Cliff Mine

The Cliff Mine is a gold and silver mine located in Albany county, Wyoming at an elevation of 8,999 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

Name: Cliff Mine

State:  Wyoming

County:  Albany

Elevation: 8,999 Feet (2,743 Meters)

Commodity: Gold, Silver

Lat, Long: 41.276, -106.18500

Map: View on Google Maps

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.


Satelite image of the Cliff Mine

Mine Description

A 775 foot drift was driven northeastward in part along a 2-3 inch thick quartz vein that parallels schistosity and cataclastic foliation of the enclosing mafic schists and submylonites. According to Hess (1926, p. 132) "neither gold nor platinum was reported in this drift." A 325 crosscut extending to the northwest from near the end of the main drift cuts four quartz and sulphide bearing fracture zones, at least one of which supposedly contained gold. Traces of platinum were reported from a short drift paralleling one of the fracture zones (Hess, 1926, p. 132).

Source: The Centennial Ridge Gold-Platinum District, Albany County, Wyoming, 1968. The Geological Survey of Wyoming.

Cliff Mine MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Cliff Mine
Secondary: Centennial Ridge District


Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Platinum
Tertiary: Copper


Location

State: Wyoming
County: Albany
District: Centennial Ridge District


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.


Holdings

Not available


Workings

Type: Underground


Ownership

Not available


Production

Not available


Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Underground
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S


Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains


Mineral Deposit Model

Not available


Orebody

Form: VEINS


Structure

Type: R
Description: Mullen Creek-Nash Fork Shear Zone


Alterations

Not available


Rocks

Name: Schist
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Schist
Role: Host
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic


Analytical Data

Analytical Data: REPORTEDLY 0.58 OZ/TON AU OVER 15 FT WIDTH


Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Malachite


Comments

Comment (Workings): TUNNEL FOLLOWING SCHISTOSITY AND CROSSCUT

Comment (Production): NO PRODUCTION FIGURES GIVEN; SMALL PRODUCTION PRESUMED

Comment (Commodity): PLATINUM REPORTED PRESENT BUT NOT VERIFIED; IT WOULD BE A REASONABLE OCCURRENCE BASED ON PLATINUM BEING PRESENT IN OTHER MINES IN THE DISTRICT

Comment (Location): IN MEDICINE BOW NATIONAL FOREST

Comment (Deposit): 4 QUARTZ AND SULFIDE BEARING FRACTURE ZONES; UNPUBLISHED MODEL NAME: NEW RAMBLER CU-AU-PGE.

Comment (Deposit): "A 775 foot drift was driven northeastward in part along a 2-3 inch thick quartz vein that parallels schistosity and cataclastic foliation of the enclosing mafic schists and submylonites. According to Hess (1926, p. 1320 "neither gold nor platinum was reported in this drift." A 325 [sic] crosscut extending to the northwest from near the end of the main drift cuts four quartz and sulphide bearing fracture zones, at least one of which supposedly contained gold. Traces of platinum were reported from a short drift pralleling one of the fracture zones (Hess, 1926, p. 132)." (McCallum, 1968, p. 11)


References

Reference (Deposit): HAUSEL, W.D., 1989, THE GEOLOGY OF WYOMING'S PRECIOUS METAL LODE AND PLACER DEPOSITS: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WYOMING BULLETIN 68, P. 94.
Pages: p. 94

Reference (Deposit): HAUSEL, W.D., 1980, GOLD DISTRICTS OF WYOMING: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WYOMING REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 23, P. 37.
Pages: p. 37

Reference (Deposit): MCCALLUM, M.E., 1968, THE CENTENNIAL RIDGE GOLD-PLATINUM DISTRICT, ALBANY COUNTY, WYOMING: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WYOMING PRELIMINARY REPORT 7, P. 9, 11.
Pages: p. 11, pl. 1.

Reference (Deposit): HESS, F.L., 1926, PLATINUM NEAR CENTENNIAL, WYOMING: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 780-C, P. 132-133.
Pages: p. 132-133.


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