Clipper

The Clipper is a copper and molybdenum mine located in King county, Washington at an elevation of 4,199 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: Clipper
Secondary: Snoqualmie Copper
Secondary: Katie Belle

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Gold
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Arsenic

Location

State: Washington
County: King
District: Snoqualmie - Burns - Miller River

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: Adjacent To Alpine Lakes Wilderness In Snoqualmie National Forest

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: United Cascade Mining Co., Inc.
Years: 1990 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Pacific Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Cascade-Sierra Mountains
Physiographic Section: Northern Cascade Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Porphyry Cu

Orebody

Form: DISSEMINATED, STOCKWORK VEINLETS

Structure

Type: R
Structure: Part of Ne-trending belt of en-echelon NW-striking faults, fractures, bx pi

Type: L
Structure: NE trending belt of en echelon NW striking faults, fractures, breccia pipes

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration: Potassic, phyllic, propylitic (mostly in barren rock), silicification

Rocks

Name: Andesite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Tonalite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: SURFACE SAMPLES RANGE FROM 0.52-1.2% CU, 0.2% MO. OTHER ASSAY DATA GIVEN IN DERKEY AND OTHERS (1990), GUALTIERI AND OTHERS (1973)

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Galena
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Siderite
Gangue: Pyrrhotite

Comments

Comment (Geology): THE CLIPPER DEPOSIT IS IN THE SNOQUALMIE BATHOLITH, NORTHERN PHASE GRANODIORITE AND TONALITE WITH BIOTITE AND HORNBLENDE; LOCALLY IT CONTAINS CLINOPYROXENE. THE ROCKS ARE LIGHT COLORED, MEDIUM CRYSTALLINE, AND MOSTLY EQUIGRANULAR AND HAVE HYPIDIOMORPHIC TEXTURE, AND ARE COARSELY JOINTED. AGE OF THE NORTHERN PHASE IS ABOUT 25 M.Y. BASED ON INTERPRETATION OF NUMEROUS DISCORDANT K-AR AGES OF BOTH HORNBLENDE AND BIOTITE (TABOR AND OTHERS, 1982, P. 8).

Comment (Development): ECON.COM: TEST STOPE 25 FT. BY 35 FT. LONG; ORE STOCKPILED ON DUMP.

Comment (Deposit): ON THE LAST CHANCE CLAIM, A 390-FT. ADIT BEARING N40W INTERSECTS MINERALIZATION FROM 265 TO 310 FT.; THE AREA WAS STOPED. ON THE PEDRO CLAIM, A 10-FT. ADIT WAS DRIVEN IN A 50-FT.-WIDE MINERALIZED ZONE. ON THE KATIE BELLE AND TRACY CLAIMS, A 15-FT. ADIT AND A 100-PLUS-FT. ADIT WERE DRIVEN. BOTH THE PATENTED AND UNPATENTED CLAIMS ARE OWNED (1990) BY UNITED CASCADE MINING CO., INC. COMPANIES WHO HAVE EXPLORED THE DEPOSIT INCLUDE ANACONDA COPPER CO., HOWE SOUND CO., CLIMAX MOLYBDENUM CORP., ANACONDA CO., BEAR CORP., HOUSTON OIL AND MINERALS, AND ELECTRAS RESOURCES. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Commodity): AREA HAS PERIPHERAL PB AND ZN MINERALIZATION. INSIGNIFICANT AU AND W.

Comment (Development): OVER THE YEARS HAS BEEN EXPLORED BY MANY MINING COMPANIES

Comment (Geology): GRANT (1969) INDICATES THERE WERE TWO STAGES OF MINERALIZATION

Comment (Production): SOME ORE STOCKPILED ON DUMP. PROBABLY MINOR PRODUCTION, ALTHOUGH NONE IS RECORDED

Comment (Reserve-Resource): RESERVES ESTIMATED AT 100 MILLION TONS AT 0.4% CU, 0.02% MO (HOLLISTER, 1979). GRANT ESTIMATED 250,000 TONS AT 0.85% CU IN A SMALL AREA (GUALTIERI AND OTHERS, 1973)

Comment (Workings): Adits

Comment (Geology): TOURMALINE BRECCIA PIPES ARE ALTERED AND MINERALIZED IN ADDITION TO THE DISSEMINATED AND STOCKWORK MINERALIZATION

References

Reference (Deposit): HUNTTING, M. T., 1956, INVENTORY OF WASHINGTON MINERALS-PART II, METALLIC MINERALS: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 37, V. 1, 428 P.; V. 2, 67 P.

Reference (Deposit): LIVINGSTON, V.E., JR., 1971, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 63, 200 P., 8 PL.

Reference (Deposit): MC INTYRE, A.W., 1907, COPPER DEPOSITS OF WASHINGTON: AMERICAN MINING CONGRESS, 9TH ANNUAL SESSION, REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS, P. 238-250.

Reference (Deposit): PURDY, C.P., JR., 1951, MOLYBDENUM OCCURRENCES OF WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 18, 118 P., 6 PL. (p. 28-29)

Reference (Deposit): WESTERN MINER, 1967, WESTLAND MINES LTD.; P. 128

Reference (Deposit): UNPUBLISHED INFORMATION: MELROSE, J.W., 1941, MINERALIZATION OF THE AREA TO BE SERVED BY THE MIDDLE FORK OF SNOQUALMIE RIVER ROAD. CARITHERS, WARD, 1942, MEMORANDUM TO SHELDON C. GLOVER. THESE REPORTS ARE IN Washington Divison of Geology and Earth Resources FILES.

Reference (Deposit): DERKEY, R.E., JOSEPH, N.L., AND LASMANIS, RAYMOND, 1990, METAL MINES OF WASHINGTON - PRELIMINARY REPORT: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES OPEN-FILE REPORT 90-18, P. 109-110.

Reference (Deposit): FRIZZELL, V.A., JR.; TABOR, R.W.; BOOTH, D.B.; ORT, K.M.; WAITT, R.B., 1984, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SNOQUALMIE PASS 1:100,000 QUADRANGLE, WASHINGTON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 84-693, 42 P., 1 PL.

Reference (Deposit): GRANT, A.R., 1969, CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL CONTROLS FOR BASE METAL DEPOSITION IN THE CASCADE RANGE OF WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 58, 107 P.

Reference (Deposit): GUALTIERI, J.L.; THURBER, H.K.; MILLER, M.S.; MCMAHAN, A.B.; FEDERSPIEL, F.F.,1975, MINERAL RESOURCES OF ADDITIONS TO THE ALPINE LAKES WILDERNESS STUDY AREA, CHELAN, KING, AND KITTITAS COUNTIES, WASHINGTON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 75-3, 161 P., 2 PL., p. 54, 68-71.

Reference (Deposit): HOLLISTER, V.F., 1979, PROPHYRY COPPER-TYPE DEPOSITS OF THE CASCADE VOLCANIC ARC, WASHINGTON: MINERALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, V. 11, P. 32.

Washington Gold

"Where to Find Gold in Washington" 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 Arizona. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Washington.