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Bodie Mining District, Bodie Hills, Mono County, California, USAi
Regional Level Types
Bodie Mining DistrictMining District
Bodie HillsGroup of Hills
Mono CountyCounty
CaliforniaState
USACountry

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PhotosMapsSearchMineralogy
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
38° North , 119° West (est.)
Estimate based on other nearby localities or region boundaries.
Margin of Error:
~1km
Mindat Locality ID:
209168
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:209168:9
GUID (UUID V4):
0


A Ag-Au mining area located around Bodie.

Data is derived largely from Silberman, 1985; Chesterman and others, 1986; Homestake Mining Company, 1988; Romberger, 1993 (MRDS database file #10310698). Introduction The Bodie Mining District is located in eastern Mono County, CA, in an area known as the Bodie Hills, a high desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada Range. The district has produced more than $34 million in gold and silver (period values) from fissure veins in Miocene volcanic rocks of intermediate composition. The district is centered on Sections 9, 10, 16, and 21, T 4 N, R 27 E. The early Bodie townsite or "ghost town", now a California State Historic Park, is situated at an elevation of 8,350 feet. Bodie Bluff is the highest point in the district at 9,005 feet. Winters are often extremely cold, and snow levels vary greatly both within the district and from year to year. The Bodie project area is located along and immediately southeast of the ridge that forms Bodie Bluff and Standard Hill. The northern and southern portions of the Bodie project are called the Bodie Bluff Target Area and Standard Hill-Bonanza Target Area, respectively. The Bodie Project area coincides with the Bodie Graben and the historic Bonanza zone. More than 90 percent of the ore from the lode deposits in the Bodie District reportedly came from historic mines in the Standard Hill area.

Geology: The Bodie Hills comprise a volcanic massif approximately 35 km3 in volume and as much as 400 m thick. The area surrounding the Bodie Hills constitutes a major volcanic province, which has been subdivided on the basis of dominant lithology and age of volcanic activity (Chesterman, 1968; Gilbert and others, 1968, and Kleinhampl and others, 1975, cited in Silberman, 1985). The Miocene volcanics, erupted from numerous stratovolcanoes ranging in composition from rhyolite to basalt, include flows, tuff breccias, tuffs, and intrusive plugs and domes. Dacite is the most common compositional type and tuff breccia the most common textural variety. Volcanic activity in the Bodie Hills area spanned the interval from 13.3 to 5.7 m.y. B.P. Mesozoic and Paleozoic metamorphosed sedimentary rocks form the basement of the Bodie Hills and surrounding region. These basement rocks are intruded and metamorphosed by granitic rocks of the Sierra Nevada Batholith. The Bodie District occupies an eruptive center, composed of dacite flows, tuff breccias, and small intrusive plugs of the Silver Hill Volcanic Series. (Silver Hill is located about 3000 feet south of the Bodie Project, area.) the Silver Hill Volcanic Series represents a local phase of an extensive suite of calc-alkaline volcanic rocks (including basalt, andesite, dacite, and rhyolite) that were erupted 7.8 to 9.5 m.y. B.P. in the region surrounding the Bodie Mining District. The plugs occupy vents from which the extrusive rocks were erupted. The Silver Hill Volcanics and the associated co-magmatic plugs were emplaced between 9.4 and 8.6 m.y. B.P. The primary regional structure in the area of the Bodie Mining District is an irregular faulted north-south-trending anticline formed by intrusion and doming of the flows and tuff breccia by small plugs. Two prominent sets of steeply dipping faults, one striking north to northeast, and a second set striking west to northwest (normal to the first set), cut all of the lithologic units, including the intrusive plugs in the district. The major ore-bearing veins and fractures strike parallel to the northeast-striking set. The most prominent structure in the Bodie Project area is the Bodie Graben developed mostly in the dacite plug in the Bodie Bluff-Standard Hill area. The main faults, the Moyle Footwall Fault and the Standard Vein Fault, strike northeasterly, generally parallel to the axial plane of the anticlinal fold, and are the west and east bounding faults, respectively, of the Bodie Graben. Both faults are normal with very little strike-slip movement, and are the west and east bounding faults of the historic Bonanza zone. Activity on the Moyle Footwall fault extended from pre-mineral into post-mineral time. The Standard Vein fault is pre-mineral in age, but with sustained post-mineral movement. There are several "cross faults" in the district that strike northwesterly generally perpendicular to axial plane of the anticlinal fold. The Tioga and Mono faults are the main cross faults in the Bodie Project area. The Tioga fault, which forms the northern boundary of the Bonanza zone, is a normal fault in which the block on the south has dropped in a near-vertical direction. The Tioga Fault is mostly pre-mineral in age; post-mineral movement along the fault was relatively small. The Mono Fault, which forms the southern boundary of the Bonanza zone, is a normal fault with vertical displacement down on the south and a component of right-lateral displacement. The major movement along the Mono Fault was pre-mineral.

