The McLaughlin Mine is a gold and silver mine located in Yolo county, California.
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
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McLaughlin Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: McLaughlin Mine
Commodity
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Mercury
Tertiary: Titanium, Metal
Tertiary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Arsenic
Tertiary: Boron-Borates
Location
State: California
County: Yolo
Land Status
Not available
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Not available
Ownership
Owner Name: Homestake Mining Co.
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1985
Discovery Year: 1978
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: L
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Pacific Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Pacific Border Province
Physiographic Section: California Coast Ranges
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: Hot-spring Au-Ag
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Type: R
Description: Major Regional Subduction Fault Boundary Dividing The Franciscan Ophiolite Melange Of The Coast Ranges From The Upper Jurassic Marine Sediments Of The Great Valley Forearc Basin. Fault Consists Of 300-800 Ft. Wide Zone Of Cataclasite And Slikentite. Fault Dips Ne 45 In The Mine Area.
Type: L
Description: Hydrothermal Explosion Breccias, Hydraulically Fractured Rock Masses, Crackle Breccias, Clastic Dikes, And Chalcedony-Quartz Vein Stockwork.
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Complex And Overlapping; Argillic Zones, Sporadic Alunite Nodules, Chlorite-Montmorillonite-Celadonite Assemblages. Pervasive Adularia Replacement In Hanging Wall. Irregular Zone Of Silica-Carbonate Alteration Parallels The Precious Metals System Within The Footwall.
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: TYPICALLY SUBMICRON SIZE GOLD. AG/AU RATIO RANGES FROM 0.1 NEAR SURFACE TO 100 OR MORE AT DEPTH, WITH AVG. APPROX. 3.5.
Materials
Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Stibnite
Gangue: Marcasite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Dolomite
Gangue: Pyrite
Comments
Comment (Deposit): NATURAL OUTCROPPINGS AND OLD MINE WORKINGS EXTEND A MILE IN STRIKE LENGTH AND APPROX. 300 FEET IN WIDTH. THE OREBODY IS WEDGE-SHAPED IN SECTIONAL VIEW, AND DIPS CONFORMABLY WITH THE HOST FAULT TO THE NE. THE VEINS STRIKE TRANSVERSE TO THE OVERALL OREBODY TREND (WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY CONFORMABLE WITH THE FAULT), SUGGESTING CONTINUED DILATION BY STRIKE SLIP REACTIVATION OF THE OLDER THRUST ZONE.
Comment (Commodity): A PROMINANT NI-CR-CO SIGNATURE IS PROBABLY DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF SERPENTINITES. BASE METALS AND MANGANESE AS WELL AS OTHER EPITHERMAL ELEMENTS SE, TE, F, AND MO ARE NOT PRESENT.
Comment (Production): GOLD PRODUCTION FROM NEW FACILITY WILL BE 50,000 OZ/YR FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS.
Comment (Development): THE DEPOSIT WAS DISCOVERED AT THE SITE OF THE HISTORIC MANHATTAN QUICKSILVER MINE USING AN EXPLORATION PROGRAM BASED ON A HOT-SPRING MODEL. EXPANSION, BY 1989, INCLUDED CIRCUIT TO TREAT LOWER-GRADE MATERIAL NOT REQUIRING AUTOCLAVE PROCESSING. ; TOTAL$: 280 ; ECON.COM: KNOWN RESERVES WILL SUSTAIN 3,000 TON PER DAY PROCESSING FACILITY FOR 15-20 YEARS. (LEHRMAN, 1986 P.85)
Comment (Workings): ULTIMATE PIT DIMENSIONS: LENGTH - 5,400 FT. WIDTH - 1,900 FT. DEPTH - 880 FT MAX., 450 FT. AVG. MINING RATE - 9.800,000 TONS PER YEAR OR 39,200 TONS PER OPERATING DAY. (LEHRMAN, 1986 P.89)
Comment (Deposit): THE MCLAUGHLIN DEPOSIT IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF NEAR-SURFACE ORE-FORMING PROCESSES (HOT-SPRING WITH SINTER ASSOCIATION). THE SOURCE OF THE ELEMENTS MAKING UP THE DEPOSIT REMAINS UNCLEAR, POSSIBILITIES INCLUDE THE OPHIOLITE MELANGE TO THE WEST, THE GREAT VALLEY SEQUENCE TO THE EAST, THE CLEAR LAKE MAGMAS OR METAMORPHIC FLUIDS FROM THE ANCIENT SUBDUCTED OCEANIC PLATE.
Comment (Geology): THE MINERALIZED ZONE BENEATH THE SINTERS CONSISTS OF A MULTIPLE STAGE CHALCEDONY-QUARTZ VEIN STOCKWORK TOGETHER WITH PERVASIVELY SILICA FLOODED CATACLASITE, AGGLOMERATE, AND BRECCIA LITHOLOGIES. REPEATED TECTONIC CRACKING AND EXPLOSIVE ACTIVITY WITH MAGMATIC DOME EMPLACEMENT AND SUBSEQUENT HYDROTHERMAL ERUPTIONS ENHANCED PRIMARY FRACTURE PERMEABILITIES AND CREATED CLASTIC LITHOLOGIES FAVORABLE FOR PERVASIVE SILICIFICATION. SUBVOLCANIC AND VOLCANIC BOILING AND THROTTLING PROCESSES ARE IMPLICATED IN MINERAL PRECIPITATION. GOLD MINERALIZATION IS CLOSELY TIED TO SILICIFICATION AND MULTIPLE STAGE VEINING.
References
Reference (Deposit): ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, JUNE, 1988, P. 43.
Reference (Deposit): MINING MAGAZINE, JAN., 1988, P. 50.
Reference (Deposit): LEHRMAN, NORMAN J., 1986, THE MCLAUGHLIN MINE NAPA AND YOLO COUNTIES, CA.: NBMG REPORT 41 P. 85-89.
California Gold
"Where to Find Gold in California" 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 California. Read more: Where to Find Gold in California.
