Ragged Top Mine

Site Name

Primary: Ragged Top Mine
Secondary: NBMG Sample Site 2997

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Commodity

Primary: Tungsten
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Beryllium

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Location

State: Nevada
County: Pershing
District: Ragged Top District

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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.

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Holdings

Not available

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Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

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Ownership

Not available

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Production

Year: 1917
Material type: ORE
Description: Ap_Grade: ^1.25% Wo3
Year: 1956
Time Period: 1917-1956
Material type: W03
Description: Cp_Grade: ^From Ore That Probably Averaged About 1.0 % W03
Year: 1917
Time Period: 1916-1917
Material type: ORE W
Description: Cp_Grade: ^1.25% Wo3

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Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1916
Discovery Year: 1915
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

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Physiography

Not available

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: W skarn

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Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Jurassic

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Jurassic

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Analytical Data

Analytical Data: SAMPLE 2997 OF MASSIVE GARNET SKARN WITH RED-BROWN GARNET, DIOPSIDE, SOME EPIDOTE, QUARTZ, SOME PYRITE AND DISSEMI-NATED SCHEELITE WITH PALE BLUE FLUORESCENCE CONTAINS 5 % FE, 0-.5 % MG, 10 % CA, 0.07 % TI, 5000 PPM MN, 10 PPM B, 1 PPM BE, -5 PPM CO, 50 PPM CR, 70 PPM CU, 20 PPM MO, 10 PPM NI, 5 PPM SC-, 100 PPM SN, 100 PPM SR, 50 PPM V, 50 PPM W, 200 PPM ZN, 15 P-PM ZR.

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Materials

Ore: Scheelite
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Unknown: Chalcopyrite

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Comments

Comment (Location): NW FLANK OF RAGGED TOP MOUNTAIN, NEAR BASE

Comment (Production): 3600 TONS ORE CONTAINING 1.25% WO3, 1916-1917

Comment (Deposit): PENDANT OF TACTITE IN GRANODIORITE

Comment (Workings): SHAFTS, ADITS, TUNNELS, OPEN CUTS. OPEN CUT IS ABOUT 40 FT DEEP, 60 FT WIDE, 90 FT LONG; SHAFT IS 85 FT DEEP WITH 2 LEVELS.

Comment (Geology): IN PLACES SCHEELITE OCCURS IN THE GARNET-RICH PART OF TACTITE AS PARTICLES LESS THAN 1/50 INCH AND RARELY AS BLACK PIECES UP TO SEVERAL INCHES IN DIAMETER. THE MINABLE ORE WAS IRREGULARLY DISTRIBUTED IN HIGH-GRADE CONCENTRATION IN THE TACTITE PENDANTS.

Comment (Deposit): SCHEELITE FIRST DISCOVERED IN GARNETIZED LIMESTONE IN 1915. THE RAGGED TOP GROUP OF CLAIMS WAS EXPLORED AND DEVELOPED IN 1916. ORE WAS MINED AND PRODUCED UNTIL 1917. THE DEPOSIT WAS NOT MINED AGAIN UNTIL 1953 WHEN SMALL QUANTITIES OF TUNGSTEN ORE WAS SHIPPED. DEVELOPED BY NUMEROUS OPEN CUTS, SHAFTS, ADITS, & TUNNELS. MOST OF THE ORE MINED FROM AN OPEN CUT 40 FEET DEEP DUG IN A TACTITE PENDANT 60 X 90 FEET. SOME ORE PRODUCED FROM UNDERGROUND WORKINGS CONSISTING OF AN 85-FT. SHAFT AND TWO TUNNELS ADJOINING THE OPEN CUT. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Comment (Development): SCHEELITE WAS DISCOVERED IN 1916 AND H. M. BYLLESBY & CO., WHO LATER BECAME THE CHICAGO-NEVADA TUNGSTEN CO, SHIPP-ED 3600 TONS ORE AVERAGING 1.25 % W03 TO EUREKA UTAH FOR MILLI-NG. A LARGER TONNAGE WAS TREATED IN A MILL BUILT NEAR THE RAIL-ROAD AT TOULON. THE COMPANY CEASED OPERATIONS IN APRIL 1917 WH-EN MINING PROVED TO BE UNPROFITABLE BECAUSE OF THE SMALL ORE B-ODIES. TOTAL PRODUCTION DURING THIS PERIOD IS UNKNOWN BUT WAS -ESTIMATED FROM THE SIZE OF THE MINE WORKINGS TO BE ABOUT 12000- TONS OF ORE THAT PROBABLY AVERAGED 1.0 % W03. THE PROPERTY WA-S SUBSEQUENTLY PURCHASED BY THE NEVADA-MASSACHUSETTS CO., AND -LATER BY RARE METALS CORP ALONG WITH THE TOULON MILL. THE MILL- WAS REMODELED IN 1936 AND WAS USED TO CONCENTRATE ORE FROM OT-HER LOCALITIES. DURING 1952-1954, A SMALL TONNAGE OF ORE WAS S-HIPPED BY J. F. DELAMARE, AND IN 1955-1956, THE VINCZE BROS SH-IPPED A LITTLE ORE.

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References

Reference (Production): JOHNSON, M.G., 1977

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

Reference (Deposit): VANDERBURG, 1936, RECONNAISSANCE OF MINING DISTRICTS IN PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA; USBM IC 6902

Reference (Deposit): HESS & LARSEN, 1922, CONTACT METAMORPHIC TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF THE U.S.; USGS BULL. 725-D

Reference (Deposit): KERR, 1946, TUNGSTEN MINERALIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES; GSA MEMOIR 15 WARNER, ET.AL., 1959, OCCURRENCE OF NONPEGMATITE BERYLLIUM IN THE UNITED STATES; USGS PP 318.

Reference (Deposit): TINGLEY, J. V., 1985, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS.

Reference (Deposit): STAGER, H. K., IN PREPARATION, NBMG BULLETIN ON TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF NEVADA.

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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.