The Mason Valley Mine is a copper mine located in Lyon county, Nevada at an elevation of 5,600 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
Elevation: 5,600 Feet (1,707 Meters)
Commodity: Copper
Lat, Long: 38.94889, -119.22083
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.
Mason Valley Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Mason Valley Mine
Commodity
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Gypsum-Anhydrite
Tertiary: Iron
Location
State: Nevada
County: Lyon
District: Yerington
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.
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Type: Underground
Ownership
Not available
Production
Year: 1914
Material type: CU
Description: Ap_Grade: ^2.75 Percent
Year: 1912
Material type: CU
Description: Ap_Grade: ^2.75 Percent
Year: 1913
Material type: CU
Description: Ap_Grade: ^2.75 Percent
Year: 1935
Time Period: 1912 - 1935
Material type: CU
Description: Cp_Grade: ^Approx. 2.5 - 3.0 Percent
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Sedimentary
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1870
Discovery Year: 1865
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Great Basin
Physiographic Detail: Basin And Mountains
Mineral Deposit Model
Model Name: Skarn Cu
Orebody
Form: IRREGULAR LENSES
Structure
Type: R
Description: Yerington Batholith Responsible For Dist. Of Metasomatic Rocks And Zoning Of Mineral Assemblages. Qtz. Monzonite Porphyry Dike Swarms Within Central Portion Of Batholith Formed Porphyry Cu Deposits
Type: L
Description: Series Of Faults And Cross-Faults Adding Considerable Complexity To Profound Metamorphism
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Albitic, Sericitic, Propylitic, Weak Potassic, Oxidation
Rocks
Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: CHALCOPYRITE/PYRITE RATIOS GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE
Analytical Data: 10 TO 25 PERCENT VOLUME SULFIDES
Materials
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Chalcocite
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Calcite
Comments
Comment (Deposit): CONTACT METASOMATIC AUREOLE DEPOSIT AND SOME DEGREE OF FISSURE VEINING. SKARN OUTCROP: FOR 600 M ALONG LMST./TUFF CONTACT. AVE. WIDTH 45 M IN NORTHERN ONE-HALF AND 0 TO 15 M IN THE SOUTH. IT DIPS 70 DEGREES WEST, PARALLEL TO BEDDING
Comment (Workings): MAJOR WORKINGS AT 300 AND 400 FOOT LEVELS
Comment (Development): ECON.COM: AERIAL TRAMWAY, ELECTRIC HAULAGE
Comment (Geology): BARREN LIME-SILICATE ROCKS HIGHLY GARNETIFEROUS. MULTI-PULSE INTRUSIVES. TWO STATE METASOMATISM.MINERAL ZONATION FROM CENTER LINE OF ALTERATION ENVELOPE: (1) GARNET-PYROXENE, (2) PYROXENE, (3) MARBLE CONTACT ZONES. DOMINANT DIRECTION OF FLOW OF METASOMATIC FLUID WAS SOUTHWARD, AWAY FROM THE NORTHERN BATHOLITH CONTACT ALONG BRECCIATED CONTACTS, BEDDING PLANES AND FRACTURES. SKARN FORMATION OCCURED AT A DEPTH OF 2,000 M. LITTLE OR NO BRECCIATION.
Comment (Deposit): MINE IDLE DURING 1915 - 16 . PRIOR TO THIS MINE PRODUCED 600 TONS/DAY TO SMELTER ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Comment (Production): 7,735,881 DOLLARS GROSS YIELD
Comment (Location): EAST FLANK SINGATSE RANGE, 1.5 MILES WEST OF MASON
Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1860'S
References
Reference (Deposit): KNOPF, A., 1918 , GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE YERINGTON DISTRICT, NEV., USGS PROF. PAPER NO. 114 .
Reference (Deposit): ARCHBOLD, N. L., 1969 , GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LYON, DOUGLAS, ORMSBY CO, NEV., NEV. BUREAU OF MINES, BULL. 75 .
Reference (Deposit): 1969 RECON NEV. BUREAU OF MINES, BULL. 75
Reference (Deposit): 1977 RECON EINAUD, M. T., STANFORD GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, ECON. GEOL. VOL. 72 , NO. 5 .
Reference (Production): COUCH, CARPENTER, 1943 , NEV. METAL AND MINERAL PRODUCTION, UNIV. OF NEV. BULL., VOL. 27 , NO. 4
Reference (Deposit): RANSOM, F. L., 1910 , MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS.
Reference (Deposit): EINAUDI, M. T., 1977 , PETROGENISIS OF THE CU-BEARING SKARN AT THE MASON VALLEY MINE, YERINGTON DIST., NEV., ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, VOL. 72 NO. 5 .
Reference (Deposit): 1910 RECON RANSOME, F. L., MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS
Reference (Deposit): 1918 GEOLMAP KNOPF, A. PROF. PAPER NO. 114
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.
