The California is a gold mine located in Alaska.
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.
California MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: California
Commodity
Primary: Gold
Location
State: Alaska
District: Fairbanks
Land Status
Not available
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Not available
Ownership
Not available
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Prospect
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:
Physiography
Not available
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Not available
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Not available
Comments
Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = A shaft was sunk on the California prospect on what was believed to be the extension of the Cleary Hill shear zone which was mined extensively on the adjacent Free Gold claim. The shaft was sunk 20 feet at a 60 degree south dip along the shear zone and then flattened to 40 degrees south for an additional 40 feet (Smith, 1913; B 525). A 1- to 3-foot-wide quartz-bearing zone extends nearly to the bottom of the shaft where it is cut off by a flat-lying fault. The ore was reportedly of lower grade than other shear zones in the area; production records are not available. A second shaft was sunk to an unknown depth east of the first shaft but was not accessible in 1912 when visited by Smith (1913, B 525).
Comment (Production): Production Notes = Production records are not available.
Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = A shaft was sunk on the California prospect on what was believed to be the extension of the Cleary Hill shear zone which was mined extensively on the adjacent Free Gold claim. The shaft was sunk 20 feet at a 60 S. dip along the shear zone and then flattened to 40 S. for an additional 40 feet (Smith, 1913; B 525). A 1- to 3-foot-wide quartz-bearing zone extends nearly to the bottom of the shaft where it is cut off by a flat-lying fault. The ore was reportedly of lower grade than other shear zones in the area; production records are not available. A second shaft was sunk to an unknown depth east of the first shaft but was not accessible in 1912 when visited by Smith (1913, B 525). Dump material at this shaft included quartz-feldspar granite which was reportedly associated with a gold-bearing shear zone in the shaft.
Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Gold-quartz vein.
Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Smith, 1913 (B 525)
Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive
References
Reference (Deposit): Freeman, C.J., 1992, 1991 Golden Summit project final report, volume 2: Historical summary of lode mines and prospects in the Golden Summit project area, Alaska: Avalon Development Corp., 159 p. (Report held by Freegold Recovery Inc. USA, Vancouver, British Columbia.)
Reference (Deposit): Smith, P.S., 1913, Lode mining near Fairbanks, in Prindle, L.M., A geologic reconnaissance of the Fairbanks quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 525, p. 153-216.
The Top Ten Gold Producing States
These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.
