Red Flat Laterite

The Red Flat Laterite is a nickel mine located in Curry county, Oregon at an elevation of 2,500 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: Red Flat Laterite
Secondary: Red Flat Placer
Secondary: Red Gold Association Nos. 1-9

Commodity

Primary: Nickel
Tertiary: Gold
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Platinum
Tertiary: Silver
Tertiary: Chromium
Tertiary: Cobalt

Location

State: Oregon
County: Curry
District: Red Flat

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: Siskiyou National Forest

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Hanna Mining Co., Red Flats Nickel Corp., Big Basin Nickel Corp.
Years: 1977 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

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

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Pacific Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Pacific Border Province
Physiographic Section: Klamath Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Lateritic Ni

Orebody

Form: BLANKET

Form: BLANKET

Structure

Type: L
Description: Slumping And Landsliding Fairly Common

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: AVERAGE GRADE OF SOIL AND SAPROLITE IS ABOUT 0.80% NI, 0.15% CO, 1.14% CR2O3, AND 18% FE. WET ASSAYS, 1933, CLAIMED $20 AU, $6 AG, $20 NI, $20 PGE. BLACK SAND ANALYZED 40.9% CR2O3, 0.055% HG, OTHER TEST FAILED TO SHOW AU OR AG IN GRAVELS. ASSAY $0.70/TON AU. HG <0.00002 LB/TON

Materials

Ore: Mercury
Ore: Magnetite
Ore: Chromite
Ore: Garnierite
Ore: Cinnabar

Comments

Comment (Workings): THE CLAIMS HAVE BEEN EXPLORED BY ABOUT 5 MI OF PROSPECT ROADS AND 15,000 FT OF DOZER TRENCHING AND MANY CHURN DRILL AND HAND-AUGER HOLES

Comment (Geology): LATERITE IS A LOW FE (25-45%), HIGH MG, SI LATERITE. PART OF AN ULTRAMAFIC THRUST SHEET. LARGE, RELATIVELY FLAT UPLAND AREAS UNDERLAIN BY WEATHERED SERPENTINE AND LATERITE

Comment (Deposit): RECORD M061008 HAS BEEN MERGED AND DELETED.

Comment (Commodity): EARLY OWNERS CLAIMED TO HAVE FOUND AU, AG, PT, AND HG LOCALLY. PLACER MINING FOR AU, HG WAS CONDUCTED IN THE 1930'S AND LATER BUT THERE IS NO RECORD OF PRODUCTION

Comment (Deposit): THE TOTAL AREA OF LATERITIC SOIL IS ABOUT 1,100 ACRES; THE AVERAGE DEPTH OF SOIL AND SAPROLITE IS ESTIMATED AT ABOUT 8 FT

Comment (Location): PARTLY UNSURVEYED. MUCH OF AREA IN SISKIYOU NATIONAL FOREST. LOCATION GIVEN IS FOR CENTRAL PART OF RED FLAT IN SEC. 30, T. 37 S., R. 14 W.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): POSSIBLE COBALT RESERVES?

Comment (Development): PROPERTY LOCATED IN 1939 BY HARRY HEFFERLEY. SOME DRILLING HAS BEEN DONE BY USBM AND OTHER WORK HAS BEEN DONE BY ODGMI

References

Reference (Deposit): DOLE, HOLLIS, LIBBEY, E.W., AND MASON, R.S., 1948, NICKEL-BEARING LATERITE AREAS OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES, ORE BIN, V. 10, NO. 5, P. 33-38.

Reference (Deposit): RAMP, LEN, 1978, INVESTIGATIONS OF NICKEL IN OREGON: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES MISCELLANEOUS PAPER NO. 20, P. 15-18.

Reference (Deposit): RAMP, LEN, SCHLICKER, H.G., AND GRAY, J.J., 1977, GEOLOGY, MINERAL RESOURCES, AND ROCK MATERIAL OF CURRY COUNTY, OREGON: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULLETIN 93, P. 49.

Reference (Deposit): HOTZ, P.E., 1964, NICKELIFEROUS LATERITES IN SOUTHWESTERN OREGON AND NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 59, P. 355-396.

Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, H.C., 1963, QUICKSILVER IN OREGON: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULLETIN 55, P. 99.

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, 1965, MERCURY IN OREGON, IN MERCURY POTENTIAL OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 8252, P. 323.

Reference (Deposit): HUNDHAUSEN, R.J., MC WILLIAMS, J.R., AND BANNING, L.H., 1954, PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE RED FLATS NICKEL DEPOSITS, CURRY COUNTY, OREG.: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 5072, 19 P.

Reference (Deposit): OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES, 1940, OREGON METAL MINES HANDBOOK, SOUTHWESTERN OREGON--COOS, CURRY, AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES: OERGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES BULLETIN 14-C, V. 1, P. 64.

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.