Geology (continued): Tuff breccia within the Bodie Graben has been down-dropped against the intrusive dacite along the northeast-striking faults. Many small blocks of uplifted and down-dropped intrusive dacite and tuff occur within the graben structure. Faulting probably occurred during and shortly after intrusion of the dacite, and ore deposition was partly controlled by the graben structure, commencing after intrusion of the dacite plugs. The major mines of the district are located within and near the Bodie Graben. The productive quartz veins cut both tuff breccia and intrusive rocks. Most of the mineralization, however, is confined to the intrusives. There are several sets of quartz veins, varying in thickness from less than a foot to as much as 90 feet, although most veins are not more than a few feet thick. The major veins generally strike north to northeast with variable dips of 45-90 degrees. The veins are chalcedonic to fine-grained quartz fracture fillings and are discontinuous near the presently exposed top of the system at Bodie Bluff. Between 100 and 200 feet below the present land surface, the veins grade into typical banded, sheeted, bonanza-type veins. Ore minerals are principally native gold and electrum, but argentite, cerargyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, pyrite, and sphalerite also occur. Major gangue minerals include quartz and adularia, with minor calcite, chlorite, hematite, and illite. Detailed logging, geochemical analysis and fire assaying of diamond drill core and rock chip samples indicate that precious metal mineralization is primarily confined to quartz and quartz-adularia veins and veinlets. Old records from the main productive zone near the Bodie Graben indicate the ore averaged 1.75 oz Au/ton and 3.1 oz Ag/ton (Au:Ag = 1:1.77). Much of the mineralization identified by drilling occurs as 1/8-inch to 2-inch gold-silver-bearing veins and veinlets, in contrast to the major, thick quartz-adularia veins and bonanza zones. Adularia samples from mineralized quartz veins have returned ages ranging from 8.0 to 7.1 m.y. B.P. Hydrothermal alteration started at 8.6 m.y. B.P., as dated by K-Ar ages of sericite from altered tuff breccia in the southern part of the district and potassium-silicate-altered Bodie Bluff intrusive dacite. Alteration is zoned both laterally and vertically. At Bodie Bluff, in the northern part of the district, intrusive dacite and tuff breccia flows are strongly silicified at the surface. It has been suggested that this silicified zone, a part of which has chalcedonic quartz vein stockworks and intense hydrothermal brecciation, represents a very shallow level in the original system. This interpretation is supported by the small deposits of sinter found along the western edge of the Bodie Graben at Bodie Bluff. Below this surficial alteration, the rocks of the Bodie Bluff area are strongly potassium silicate-altered, as evidenced by the assemblage of K-feldspar (adularia), K-mica (sericite), and quartz. Pyrite occurs throughout the system in a variety of settings. This alteration suite is also prevalent in the wall rocks of the main mineralized productive zone. Outcrops east of the Bodie Bluff intrusive are also strongly potassium-silicate- altered. Brecciation in these outcrops suggests near-surface cooling, with geochemical signatures similar to Standard Hill, where altered rocks are enriched in Hg, As, Sb, and Tl. Oxidation of sulfides, and argillic and sericitic alteration occur south of Bodie Bluff. On and around Standard Hill, oxidation is weakly to moderately pervasive. Strong argillic alteration occurs in shear zones south of the Mono Fault, and extends 10s of feet beyond the shear zones, especially on Silver Hill. Silicified breccia cropping out on Silver Hill appears to be related to the shearing. Outside of the central part of the district, most of the rocks are moderately to strongly propylitized.

