Little Chief

The Little Chief is a silver, gold, and copper mine located in Okanogan county, Washington.

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: Little Chief
Secondary: Double Header
Secondary: Grand Coulee
Secondary: Ruby Silver;

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Gold
Primary: Copper

Location

State: Washington
County: Okanogan
District: Nespelem

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Columbia Plateau
Physiographic Section: Walla Walla Plateau

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: The Porphyritic Granodiorite Of Manila Creek Is Part Of The Keller Butte Suite Of Holder And Holder (1988). Rocks Of The Keller Butte Suite Were Emplaced During Regional Ductile Stretching Associated With Deformation In The Metamorphic Core Complexes (Holder And Holder, 1988).

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Stephanite
Ore: Pyrargyrite
Ore: Silver
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Calcite

Comments

Comment (Production): THE MINE IS THE SECOND LARGEST PRODUCER IN THE NESPELEM DISTRICT. THE DEPOSIT PRODUCED $60,000.00 IN SILVER FROM 1911-1921. A SMALL AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATE WAS PRODUCED FROM 1937 TO 1954 (MOEN, 1976, P. 132).

Comment (Geology): TWO VEINS ARE PRESENT IN THE (PALEOCEN?)-EOCENE PORPHYRITIC GRANODIORITE OF MANILA CREEK (GULICK AND KOROSEC, 1990, GEOL. MAP).

Comment (Deposit): DEVELOPMENT CONSISTS OF A 560-FT ADIT WITH 640 FEET OF DRIFTS AND CROSSCUTS AS WELL AS A 200-FT SHAFT WITH STOPES (MOEN, 1976, P. 131). ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Location): ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NESPELEM VILLAGE

References

Reference (Deposit): WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, 1971, DIRECTORY OF WASHINGTON MINING OPERATIONS, 1969-70: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY INFORMATION CIRCULAR 46, 88 P.

Reference (Deposit): DERKEY, R.E.; JOSEPH, N.L.; LASMANIS, R., 1990, METAL MINES OF WASHINGTON-PRELIMINARY REPORT: STATE OF WASHINGTON, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES OPEN-FILE REPORT 90-18, 577 P.

Reference (Deposit): GULICK, C.W.; KOROSEC, M.A., COMPILERS, 1990, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE OMAK 1:100,000 QUADRANGLE, WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES OPEN-FILE REPORT 90-12, 52 P., 1 PL.

Reference (Deposit): HOLDER, R.W.; HOLDER, G.A.M., 1988, THE COLVILLE BATHOLITH - TERTIARY PLUTONISM IN NORTHEAST WASHINGTON ASSOCIATED WITH GRABEN AND CORE COMPLEX (GNEISS DOME) FORMATION: GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN, V. 100, NO. 12, P. 1971-1980.

Reference (Deposit): HUNTTING, M. T., 1956, INVENTORY OF WASHINGTON MINERALS-PART II, METALLIC MINERALS: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 37, V. 1, 428 P.; V. 2, 67 P.

Reference (Deposit): MOEN, W.S., 1976, SILVER OCCURRENCES OF WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES BULLETIN 69, 188 P.

Reference (Deposit): PARDEE, J.T., 1918, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE COLVILLE INDIAN RESERVATION, WASHINGTON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 677, 186 P., 1 PL.

Reference (Deposit): BROCH, M.J., 1979, IGNEOUS AND METAMORPHIC PETROLOGY, STRUCTURE, AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE MINERAL RIDGE AREA (MOSES MINING DISTRICT), COLVILLE INDIAN RESERVATION, WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY MASTER OF SCIENCE THESIS, 204 P., 1 PL.

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.