Mason Valley Mine

The Mason Valley Mine is a copper mine located in Lyon county, Nevada at an elevation of 5,600 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

Name: Mason Valley Mine  

State:  Nevada

County:  Lyon

Elevation: 5,600 Feet (1,707 Meters)

Commodity: Copper

Lat, Long: 38.94889, -119.22083

Map: View on Google Maps

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.


Satelite image of the Mason Valley Mine

Mason Valley Mine MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Mason Valley Mine


Commodity

Primary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Gypsum-Anhydrite
Tertiary: Iron


Location

State: Nevada
County: Lyon
District: Yerington


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: Underground


Ownership

Not available


Production

Year: 1914
Material type: CU
Description: Ap_Grade: ^2.75 Percent
Year: 1912
Material type: CU
Description: Ap_Grade: ^2.75 Percent
Year: 1913
Material type: CU
Description: Ap_Grade: ^2.75 Percent
Year: 1935
Time Period: 1912 - 1935
Material type: CU
Description: Cp_Grade: ^Approx. 2.5 - 3.0 Percent


Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Sedimentary
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1870
Discovery Year: 1865
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N


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: Skarn Cu


Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR LENSES


Structure

Type: R
Description: Yerington Batholith Responsible For Dist. Of Metasomatic Rocks And Zoning Of Mineral Assemblages. Qtz. Monzonite Porphyry Dike Swarms Within Central Portion Of Batholith Formed Porphyry Cu Deposits

Type: L
Description: Series Of Faults And Cross-Faults Adding Considerable Complexity To Profound Metamorphism


Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Albitic, Sericitic, Propylitic, Weak Potassic, Oxidation


Rocks

Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic


Analytical Data

Analytical Data: CHALCOPYRITE/PYRITE RATIOS GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE
Analytical Data: 10 TO 25 PERCENT VOLUME SULFIDES


Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Malachite
Ore: Chalcocite
Gangue: Garnet
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Calcite


Comments

Comment (Deposit): CONTACT METASOMATIC AUREOLE DEPOSIT AND SOME DEGREE OF FISSURE VEINING. SKARN OUTCROP: FOR 600 M ALONG LMST./TUFF CONTACT. AVE. WIDTH 45 M IN NORTHERN ONE-HALF AND 0 TO 15 M IN THE SOUTH. IT DIPS 70 DEGREES WEST, PARALLEL TO BEDDING

Comment (Workings): MAJOR WORKINGS AT 300 AND 400 FOOT LEVELS

Comment (Development): ECON.COM: AERIAL TRAMWAY, ELECTRIC HAULAGE

Comment (Geology): BARREN LIME-SILICATE ROCKS HIGHLY GARNETIFEROUS. MULTI-PULSE INTRUSIVES. TWO STATE METASOMATISM.MINERAL ZONATION FROM CENTER LINE OF ALTERATION ENVELOPE: (1) GARNET-PYROXENE, (2) PYROXENE, (3) MARBLE CONTACT ZONES. DOMINANT DIRECTION OF FLOW OF METASOMATIC FLUID WAS SOUTHWARD, AWAY FROM THE NORTHERN BATHOLITH CONTACT ALONG BRECCIATED CONTACTS, BEDDING PLANES AND FRACTURES. SKARN FORMATION OCCURED AT A DEPTH OF 2,000 M. LITTLE OR NO BRECCIATION.

Comment (Deposit): MINE IDLE DURING 1915 - 16 . PRIOR TO THIS MINE PRODUCED 600 TONS/DAY TO SMELTER ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Comment (Production): 7,735,881 DOLLARS GROSS YIELD

Comment (Location): EAST FLANK SINGATSE RANGE, 1.5 MILES WEST OF MASON

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1860'S


References

Reference (Deposit): KNOPF, A., 1918 , GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE YERINGTON DISTRICT, NEV., USGS PROF. PAPER NO. 114 .

Reference (Deposit): ARCHBOLD, N. L., 1969 , GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF LYON, DOUGLAS, ORMSBY CO, NEV., NEV. BUREAU OF MINES, BULL. 75 .

Reference (Deposit): 1969 RECON NEV. BUREAU OF MINES, BULL. 75

Reference (Deposit): 1977 RECON EINAUD, M. T., STANFORD GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, ECON. GEOL. VOL. 72 , NO. 5 .

Reference (Production): COUCH, CARPENTER, 1943 , NEV. METAL AND MINERAL PRODUCTION, UNIV. OF NEV. BULL., VOL. 27 , NO. 4

Reference (Deposit): RANSOM, F. L., 1910 , MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS.

Reference (Deposit): EINAUDI, M. T., 1977 , PETROGENISIS OF THE CU-BEARING SKARN AT THE MASON VALLEY MINE, YERINGTON DIST., NEV., ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, VOL. 72 NO. 5 .

Reference (Deposit): 1910 RECON RANSOME, F. L., MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS

Reference (Deposit): 1918 GEOLMAP KNOPF, A. PROF. PAPER NO. 114


Nevada Gold

Gold Districts of Nevada

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.