Geology (continued): Studies of the alteration, geochemistry, isotope distribution, and styles of mineralization identified at Bodie, are indicative of a paleo-geothermal hot springs system with bonanza veining. Fluid inclusion temperatures and salinity determinations indicate that mineralization and alteration were produced by heated meteoric waters similar to currently active geothermal fluids in the Bodie Hills area. The veining and alteration assemblages are typical of a prograde geothermal system. The veins at Bodie display episodic sulfidic silicification typical of such systems. In the main bonanza zone, the veins are spatially related to a small andesitic to dacitic intrusion. The veins range in width from <1 m to 30 m, and occupy north- to northeast-trending, steeply dipping fractures. Crustiform textures, cross-cutting relationships, and multiple stages of brecciation indicate that ore deposition was a result of multiple hydrothermal events that occurred between 8.0 and 7.1 Ma. Average ore grades in the bonanza veins were about 60g Au/ton and 100g Au/ton. These veins consist mostly of quartz with smaller amounts of adularia, pyrite, argentite, sphalerite, native gold and native silver. Gold enrichment occurs in veins to a depth of about 200 m, below which base metal and silver sulfides and sulfosalts become more important. Near the surface and at shallow depths, silicification and fracture-controlled potassic alteration are overprinted and surrounded by argillization, resulting in a quartz-adularia-illite assemblage adjacent to veins. This assemblage is typical of the main bonanza veins. Peripheral to the productive area and at greater depths, the volcanic rocks have been pervasively propylitized. Based on fluid inclusion studies, temperatures of ore deposition and solution salinity were 215?-245?C and <0.5 wt.% NaCl equivalent, respectively. Such a solution would boil at a depth of about 400 m (Haas, 1971, cited in Bromberger, 1993). Herrera (1988, cited in Bromberger, 1993) documented the occurrence of sinters and explosion breccias in proximity to the veins, and concluded that ore deposition at Bodie occurred in a paleogeothermal center similar to many present-day not spring systems. This suggests that the present-day surface is not too far below the paleosurface at the time of ore formation, and that the latter occurred at a rather shallow level, perhaps at or less than the depth of boiling (Bromberger 1993, pgs. 81-82).

Geology (continued): Age of Mineralization: "Late Miocene, between 8.0 m.y. B.P.and 7.1 m.y. B.P. (Silberman, 1985; Homestake Mining, 1988). Host Rock Age:" the Silver Hill Volcanics, andesitic to dacitic flows, tuff breccias, and small intrusive plugs: Late Miocene, 9.4-8.6 m.y. B.P. (Chesterman and Gray, 1966, cited in Silberman, 1985; Silberman, 1985; Homestake Mining, 1988). [Volcanic activity in the Bodie Hills spanned the time interval 13.3-5.7 m.y. B.P.; most eruptive material was emplaced between about 9.5 and 7.8 m.y. B.P. (Silberman, 1985).] Associated Rock Types: " Pre-Tertiary metamorphic rocks are not exposed in the Bodie Hills but crop out elsewhere: pre-Cretaceous gneiss and schist at Masonic Mountain 12 miles northwest of Bodie (Koenig, 1963, cited in Chesterman and others, 1986); Paleozoic(?) and Mesozoic(?) quartzofeldspathic hornfels and greenstones east and northeast of Conway Summit 12 miles southwest of Bodie (Chesterman, 1968, cited in Chesterman and others, 1986). " Pre-Tertiary Granitic rocks occur in the Bodie Hills and are generally intrusive into pre-Cretaceous metamorphic rocks: Cretaceous (93.4 m.y.) biotite granite east of Conway Summit (Chesterman, 1968, cited in Chesterman and others, 1986); presumably pre-Cretaceous body of granitic rock whose composition ranges from granodiorite to quartz monzonite at Masonic Mountain (Koenig, 1963, cited in Chesterman and others, 1986). " Younger post-ore sequence of volcanic rocks, east of Bodie Mining District, 3.6-0.25 m.y. B.P. (Silberman, 1985). " Younger rhyolitic rocks, western Bodie Hills, 5.7-5.3 m.y. B.P. (Silberman, 1985). " Murphy Spring Tuff Breccia, 8.9-8.7 m.y. B.P. (Chesterman, 1968, cited in Silberman, 1985). " Potato Peak Formation (interlayered dacite flows and tuff breccia of dacitic composition), 9.1-8.4 m.y. B.P. (Chesterman, 1968, cited in Silberman, 1985). " Other basalt-andesite-dacite-rhyolite, western Bodie Hills, 13.3-7.8 m.y. B.P. (Silberman and others, 1972, cited in Silberman, 1985). Associated Rock Age: " Pre-Cretaceous gneiss and schist (Koenig, 1963, cited in Chesterman and others, 1986); Paleozoic(?) and Mesozoic(?) quartzofeldspathic hornfels and greenstones (Chesterman, 1968, cited in Chesterman and others, 1986). " Cretaceous (93.4 m.y.) biotite granite (Chesterman, 1968, cited in Chesterman and others, 1986); pre-Cretaceous granodiorite to quartz monzonite (Koenig, 1963, cited in Chesterman and others, 1986). " 3.6-0.25 m.y. B.P. post-ore volcanic rocks. (Silberman, 1985). " 5.7-5.3 m.y. B.P. rhyolitic rocks (Silberman, 1985). " 8.9-8.7 m.y. B.P. Murphy Spring Tuff Breccia (Chesterman, 1968, cited in Silberman, 1985). " 9.1-8.4 m.y. B.P. Potato Peak Formation, interlayered dacite flows and tuff breccia of dacitic composition (Chesterman, 1968, cited in Silberman, 1985). " 13.3-7.8 m.y. B.P. basalt-andesite-dacite-rhyolite, western Bodie Hills, Silberman and others, 1972, cited in Silberman, 1985). Host Rock Unit: Silver Hill Volcanic Series. Host Rock Unit Age: 9.4-8.6 m.y. B.P. (Chesterman and Gray, 1966, cited in Silberman, 1985; Silberman, 1985; Homestake Mining, 1988).

