Champion Dumortierite Mine

The Champion Dumortierite Mine is a kyanite and aluminum mine located in Pershing county, Nevada at an elevation of 5,551 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: Champion Dumortierite Mine
Secondary: Oreana Dumortierite Deposit

Commodity

Primary: Kyanite
Primary: Aluminum

Location

State: Nevada
County: Pershing
District: Sacramento District

Land Status

Land ownership: Private
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

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Champion Sillimanite, Inc.
Years: 1949 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Hydrothermal Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1925
Year Last Production: 1949
Discovery Year: 1924
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

Not available

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR LENSES

Structure

Type: L
Description: Highly Altered Strata; Thrust Fault, Intrusions

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Dumortierite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Albite
Gangue: Andalusite
Gangue: Mica

Comments

Comment (Deposit): DEVELOPMENT WORK TOTALS 1400 FEET. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Deposit): THIS RECORD HAS BEEN MERGED WITH M242714, WHICH HAS BEEN DELETED.

Comment (Location): IN ROLANDS CANYON ABOUT A MILE ABOVE ITS ENTRANCE, ON SOUTH FLANK OF LONE MOUNTAIN. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1972)

Comment (Commodity): ONLY KNOWN COMMERCIAL DEPOSIT IN WORLD (JOHNSON).

Comment (Deposit): DUMORTIERITE OCCURS ALONG 2 NORTH-TRENDING ZONES OF HYDROTHERMALLY ALTERED QUARTZ-SERICITE RHYOLITE, PARTS OF WHICH WERE INTENSELY ALTERED DURING TWO PHASES WHICH FIRST PRODUCED THE ANDALUSITE, THEN THE DUMORTIERITE BY REPLACEMENT OF ANDALUSITE (ACCORDING TO KERR AND JENNEY, 1935). DUMORTIERITE OCCURS AS (1) COARSE EUHEDRAL BLUE CRYSTALS, (2) MATTED LAVENDAR OR PINK MASSES, AND (3) FIBROUS PINK VEINS OR ISOLATED PINK CRYSTALS. HAND-SIZED CHUNKS OF DUMORTIERITE WERE SO VALUABLE THAT THEY WERE COBBED AND SAVED. VEINLETS WERE NOT MINED BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE CONTAMINATION OF QUARTZ AND ALBITE.

Comment (Workings): OPEN PIT, TUNNELS, OPEN STOPES.

Comment (Geology): DUMORTIERITE MINERALIZATION MAY BE RELATED TO PERMO-TRIASSIC VOLCANICS OR TERTIARY QUARTZ MONZONITE STOCK INTRUSION. LENSES OF DUMORTIERITE AND ANDALUSITE OCCUR IN QUARTZ-SERICITE SCHIST.

References

Reference (Deposit): JOHNSON, M. G., 1977, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 89, P. 85-86.

Reference (Deposit): TATLOCK, D.B., 1964, KYANITE GROUP ALUMINOUS MINERALS, IN MINERAL AND WATER RESOURCES OF NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 65, P. 213-217.

Reference (Deposit): VANDERBURG, W.O., 1936A, RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA: USBM INFORMATION CIRC. 6902, P. 35-36.

Reference (Deposit): KERR, P.F., & JENNEY, P., 1935, THE DUMORTIERITE-ANDALUSITE MINERALIZATION AT OREANA, NEVADA: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, VOL. 30, P. 287-300.

Reference (Deposit): SOUTHERN PACIFIC CO., 1964, MINERALS FOR INDUSTRY - NORTHERN NEVADA & NORTHWESTERN UTAH - SUMMARY OF GEOLOGIC SURVEY 1955-1961, V.1, SOUTHERN PACIFIC CO., SAN FRANCISCO, VOL. 1, P. 36.

Reference (Production): JOHNSON (1977).

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.