Lost Sheep Mine

The Lost Sheep Mine is a fluorine-fluorite mine located in Juab county, Utah at an elevation of 5,351 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: Lost Sheep Mine
Secondary: Purple Pit

Commodity

Primary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Secondary: Uranium
Secondary: Beryllium

Location

State: Utah
County: Juab
District: Spor Mtn-Thomas Range

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

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: Fair Deal Mining Co.
Years: 1980 -

Owner Name: E. J. Hamblin

Production

Year: 1975
Time Period: 1948-1975
Material type: ORE
Description: Cp_Grade: ^78-95% Caf2, 2.6% Sio2

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Replacement
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1948
Discovery Year: 1948
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: PIPE-LIKE-CRESCENT SHAPED/IRREG. OUTLINE

Structure

Type: R
Description: Basin & Range

Type: L
Description: Numerous Branching Faults. One Normal Fault Crops Out On W. Side Of Hill, About 600 Ft W. Of Purple Pit

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Clay Alteration, Silica

Rocks

Name: Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Silurian

Name: Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Pliocene

Name: Volcanic Breccia (Agglomerate)
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ADIT = .009% U3O8, 82.5% CAF2
Analytical Data: S. ORE BODY, SURFACE = .014% U3O8, 66.7% CAF2
Analytical Data: VEIN 25 FT E. OF MAIN ORE BODY = .033% U3O8, .031% U3O8
Analytical Data: MAIN ORE BODY, OPEN CUT = .020% U3O8, 82.7% CAF2, .009% U3O8, 88.0% CAF2, .011% U3O8, .016% U3O8, 88.5% CAF2, .014% U3O8, .029% U3O8, 78.6% CAF2, .016% U3O8, .021% U3O8, 84.7% CAF2
Analytical Data: 1964 ASSAYS: S. ORE BODY, OPEN CUT = .011% U3O8

Materials

Gangue: Bertrandite
Gangue: Clay
Gangue: Chert

Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): ACCORDING TO (1971) UNPUBLISHED INFORMATION BY R. G. WORL (USGS) THE SPOR MOUNTAIN DISTRICT RESERVES ARE 328,000 MET. TONS OF 40% CAF2 ORE AND LARGE, LOW GRADE BE AND U DEPOSITS

Comment (Workings): THE PIPES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED BY OPEN CUTS, AN INCLINE SHAFT, A VERTICAL SHAFT, ADITS, CROSSCUTS 4 RAISES. CROSSCUTS DEVELOPED ON 150, 250, 325, & 400 FT LEVELS

Comment (Location): SECTION SUBDIVISIONS NW 1/4 NE 1/4 SE 1/4

Comment (Production): ITEM #10 IS REPORTED BY E.J. HAMBLIN ORALLY TO ME ON APRIL 14, 1980. E.J. HAMBLIN IS THE PRESENT OPERATOR.

Comment (Development): RECENT URANIUM EXPLOR. INDICATES A FAIR U3O8 CONTENT BUT IT OCCURRS IN COMPLEX STRUCTURE WITH F IONS WHICH MAKES IT ECONOMICALLY MARGINAL FOR EXTRACTION

Comment (Deposit): 2 PIPES CROP OUT ON THE PROPERTY. THE MOST PRODUCTIVE IS CALLED THE PURPLE PIT, & THE SMALLER PIPE LIES 700 FT TO THE SOUTH AND IS CALLED THE BADGER HOLE PIT DEPOSIT.

Comment (Geology): THE PURPLE PIT PIPE EXTENDS OVER 400 FT DEEP THROUGH SIL. LOST SHEEP, HARRISITE & BELL HILL DOLOMITES. STRATA NEAR PIPE STRIKE N40-45E & DIP 37-42 NW.

Comment (Deposit): THE NORMAL FAULT WEST OF THE PURPLE PIT STRIKES N55E & DIPS 38 SE, AND PROJECTS TO A POINT ABOUT 400 FT BELOW THE ORIGINAL SURFACE OF THE PURPLE PIT. MOVEMENT ALONG THIS FAULT HAS PLACED BELL HILL DOLOMITE IN THE HANGING WALL AGAINST THE TOP OF THE SWAN PEAK QUARTZITE IN THE FOOTWALL. THUS, THE PURPLE PIT PIPE IS NOT EXPECTED TO PROJECT BELOW 400 FT LEVEL ; INFO.SRC : 3 FIELD OBSERV

Comment (Commodity): CHIEF IMPURITIES ARE MONTMORILLONITE, CREAM COLORED DOLOMITE & QUARTZ

References

Reference (Deposit): 13) STAATZ, M.H., 1963, GEOLOGY OF THE BERYLLIUM DEPOSITS IN THE THOMAS RANGE JUAB COUNTY, UTAH: USGS BULL. 1142-M, 34 P.

