Enumclaw Deposit

The Enumclaw Deposit is a potassium and aluminum mine located in Pierce county, Washington at an elevation of 2,001 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: Enumclaw Deposit

Commodity

Primary: Potassium
Primary: Aluminum
Tertiary: Kaolin
Tertiary: Sulfur
Tertiary: Gold
Tertiary: Copper

Location

State: Washington
County: Pierce
District: White River Area

Land Status

Land ownership: State
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: Weyerhaeuser Co.
Years: 1971 -

Owner Name: Kalunite, Inc.
Home Office: Salt Lake City, Ut.
Years: 1942 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1934
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: L

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Pacific Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Pacific Border Province
Physiographic Section: Puget Trough
Physiographic Detail: Grass Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Epithermal quartz-alunite Au

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR SHAPED BODIES

Form: IRREGULAR SHAPED BODIES

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Alunitization, Silicification, Kaolinization

Rocks

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: 3 ANALYSES RANGE FROM 35.2 % TO 77.5 % ALUNITE

Materials

Ore: Sulfur
Ore: Gold
Ore: Alunite
Ore: Kaolinite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Location): Lat/long is in Pierce county. Both King and Pierce counties are listed in the locations table, indicating that the deposit crosses the Pierce/King county boundary. So the order of the counties was changed making Pierce first to resolve the lat/long - county disagreement.

Comment (Deposit): THE DEPOSIT CONSISTS OF DISCRETE BODIES WHICH ARE IRREGULARLY SHAPED AND WITHOUT DEFINITE CONTINUITY IN ANY DIRECTION. FOUR OF THESE HAVE BEEN PROSPECTED. THESE BODIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LARGER MASSES OF LOWER GRADE MATERIAL. ALL BODIES OCCUR JUST BENEATH THE THICK LAYERS OR MASSES OF SILICIFIED ROCK. SIZE IS OF LARGEST ALUNITE BODY. AREA IS COMPLICATED BY LANDSLIDES. SOME GEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THIS MAY REPRESENT THE TOP OF A PORPHYRY SYSTEM IN WHICH THERE MAY BE A PORPHYRY COPPER AT DEPTH

Comment (Workings): KALUNITE, INC. CORE DRILLING IN 1940 (4,400 FT). WPA DUG 3,600 FT OF TRENCHES

Comment (Geology): GEOLOGIC MAP INDICATES ARES SHOULD BE UNDERLAIN BY RHYOLITE TUFF. HOLLISTER INDICATES DEPOSIT RESEMBLES THAT AT NORTH FORK. ROCKS OF SNOQUALMIE BATHOLITH LIE ABOUT 15 MI TO NORTH

Comment (Commodity): CALLAGHAN (1940) MENTIONED GOLD VALUED AT "MOSTLY LESS THAN A DOLLAR A TON" OBTAINED FROM SAMPLES TAKEN IN THE AREA.

Comment (Location): DEPOSITS ON SLOPES OF THE WHITE RIVER VALLEY, COVERING ABOUT 16 SQUARE MI WHERE ALUNITE IS SPORADICALLY DISTRIBUTED. COVERS PARTS OF T. 19 N., R. 7 E. AND T. 20 N., R. 7-8 E.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): RESERVE IN FOUR SEPARATE BODIES OF DIFFERING TENOR

Comment (Production): SMALL SHIPMENTS FOR TESTING ONLY

Comment (Development): THIS DEPOSIT WAS EXPLORED BEGINNING IN 1939 BY 4400 FT OF DIAMOND DRILL HOLES AND 3600 FT OF TRENCHING AND PITS. MUCH SILICA AND CLAY ARE SAID TO ACCOMPANY THE ALUNITE AND THE TOPOGRAPHY IN THE AREA IS VERY ROUGH

References

Reference (Deposit): KELLY, H. J., STRANDBERG, K. G., AND MUELLER, J. I., 1956, CERAMIC INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT AND RAW-MATERIAL RESOURCES OF OREGON, WASHINGTON, IDAHO, AND MONTANA: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR 7752 , P. 32

Reference (Reserve-Resource): HUNTTING, 1966

Reference (Deposit): HUNTTING, M. T., 1966, ALUNITE, IN MINERAL AND WATER RESOURCES OF WASHINGTON: US 89TH CONGRESS, 20TH SESSION, SENATE COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS, U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, P. 167-168.

Reference (Analytical Data): SRC.REF: THOENEN, J. R., 1941 , USBM R. I. 3561 , P. 35

Reference (Deposit): CALLAGHAN, E., 1940 , UNPUB. REPORT IN U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY FILE

Reference (Production): CALLAGHAN (1940)

Reference (Deposit): 1943 RECON L. S. GARDNER: UNPUB. DATA

Reference (Deposit): 1940 RECON E. CALLAGHAN, KIRKEMO: UNPUB. REPT.

Reference (Deposit): 1940 DIREXPL KALUNITE INC.: CORE DRILLING

Reference (Deposit): HOLLISTER, V.F., 1979, PORPHYRY COPPER-TYPE DEPOSITS OF THE CASCADE VOLCANIC ARC, WASHINGTON: MINERALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, V. 11, P. 22-35.

Reference (Deposit): FRIZZELL, V.A., JR., TABOR, R.W., BOOTH, D.B., ORT, K.M., AND WAITT, R.B., JR., 1984, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SNOQUALMIE PASS 1:100,000 QUADRANGLE, WASHINGTON: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 84-693, SCALE 1:100,000.

Reference (Deposit): THOENEN, J. R., 1941, ALUNITE RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 3561, P. 35-36

Reference (Deposit): LIVINGSTON, V. E., JR., 1971 , GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY BULLETIN 63 , P. 35 - 51.

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.