Tectonic Setting: Back-arc extensional cratonic basin; basin and range. Regional Structures: 1. An irregular north-south-trending anticline formed by intrusion and doming of flows and tuff breccia and small plugs; normal faults that strike generally parallel to the fold axis; normal faults that strike normal to the fold axis. 2. North-northeast-trending normal faults (generally older normal faults): a) Moyle Footwall Fault: normal; N 38 ? E strike; 60-70? east dip; down to the southeast; pre- to post-mineralization; forms west boundary of Bonanza zone and Bodie Graben. b) Standard Vein Fault: normal; N 18-20? E strik1e; 60-70? west dip; down to the northwest; pre- to post-mineralization; forms east boundary of Bonanza zone and Bodie Graben. c) Other north-northeast-trending, innamed normal faults associated with the Bodie Graben. 3. West-northwest-trending normal "cross" faults (generally younger normal faults): a) Tioga fault: normal; N 62? W strike; forms north boundary of Bonanza zone; primarily pre-mineralization with relatively small post-mineralization movement. b) Mono fault: normal with a right-lateral component; N 66? W strike; forms south boundary of Bonanza zone; mostly pre-mineralization. Alteration: Four stages commencing with propylitic and followed in succession by argillic, potassic, and silicic. Propylitic alteration is characteristic of the margins of the district; propylitically altered rocks are greenish in color and contain chlorite, epidote, various clay minerals, albite, pyrite, and minor quartz. Argillic and potassic alteration sequences occurred later and were more pervasive. Argillically altered rocks are generally light colored and contain montmorillonite, illite, sericite, quartz, and pyrite. Potassically altered rocks are only locally light colored, and tend to resemble the original rock in color and texture; they show extensive development of adularia, quartz, sericite, and pervasive, irregular veins of quartz-adularia, with or without calcite. Silica-altered rocks are light colored, hard, and form a capping on argillically altered rocks. Ore control: Normal faults and associated fractures, possibly related to doming, at the center of extrusive volcanic activity (small dacite plugs). Texture/Structure: Fissure veins, banded veins, open-space fillings, parallel sheeted stockworks, local disseminations. Depth of mineralization: Mineralization in the Bodie District appears to be shallow, and precious metals values rarely extended much lower than the 500-foot level in any mine. The Fortuna vein is an exception and was mined to a depth of about 600 feet below the surface.

