Mashel River Prospect

The Mashel River Prospect is a mercury mine located in Pierce county, Washington at an elevation of 2,339 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: Mashel River Prospect

Commodity

Primary: Mercury
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Arsenic

Location

State: Washington
County: Pierce

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

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Champion International
Years: 1994 -

Owner Name: B And J Properties
Years: 1973 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Pacific Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Cascade-Sierra Mountains
Physiographic Section: Northern Cascade Mountains
Physiographic Detail: Cascade Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Epithermal vein, Sado

Orebody

Form: VEIN, TABULAR MASSES

Structure

Type: L
Description: Ne Trending Quartz Vein

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Andesite Adjacent To Quartz Vein Is Bleached And Locally Contains Abundant Fine-Grained Pyrite

Rocks

Name: Andesite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: CHANNEL SAMPLES CONTAINED AS MUCH AS 0.6% HG
Analytical Data: CHIP SAMPLES YIELDED AS MUCH AS 7% HG

Materials

Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Orpiment
Ore: Stibnite
Ore: Realgar
Gangue: Limonite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Development): OWNER INFORMATION FROM R.P. ASHLEY, ORAL COMMUN., 1994 - NOT FOUND IN REFERENCES. DIAMOND DRILLING PROVED THE OUTCROPPING QUARTZ VEIN AT DEPTH IS ZONE OF SILICIFIED ANDESITE THAT CONTAINS ONLY SPARSE CINNABAR. REALGAR AND ORPIMENT ARE ABUNDANT IN UNSILICIFIED PARTS OF ANDESITE WHERE CUT BY DRILL HOLES.

Comment (Deposit): HUNTTING GIVES ORE BODY DIMENSIONS AS 100 X 100 X 20 FT; UNCLEAR WHERE PUFFETT'S DATA CAME FROM. CINNABAR OCCURS AS THIN FILMS ON FRACTURE SURFACES AND AS ENCRUSTATIONS ON NODULAR QUARTZ THAT LINES OPENINGS.

Comment (Workings): SEVERAL SHORT ADITS

Comment (Deposit): MRDS RECORD M054862 HAS BEEN MERGED WITH THIS RECORD AND DELETED

Comment (Commodity): FOUR DIAMOND DRILL HOLES FAILED TO FIND ECONOMIC QUANTITIES OF CINNABAR BENEATH OUTCROP.

Comment (Location): PROPERTY IS DEEDED LAND

References

Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, 1965, MERCURY IN WASHINGTON, IN MERCURY POTENTIAL OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 8252, P. 365.

Reference (Deposit): DANIELS, JOSEPH, 1914, THE COAL FIELDS OF PIERCE COUNTY: WASHINGTON GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 10, 146 P.

Reference (Deposit): HUNTTING, M.T., 1956, INVENTORY OF WASHINGTON MINERALS - PART II, METALLIC MINERALS: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 37, V. 1, P. 266.

Washington Gold

"Where to Find Gold in Washington" 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 Arizona. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Washington.