Griffith

The Griffith is a gold mine located in Grant county, Oregon 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

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: Griffith

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Platinum

Location

State: Oregon
County: Grant
District: Granite Area, Bald Mountain District

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

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: Harris, Harris, Beus, And Johnson
Years: 1980 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: Stream Placer
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
Physiographic Detail: Blue Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Placer Au-PGE

Orebody

Form: STREAM SEDIMENT DEPOSITS

Structure

Type: L
Description: Normal Faults

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Serpentinite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pliocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: GOLD $.35 AND $.75 PIECES ARE SAID TO BE OCCASIONALLY FOUND.
Analytical Data: BLACK-SAND CONCENTRATE SAMPLE CONTAINED 1.5 OZ/TON PT (50 PPM)

Materials

Ore: Gold

Comments

Comment (Development): LITTLE OR NO MINING SINCE 1900 (PARDEE, 1909)

Comment (Geology): GRAVEL ON HIGH TERRACE LIES UNCONFORMABLY UPON FINE SEDIMENTS AND IS THICKLY BEDDED. BEDROCK IS DECOMPOSED GRANITE AND ARGILLITE

Comment (Location): ON WEST SLOPE OF BLUE MOUNTAIN DIVIDE. LOCATION GIVEN IS FOR MINE SYMBOL SHOWN ON TOPO MAP

Comment (Production): PRODUCTION AROUND 1900

Comment (Deposit): SIMILAR TO NEARBY WEAVER MINE. DEPOSIT EXTENDS NORTHWEST ABOUT 1 MI WHERE IT DISAPPEARS UNDER A BASALT FLOW

Comment (Workings): HYDRAULICALLY MINED IN A PIT 300 FT ACROSS WITH A 50 FT FACE

References

Reference (Deposit): OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES, 1941, OREGON METAL MINES HANDBOOK, NORTHEASTERN OREGON--WEST HALF: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULLETIN 14-B, P. 51.

Reference (Deposit): PARDEE, J.T., AND HEWETT, D.F., 1914, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SUMPTER QUADRANGLE: OREGON BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, MINERAL RESOURCES OF OREGON, V. 1, NO. 6, P. 127.

Reference (Deposit): PARDEE, J.T., 1909, PLACER GRAVELS OF SUMPTER AND GRANITE DISTRICTS, OREGON, IN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 1909: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 430, P. 60, 62.

Reference (Deposit): PARKS, H.M., AND SWARTLEY, A.M., 1916, HANDBOOK OF THE MINING INDUSTRY OF OREGON: OREGON BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF OREGON, V. 2, NO. 4, P. 114-115.

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.