Reward Mine

The Reward Mine is a gold and silver mine located in Inyo county, California at an elevation of 3,999 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

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: Reward Mine
Secondary: Brown Monster
Secondary: Brown Moster-Reward

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Lead

Location

State: California
County: Inyo
District: Russ

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Year: 1936
Time Period: 1935-1936
Material type: AU ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^$25/Ton Au, 1.5-2% Pb
Year: 1952
Time Period: 1911-1952
Material type: AU-AG ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^33,800 Lbs. Cu And 267,800 Lbs Pb As Byproducts

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1870
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: PINCH-SWELL

Structure

Type: L
Description: Reward Gulch Eroded Along Shear Zone, 40-50 Ft. Wide, Slickensides, Faults

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Oxidation

Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pennsylvanian

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Galena
Ore: Gold
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Chrysocolla
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Tremolite
Gangue: Jasper
Gangue: Diopside
Gangue: Linarite
Gangue: Anglesite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): INCLUDES ECLIPSE, HIDDEN TREASURE GROUP, HIRSH AND TELESCOPE GROUP. 2 PATENTED, 6 UNPATENTED CLAIMS AND 2 MILLSITES. OPERATED INTERMITTENTLY BY VARIOUS OWNERS, LESSEES ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Production): ORE PRODUCED IN 1936 RAN $11/TON AU AND AG. ORE SHIPPED AND TREATED AT TROPICO, KERN COUNTY, REPORTEDLY CARRIED $25-$40/TON AU. ACCORDING TO GOODWIN (1957), TOTAL PRODUCTION EXCEEDED $300,000.

Comment (Deposit): BROWN MONSTER VEIN 4-12 FT. THICK; REWARD VEIN 6 FT. THICK. ORE SHOOTS ON BROWN MONSTER VEIN FROM 100-200 FT. LONG, AVG. 4 FT. THICK. CAN BE TRACED ON SURFACE FOR 1000 FT NW OF REWARD GULCH. DIP OF VEIN STEEPENS WITH DEPTH. ORE IS A SOLID, WELL-DEFINED QUARTZ. GOLD DESCRIBED AS ASSOCIATED WITH OXIDES, CARBONATES AND SULFIDES OF LEAD, COPPER AND IRON, WITH CONSIDERABLE GRAPHITIC SLATE. ORE SHOOT ON REWARD VEIN 150-300 FT. LONG, AVG. 6 FT. THICK. VEIN CARRING PB, AG AND AU IN UPPER LEVELS OF REWARD WORKINGS. MOST OF ORE ON BROWN MONSTER VEIN BARREN OF SULFIDES WITH LOCAL BLEBS OF PYRITE, AND RARELY, CHALCOPYRITE, GALENA AND SPHALERITE. LARGER MASSES OF SULFIDES ON REWARD VEIN. FAULTS DISPLACE VEINS FROM 1-6 FT.; SEGMENTS OR BLOCKS DOWNTHROWN ON S. SIDE. ON N. SIDE OF GULCH, DIORITE SILL CUT BY 2 FAULTS, BOTH OF WHICH DISPLACE SILL 15 FT. VERTICALLY AND PRODUCE FAULT SEGMENT 20 FT. LONG.

Comment (Workings): OF THE BROWN MONSTER INCLINE SHAFT, AND ABOUT 500 FT. IN ELEVATION ABOVE COLLAR OF THE SHAFT, THE VEIN IS EXPOSED ON THE SURFACE FOR DISTANCE OF 500 FT. ORE-SHOOT DEVELOPED ALONG THE SURFACE OUTCROP IS ABOUT 200 FT. IN LENGTH, WITH AVERAGE WIDTH OF 8 FT. THREE INCLINE SHAFTS WERE SUNK ON THE VEIN TO DEPTHS OF 30 FT. AND 90 FT.; THESE SHAFTS ARE ABOUT 75 FT. APART. FROM 1940-42, SEVERAL HUNDRED FT. OF DRIFTS, CROSSCUTS DRIVEN, DIAMOND DRILLING. MILLSITE AND NUMEROUS BUILDINGS.

Comment (Workings): DEVELOPMENT-REWARD WORKINGS: NO. 1 TUNNEL IS DRIVEN 1200 FT. N. 55 DEG E., 650 FT. TO THE VEIN AND THEN DRIFT SOUTHEAST 800 FT. ABOUT 50 FT. ABOVE THIS TUNNEL LEVEL IS NO. 2 TUNNEL LEVEL WHICH IS DRIVEN SOUTHEAST 800 FT.; NO. 3 TUNNEL LEVEL IS 700 FT. IN LENGTH; NO. 4 TUNNEL LEVEL IS 600 FT. IN LENGTH; NO. 5 TUNNEL LEVEL IS 400 FT. IN LENGTH; NO. 6 TUNNEL LEVEL IS 300 FT. IN LENGTH. THE INTERVALS BETWEEN NO. 2 TUNNEL LEVELS AND THE OTHERS ABOVE ARE 25 FT. ORE-SHOOTS STOPED FROM NO. 2 TUNNEL LEVEL TO THE SURFACE. BROWN MONSTER WORKINGS: THE BROWN MONSTER INCLINE SHAFT IS SUNK ALONG A FAULT, WHICH STRIKES N. 40 DEG E., TO DEPTH 300 FT. WITH LEVELS AT 60, 96, 200 AND 250 FT. ON THE 96-FT. LEVEL GOLD VALUES WERE DISCOVERED IN LIMESTONE SOUTHEAST OF INCLINE SHAFT, AND IN THE FOOTWALL OF THE REWARD VEIN ON NO. 2 TUNNEL LEVEL. THE ORE WAS STOPED FROM THE 200-FT. LEVEL TO SURFACE EAST AND WEST OF INCLINE SHAFT FOR A LENGTH OF 200 FT. WITH AVERAGE WIDTH OF 6 FT. ON THE RIDGE NORTH

Comment (Geology): DIORITE INTRUDES LIMESTONE FEW HUNDRED YARDS E. OF MINE. WELL FORMED CRYSTALS OF WULFENITE OCCUR IN VUGS IN QUARTZ AT N. INCLINE. SMITHSONITE IN FINE RADIAL GROUPS, SOME 0.5 IN. IN DIAMETER

Comment (Location): UTM ACC. LAND UNSURVEYED

References

Reference (Deposit): TUCKER, W.B. AND SAMPSON, R.J., 1938, MINERAL RESOURCES OF INYO COUNTY: CALIF. JOUR. MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 34, NO. 4, P. 386-388

Reference (Deposit): KNOPF, ADOLPH, 1918, INYO RANGE AND THE EASTERN SLOPE OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA, CALIF: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 110, P. 121-122

Reference (Deposit): GOODWIN, J.G., 1957, LEAD AND ZINC IN CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 53, NOS. 3 & 4, P. 505

Reference (Production): TUCKER AND SAMPSON (1938), NORMAN AND STEWART (1951), KNOPF (1918), GOODWIN (1957)

Reference (Deposit): NORMAN, L.A., JR. AND STEWART, RICHARD M., 1951, MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF INYO COUNTY: CALIF. JOURNAL OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 47, NO. 1, P. 48-49

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.