Reference (Deposit): 1951 DIREXPL US AEC TEI-136

Reference (Production): STAATZ, 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITE OF THE THOMAS & DUGWAY RANGES, JUAB & TOOELE: USGS PP 514

Reference (Deposit): COCHRAN, K.L., 1952, FLUORSPAR RESOURCES OF CALIF., NEV., UTAH, IDAHO, & COLORADO ADJACENT & TRIBUTARY TO FACILITIES OF THE UNION PACIFIC RR CO: UPRC, LOS ANGLES CALIF., 78 P.

Reference (Deposit): 1959 RECON STAATZ, USGS BULL. 1069

Reference (Deposit): 1964 RECON STAATZ, USGS PP 415

Reference (Deposit): 1979 GEOLMAP LINDSEY, D.A., USGS MAP-I-1176

Reference (Deposit): BULLOCK, K.C., 1976, FLUORITE OCCURRENCES IN UTAH: UTAH GEOL. & MINERAL SURVEY BULL. 110.

Reference (Deposit): STAATZ, M.H., & OSTERWALD, F.W., 1959, GEOLOGY OF THE THOMAS RANGE FLUORSPAR DISTRICT, JUAB COUNTY: USGS BULL. 1069.

Reference (Deposit): STAATZ, M.H., AND CARR, W.J., 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE THOMAS & DUGWAY RANGES, JUAB-TOOELE CO., UT: USGS PP 415.

Reference (Deposit): STAATZ, M.H., AND WILMARTH, V.R., & BAUER, H.L., JR., 1951, RADIOACTIVE FLUORITE IN THE THOMAS RANGE, JUAB CO., UT: USGS TEI #136, 88 P.

Reference (Deposit): 5) LEEDOM, S.H., AND MITCHELL, T.P., 1978, PRELIMINARY STUDY OF FAVORABILITY FOR URANIUM RESOURCES IN JUAB, COUNTY, UTAH: BENDIX FIELD ENGINEERING CORP, DOE CONTRACTOR, GJBX-23 (78).

Reference (Deposit): 6) LINDSEY, D.A., GANOW, H., AND MOUNTJOY, W., 1973, HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION ASSOCIATED WITH BERYLLIUM DEPOSITS AT SPOR MOUNTAIN, UTAH: USGS PP. 818-A, 20 P.

Reference (Analytical Data): SRC.REF: USGS PP 415

Reference (Deposit): 7) LINDSEY, D.A., NAESER, C.W., & SHAWE, D.R., 1975, AGE OF VOLCANISM, AND MINERALIZATION IN THE THOMAS RANGE, KEG MTN., AND DESERT MTN., WESTERN UTAH: USGS JOURNAL OF RESEARCH, V. 3, NO. 5, P. 597-604.

Reference (Deposit): 8) LINDSEY, D.A., 1975, MINERALIZATION HALOS AND DIAGENESIS IN WATER-LAID TUFF OF THE THOMAS RANGE, UTAH: USGS PP. 818-B, 59 P.

Reference (Deposit): 9) LINDSEY, D.A., 1977, EPITHERMAL BERYLLIUM DEPOSITS IN WATER-LAID TUFF, WESTERN UTAH: ECON. GEOL., V. 72, P. 219-232.

Reference (Deposit): 10) LINDSEY, D.A., 1979, PRELIMINARY REPORT ON TERTIARY VOLCANISM AND URANIUM MINERALIZATION IN THE THOMAS RANGE AND NORTHERN DRUM MOUNTAINS, JUAB COUNTY, UTAH: USGS OPEN FILE RPT. 79-1076, 101 P.

Reference (Deposit): 11) SHAWE, D.R., 1972, RECONNAISSANCE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL POTENTIAL OF THOMAS, KEG, AND DESERT CALDERAS, CENTRAL JUAB CO., UTAH: USGS PP 800-B, PP. B67-B77.

Reference (Deposit): 12) STAATZ, M.H., AND BAUER, H.L., JR., 1951, A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE RADIOACTIVE FLUORITE DEPOSITS, THOMAS RANGE, JUAB COUNTY, UTAH: USGS-US AEC TEM-167-A, 11 P.

The Top Ten Gold Producing States

These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.