YEAR OF DISCOVERY: 1859, by early prospectors; in 1976, Homestake began comprehensive exploration (the Bodie Project) for a bulk-mineable, precious-metals deposit in the area of Bodie Bluff and Standard Hill, the historic Bodie District's Bonanza zone. EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT 1859-late 1890s: The Bodie District was discovered in 1859, reportedly by several prospectors who were working shallow placers in the east-central part of the district. Gold-bearing quartz veins were discovered later that summer. In 1860, the mining district was organized and named "Bodey" after one of the prospectors, William S. Bodey, who died in a blizzard. In 1862, the spelling was changed (by accident or otherwise) to "Bodie". The first mining company was organized in 1863 when owners of several adjacent mines consolidated their claims and holdings to form the Bodie Bluff Consolidated Mining Company with Governor Leland Stanford as President and Judge F. T. Bechtel as Secretary. Production peaked during the late 1870s and early 1880s and declined until the late 1890s when the cyanide process and electricity were introduced to the district. A resurgence of production followed; much of the activity centered on the re-working of tailings and dumps. Almost as much gold was produced from this re-working as was initially recovered in the old stamp-amalgamation mills. Records of production prior to 1877 are essentially non-existent, and data after that date are sketchy. Past production is estimated at about 1.25 million tons yielding 1.5 million ounces (46.66 metric tons) of gold and more than 15 million ounces (466.55 metric tons) of silver (a gold/silver ration of 1/15). Most of the ore was produced from a relatively thick sequence of shallow dipping veins known as the Bonanza zone, from stopes up to 90 feet in height. 1928-1932: the Treadwell-Yukon Company (Homestake Mining, a silent partner) began evaluating the northern part of the district. No study was made of the central Bonanza Zone, which had caved shut in the late 1880s. More than 10,000 samples reportedly were taken from surface and underground, with almost half of the samples posted on work maps covering over 10,000 feet of crosscuts and drifts. Based on this data, it was estimated, in 1945, that potential existed for as much as 76 million tons of "marginal ore" with an approximate grade of 0.05 oz Au/ton (3,800,000 oz Au, 118 metric tons) and 0.75 oz Ag/ton (57,000,000 oz Ag, 1773 metric tons). This mineralization was thought to occur as parallel, sheeted stockworks of veins and local disseminations around and within the Bodie Graben. The estimate included nearly 25 million tons remaining in the former principal production area between the Standard New and the New Bodie shafts. A limited program of dump and open pit mining was conducted for confirmation of assay results, which met with reported success. 1935-1942: Roseklip Mines was formed in 1935 to treat dumps in the district. They instead, mined approximately 55,000 tons of material from the site of the Treadwell-Yukon pit between 1935-1942. Underground sampling by Treadwell had indicated that the ores in the area of the pit should average about $1.75/ton ($35.00/ounce Au price) or 0.0494 oz Au/ton. The returns from the Roseklip Pit were reportedly $1.71/ton or 0.0488 oz Au/ton. 1942-1945: WWII interrupted mining in Bodie. 1961-1966: the Bodie Historic Mining District is designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961. The State of California had begun purchasing the townsite form the Cain Company and other owners in the late 1950s; in 1962, Bodie became a State Historic Park. In 1966, the town of Bodie is named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Exploration and development (continued): 1968-1969: Since the onset of bulk-mining of low-grade ores in the late 1960s to early 1970s, several companies drilled and explored Bodie's mineralized system. ASARCO sampled some of the underground workings around Bodie, and drilled approximately 39 holes. 1972-1974: Phelps-Dodge performed underground sampling and drilled 10 holes in the northern part of the district. 1976-1978: In the fall of 1976, Homestake began an exploration program, which included 63 drill holes, as well as extensive surface mapping and sampling, and metallurgical testing. A total of 49 holes were drilled by others prior to Homestake's involvement in the district. 1978: California State Parks released the Bodie State Historic Park Resource Management Plan, General Development Plan, and Environmental Impact Report, which re-affirm that Bodie State Historic Park will be preserved in a state of "arrested decay." the General Development Plan's land use recommendations argue against open-pit mining. 1983: Homestake farmed out its Bodie Property to NERCO, which performed a limited reevaluation of the property. 1985 -1986: Hometake drilled 11 reverse circulation holes, conducted geologic mapping and metallurgical testing, performed an internal Environmental Reconnaissance Report, and collected baseline data for a future Environmental Impact Report. Homestake offered the property up for sale soon after. 1988: At the beginning of 1988, Homestake controlled both surface and mineral rights on approximately 3 square miles in the Bodie Project area, comprising 176 unpatented and 72 patented claims in four leases. Fifty unpatented claims were held solely by Homestake. During early 1988, Homestake and Galactic Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, Canada, entered into an agreement in which Galactic purchased Homestake's entire interest in the Bodie Mining District for approximately $39,500,000. In mid-1988, California State Parks notified the National Park Service that Bodie was threatened by a potential large-scale mining operation on the bluff above the townsite. The J. S. Cain Company, Lost Carcass and Buzzard Mining Company, and other adjoining property owners had leased their mineral rights and mining claims to the Bodie Consolidated Mining Company, a subsidiary of Galactic Resources Ltd. Galactic had initiated exploration in the privately-owned Bodie Bluff and Standard Hill areas, and was securing placer mining claims on surrounding public lands managed by the U. S. Bureau of Land Management. 1991-1992: Closure and cleanup at Galactic's Summitville Gold Mine in Colorado created financial hardship for Galactic Resources. The cleanup was prompted by leaking of cyanide and acidic, metal-laden mine water into the headwaters of the Alamosa River. Galactic announced it would sell the Bodie property to pay for cyanide cleanup operations in Summitville as part of its reclamation agreement with the state of Colorado. In 1992, Summitville Consolidated Mining (subsidiary of Galactic Resources) declared bankruptcy. In 1992, the Bodie Protection Act of 1992 (HR 4370) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, and California State Parks began discussions with Galactic to acquire the Bodie property.

