Leviathan

The Leviathan is a sulfur mine located in Alpine 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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Site Name

Primary: Leviathan

Commodity

Primary: Sulfur
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Iron
Tertiary: Mercury

Location

State: California
County: Alpine
District: Monitor-Mogul

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Not available

Production

Year: 1961
Time Period: 1960 - 1961
Material type: ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^24.30 Percent S
Year: 1959
Time Period: 1958 - 1959
Material type: ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^30.65 Percent S
Year: 1956
Time Period: 1954 - 1956
Material type: ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^29.58 Percent S
Year: 1962
Material type: ORE
Description: Ap_Grade: ^26.90 Percent S
Year: 1957
Material type: ORE
Description: Ap_Grade: ^28.50 Percent S
Year: 1953
Material type: ORE
Description: Ap_Grade: ^25.00 Percent S

Deposit

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

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: ELLIPTICAL LENS

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Sulfur
Ore: Chalcanthite
Ore: Marcasite
Ore: Melanterite
Ore: Cuprite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite

Comments

Comment (Production): TOTAL ANNUAL VALUES OF PRODUCTION FROM 1953 THRU 62 WERE: $757,740 ( 1953 ), $1507429 , $1671573 , $1561595 , $1492464 , $1428852 , $1365600 , $1670647 , $1673609 , $1413,223 . TOTAL LONG TONS ORE FOR THE PERIOD WERE 1668,349 , TOTAL LONG TONS SULFUR WERE 465,616 , AND ESTIMATED TOTAL VALUE PRODUCED WAS $14542732 ONCE A HIGH GRADE COPPER ORE MINE WHICH BECAME GENERALLY UNPRODUCTIVE AFTER THE 1860S.

Comment (Workings): PIT MINE. 35 FT BENCHES FOR STRIPPING, AND 15 FT BENCHES FOR MINING ORE BODY. WASTE TO ORE RATIO WAS GENERALLY 11:1 .

Comment (Geology): SULFUR ORE BODY OCCURS AS FLAT FAULTED ELLIPTICAL LENS AT LEAST 2400 FT LONG. S HAS IMPREGNATED THE LOWER PART OF A LAKE-DEPOSITED (?) TUFF BED AND PART OF THE UNDERLYING ANDESITE (?). TUFF WHITE TO YELLOWISH, CONTACTS BETWEEN NONMINERALIZED AND MINERALIZED TUFF ARE SHARP, BUT IN ANDESITE ARE GRADATIONAL OVER 10 - 15 FT. LOCALLY TUFF IS REPLACED BY HIGHLY IRREGULAR AREAS OF GRAY OPALINE MATERIAL SEVERAL FT IN LENGTH. PART OF THE TUFF CONTAINS FINE GRAINED XTLS OF KAOLINIZED FSPAR. ANDESITE (?) IS REMARKABLY SIMILAR TO THESE REPLACEMENT AREAS. AN AGGLOMERATE UNIT ABOUT 120 FT IN MAXIMUM THICKNESS OVERLIES TUFF. ROUNDED TO ANGULAR BROWN TO BLACK PORPHYRITIC VOLCANIC CLASTS FROM 1 FT TO FRACTION OF AN IN ARE SET IN A GRAY TUFFACEOUS SANDSTONE MATRIX. OVERLYING THE AGGLOMERATE IS AN UNMINERALIZED WHITE TUFF OF ABOUT 100 FT MAX THICKNESS, WHICH THINS RAPIDLY AND PINCHES OUT. PRIOR TO PIT DEVELOPMENT, A SILICIFIED "CAD ROCK" RESTED ON THE TUFF, WHICH WAS AS MUCH AS 160 FT THICK, THINNING

Comment (Commodity): SULFUR 1ST DISCOVERED WHILE PROSPECTING FOR CHALCANTHITE. SULFUR COARSELY CRYSTALLINE AND GLOSSY IN POROUS TUFF & EVENLY DISTRIBUTED. SULFUR IN ANDESITE (?) OR OPALIZED TUFF LESS EVENLY DESTRIBUTED, AND FILLS FRACTURE PLANES RATHER THAN PORES. MINERALIZED TUFF CONTAINS UP TO 70 PERCENT SULFUR BUT AVERAGES 35 PER CENT. RARE MASSES OR VEINS OCCUR IN BOTH ROCK TYPES. MINERALIZED ANDESITE AVERAGES 25 PER CENT BUT VARIES WIDELY. ANACONDA SUPPLIED DATA FROM TYPICAL SAMPLE FROM TRUCKLOAD OF MINERALIZED TUFF. IT WAS: INSOLUBLE (MOSTLY SI02), 49 PERCENT; IRON, 6 PER CENT; SULFUR, 33 PER CENT; SOLUBLE SALTS, 12 PERCENT; AND TRACES OF AL2O3 , MGO, AND CAO. SULFATES SUCH AS ROMERITE MAY BE FORMING ON THE PIT FLOOR TODAY.

Comment (Location): UTM.

Comment (Geology): AWAY FROM THE ORE BODY.

Comment (Deposit): VEINS (?) OF NATIVE SULFUR. ALSO, REPLACEMENT ELLIPSES.

Comment (Deposit): INCLUDES DOT NO.S 1 - 44 CLAIMS ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

References

Reference (Deposit): LOGAN, C. A., 1931 , ALPINE CO: CALIF DIV MINES AND GEOL, 27TH REPORT STATE MINERALOGIST, OCT, P 491 .

Reference (Production): CLARK, 1977 LOGAN, 1931

Reference (Deposit): CLARK, W. B., 1977 , MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF ALPINE COUNTY, CALIF: CDMG COUNTY REPT NO 8 , P 35 - 39 , 45 , 32 & STRUCTURE SECTION P 38 .

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.