Blewett Iron

The Blewett Iron is a iron and nickel mine located in Chelan county, Washington at an elevation of 3,848 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: Blewett Iron
Secondary: Blewett
Secondary: Washington Nickel

Commodity

Primary: Iron
Primary: Nickel
Secondary: Chromium

Location

State: Washington
County: Chelan
District: Blewett 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: In Wenatchee National Forest

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Washington Nickel Mining And Alloys, Inc.
Home Office: Seattle, WA
Years: 1944 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Prospect
Operation Type: Unknown
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

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Lateritic Ni

Orebody

Form: LENS (PODS)-IRON-RICH, CONGLOMERATE

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Serpentinite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Jurassic

Name: Serpentinite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: THE PRINCIPAL IRON-RICH LENS HAS AN AVERAGE COMPOSITION OF 32.65% FE, 0.90% NI, AND 1.66% CR. THE MATRIX OF THE CONGLOMERATE, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS AN AVERAGE CONTENT OF 18.11% FE, 0.52% NI, AND 0.88% CR. THE ENTIRE CONGLOMERATE, INCLUDING ALL IRON-RICH LENSES, AVERAGES 13.34% FE, 0.47% NI, AND 0.64% CR. AVERAGE SILICA CONTENT OF SEVERAL COMPOSITE SAMPLES OF THE CONGLOMERATE IS 34.4%.

Materials

Ore: Hematite
Ore: Spinel
Ore: Magnetite
Ore: Chromite
Gangue: Serpentine

Comments

Comment (Commodity): PRINCIPAL IRON-RICH LENS HAS AN AVERAGE COMPOSITION OF 32.65% OF FE, 0.90% NI, 1.66% CR. THE MATRIX OF THE CONGLOMERATE HAS AVERAGE CONTENT OF 18.11% FE, 0.52% NI, 0.88% CR

Comment (Reserve-Resource): ABOVE INCLUDES "MEASURED" AND "INDICATED" MATERIAL

Comment (Reserve-Resource): CORNWALL, 1966, INDICATES A DEPOSIT OF NICKELIFEROUS LATERITES OF 10,000 TO 200,000 TONS OF CONTAINED NICKEL.

Comment (Location): ON PROMINENT RIDGE NORTH OF SHASER CREEK AT ITS JUNCTION WITH PESHASTIN CREEK

Comment (Workings): 10 PITS, 2 CAVED ADITS, 10 DIAMOND DRILL HOLES TOTALING 2,395 FT.

Comment (Geology): DEPOSIT IS CONSIDERED AN EASTWARD EXTENSION OF SAME IRON FORMATION AS AT CLE ELUM, 25 MI TO THE WEST. LAMEY (1950) BELIEVED THAT THE DEPOSIT RESULTED FROM RESIDUAL WEATHERING OF THE UNDERLYING SERPENTINITE. INGALLS COMPLEX IS AN OPHIOLITE COMPLEX ; GEOL.DESC: DEPOSIT OVERLIES SERPENTINE AND UNDERLIES THE SWAUK FORMATION; IT IS LOCALLY CUT BY YOUNGER DIABASE DIKES. PRINCIPAL IRON-RICH LENS IN EXPLORED AREA IS ABOUT 450 FT. LONG, 35 FT. WIDE, AND EXTENDS DOWNWARD FOR 450 FT.

Comment (Deposit): MRDS RECORDS US53036, W017901 HAVE BEEN MERGED WITH THIS RECORD AND DELETED

Comment (Deposit): DEPOSIT IS A CONGLOMERATE OF SUBANGULAR TO WELL-ROUNDED PEBBLES, COBBLES, AND BOULDERS OF SERPENTINIZED PERIDOTITE EMBEDDED IN A FERRUGINOUS AND SERPENTINOUS MATRIX, PLUS SCATTERED IRON-RICH LENSES OF FINER NONCONGLOMERITIC MATERIALS. FINE-GRAINED LENSES AND MATRIX OF CONGLOMERATE ARE PARTICLES OF MAGNETITE, HEMETITE, SERPENTINE, SPINEL, AND CHROMITE. FINE-GRAINED LENSES RESEMBLE MATRIX BUT ARE FINER GRAINED AND CONTAIN MUCH MORE HEMATITE AND MAGNETITE. DIMENSIONS ARE FOR PRINCIPAL IRON-RICH LENS. DEPOSIT LOCALLY CUT BY DIABASE DIKES.

References

Reference (Deposit): LUPHER, R.L., 1944, STRATIGRAPHIC ASPECTS OF THE BLEWETT-CLE ELUM IRON ORE ZONE, CHELAN AND KITTITAS COUNTIES, WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 11, 63 P.

Reference (Deposit): CORNWALL, H.R., 1966, NICKEL DEPOSITS OF NORTH AMERICA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1223, P. 53-54.

Reference (Deposit): BROUGHTON, W.A., 1943, THE BLEWETT IRON DEPOSIT, CHELAN COUNTY, WASHINGTON (WITH PRELIMINARY TONNAGE ESTIMATES): WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 10, 21 P.

Reference (Deposit): BROUGHTON, W.A., 1944, ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE BLEWETT-CLE ELUM IRON ORE ZONE, CHELAN AND KITTITAS COUNTIES, WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 12, 42 P.

Reference (Deposit): CORNWALL, H.R., 1973, NICKEL, IN BROBST, D.A., AND PRATT, W.P., EDS., UNITED STATES MINERAL RESOURCES: U.S. GEOLGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 820, P. 441.

Reference (Deposit): DERKEY, R.E., JOSEPH, N.L., AND LASMANIS, RAYMOND, 1990, METAL MINES OF WASHINGTON - PRELIMINARY REPORT: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES OPEN-FILE REPORT 90-18, P. 7.

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. 194.

Reference (Deposit): 1943 DIREXPL U.S. BUREAU OF MINES.

Reference (Deposit): 1943 GEOLMAP C.A. LAMEY (SEE REFERENCES).

Reference (Reserve-Resource): HUNTTING

Reference (Deposit): LAMEY, C.A., 1950, THE BLEWETT IRON-NICKEL DEPOSIT, CHELAN COUNTY, WASHINGTON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 969-D, P. 87-103.

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