West Willys Group

The West Willys Group is a silver mine located in Lyon county, Nevada.

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: West Willys Group
Secondary: Old Washington Claim

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Uranium
Tertiary: Copper

Location

State: Nevada
County: Lyon
District: Washington 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.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1880
Discovery Year: 1949
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Great Basin
Physiographic Detail: Basin And Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Form: PODS

Structure

Type: L
Description: Shear Zones

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification, Argillization

Rocks

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: VEIN SAMPLES: 0.002 TO 0.165% U3O8

Materials

Ore: Chrysocolla
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Torbernite
Ore: Chalcocite
Ore: Pitchblende
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Epidote

Comments

Comment (Location): UTM LOCATION APPROXIMATE

Comment (Deposit): First Production Year: FOR SILVER ABOUT 1880

Comment (Production): SMALL SILVER PRODUCTION, 1880-1900; NO URANIUM PRODUCTION

Comment (Workings): 7 ADITS, SHALLOW SHAFTS, PITS, OPEN CUTS

Comment (Deposit): WEST WILLYS GROUP CONSIST OF 7 CLAIMS ON BOTH SIDES OF AN UNNAMED CANYON 1/2 MI TO 1 1/2 MILES WEST OF THE EAST WALKER RIVER, LOCATED IN 1949. DEVELOPMENT CONSISTS OF SEVEN ADITS RANGING FROM 31 TO 367 FEET IN LENGTH, SEVERAL SHALLOW SHAFTS, PITS; PLUS OLD WORKINGS OF 7 ADITS AND 3 SMALL OPEN CUTS FOR SILVER ON THE WEST WILLYS NO. 7 OR OLD WASHINGTON CLAIM. THE OLD WASHINGTON MINE WAS MINED FOR SILVER BETWEEN 1880 & 1900.

Comment (Geology): RADIOACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH PODS OR THIN LAYERS OF SULFIDE MINERALS IN QUARTZ VEINS, WHICH CUT A PORPHYRITIC QUARTZ MONZONITE. FOUR ZONES OF THESE VEINS ARE PRESENT ON THIS GROUP OF CLAIMS. INDIVIDUAL QUARTZ VEINS RANGE FROM 1 INCH TO 1 1/2 FEET THICK. ANOMALOUS RADIOACTIVITY MAY BEIN PART ASSOCIATED WITH COPPER OXIDES.

References

Reference (Deposit): GARSIDE, 1973, RADIOACTIVE MINERAL OCCURRENCES IN NEVADA; NBMG BULL. 81

Reference (Deposit): STAATZ & BAUER, 1953, URANIUM IN THE EAST WALKER RIVER AREA, LYON COUNTY, NEVADA; USGS BULL. 988-C

Reference (Deposit): STAATZ & BAUER, 1954, WASHINGTON DISTRICT; IN RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA; USGS BULL. 1009-C

Reference (Deposit): MOORE, 1969, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LYON, DOUGLAS, & ORMSBY COUNTIES, NEVADA; NBMG BULL. 75

Reference (Production): GARDISE, L., 1973

Nevada Gold

Nevada has a total of 368 distinct gold districts. Of the of those, just 36 are major producers with production and/or reserves of over 1,000,000 ounces, 49 have production and/or reserves of over 100,000 ounces, with the rest having less than 100,000 ounces. Read more: Gold Districts of Nevada.