Joseph Mountain Mine

The Joseph Mountain Mine is a silver and lead mine located in Wallowa county, Oregon at an elevation of 7,700 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: Joseph Mountain Mine
Secondary: Mccully Mine

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Tertiary: Gold
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Molybdenum
Tertiary: Zinc

Location

State: Oregon
County: Wallowa
District: Wallowa

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.
Administrative Organization: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

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

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Columbia Plateau
Physiographic Section: Blue Mountain Section

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: L
Description: The Quartz Vein Follows A Bedding Plane In The Limestone

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Malachite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Location): NW LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 7-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH USFS LAND OWNERSHIP BOUNDARIES, 1:126,720 SCALE.

Comment (Deposit): DISSEMINATED GALENA FORMS PODS UP TO ONE INCH ACROSS. MOLYBDENITE IS SPARSELY DISSEMINATED. MALACHITE AND AZURITE COAT FRACTURE SURFACES. THE VEIN ALSO CONTAINS MINOR AMOUNTS OF SILVER AND GOLD AND A TRACE OF ZINC.

Comment (Workings): PROSPECT WORKINGS CONSIST OF SIX SHORT ADITS AND TWO PITS

References

Reference (Deposit): WEISS, P.L., AND OTHERS, 1976, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE EAGLE CAP WILDERNESS AND ADJACENT AREAS, OREGON: USGS BULL. 1385-E, P. 45

Reference (Deposit): 1970 GEOCHEM WEISS, P.L., AND OTHERS, REF.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): WEISS AND OTHERS, 1976

Oregon Gold

"Where to Find Gold in Oregon" 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 Oregon. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Oregon.