Deposit): STAATZ, M.H., AND BAUER, H.L.,1951, VIRGIN VALLEY OPAL DISTRICT, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA: USGS INF. CIRC. 142

Reference (Deposit): U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 78-1002, 1978, P. 132-138.
Pages: p. 132-138.

Nevada Gold

Nevada has a total of 368 distinct gold districts. Of the of those, just 36 are major producers with production and/or reserves of over 1,000,000 ounces, 49 have production and/or reserves of over 100,000 ounces, with the rest having less than 100,000 ounces. Read more: Gold Districts of Nevada.