Exploration and development (continued): 1993-1997: Galactic Resources declared bankruptcy, and the company's Bodie property interests were placed in the hands of a Canadian bankruptcy trustee. Following nearly three decades of increasing environmental and political activism focused on the Bodie area, the California Desert Protection Act, which created the Mojave National Preserve and establised the Bodie Protection Act of 1994, was signed into law. The Act required that existing mineral claims be reviewed, and that claims found to be valid be subject to regulations no less stringent than those administering mining within National Parks. The Act also required the Department of the Interior to carry out a study as to how Bodie could be further protected "including but not limited to acquisition of lands?" In cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and private funding sources, California State Parks secured state, federal, and private funding, which met the requirements of the Galactic bankruptcy trustee. In 1997, California State Parks consummated an agreement for the purchase of Galactic's interests in the Bodie Project. This purchase ended all future mineral development of the Bodie Mine/Bodie Project. Current Land Status: The historic mining town of Bodie and surrounding areas, including the Bodie Mine, aka Bodie Project, are administered by California State Parks and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, in cooperation with Mono County and various environmental interest groups. The purchase of Bodie Project lands by California State Parks in 1997 ended all future development of the mineral resources in the Bodie Mine/Bodie Project area. Development Status: In cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and private funding sources, California State Parks purchased all of Galactic Resource's interests in the Bodie Property in 1997. This purchase ended all future mineral development of the Bodie Mine/Bodie Project). Metallurgy (Homestake Mining Company, 1988): Bottle roll testing conducted on 70 to 85 percent minus 200 mesh material in 1985 and 1986 indicated that gold and silver respond well to direct cyanidation or bulk sulfide flotation. Gold extraction was, however, found to be significantly better with leaching as compared to flotation. Column leaching returned gold recoveries of 78 to nearly 95 percent, and silver recoveries of 33 to 100 percent. In 1987, 113 day leach rest cycle column leach tests performed on minus ?-inch and minus 1-inch core, gave recoveries ranging from 78.2 to 92.3 percent for gold and 33.2 to 64.8 percent for silver. Three 4 ?- to 5-foot columns, each 6 inches in diameter, containing 16 to 18 kg of crushed ore, were used for the testing. Early milling (Chesterman and others, 1986, pg. 33): The first ore mined in the Bodie District was milled in arrastras; some ore was hauled to Aurora, NV, and processed in stamp mills. The Bodie ores were characterized as "free-milling"; a large percentage of the gold was recoverable in the free and relatively pure state by amalgamation or strake (shaking table) concentration. Silver occurs in the gold and as sulfides or as the chloride, cerargyrite; in the early 1900s, it was found that Bodie ores were amenable to simple cyanidation. The process yielded high extraction with relatively low costs and low consumption of reagents.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.


Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

19 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

Acanthite
Formula: Ag2S
Albite
Formula: Na(AlSi3O8)
Description: Occurs as well-defined crystals up to 4 inches (10 cm) diameter with quartz. These crystals are often hollow shells studded internally with fine quartz prisms.
Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
Chlorargyrite
Formula: AgCl
'Chlorite Group'
Cinnabar
Formula: HgS
Description: Occurs as beautiful crystals.
Galena
Formula: PbS
Galena var. Silver-bearing Galena
Formula: PbS with Ag
Hematite
Formula: Fe2O3
Description: Responsible for the color in the "Red Vein."
Kalinite
Formula: KAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O
Description: Occurs sparingly as coatings on rock.
'K Feldspar'
'K Feldspar var. Adularia'
Formula: KAlSi3O8
'Limonite'
Muscovite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Muscovite var. Illite
Formula: K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
Muscovite var. Sericite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Native Gold
Formula: Au
Localities: Reported from at least 17 localities in this region.
Native Gold var. Electrum
Formula: (Au,Ag)
Native Silver
Formula: Ag
Proustite
Formula: Ag3AsS3
Pyrargyrite
Formula: Ag3SbS3
Description: Occurs as crystals in vugs.
Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
Quartz
Formula: SiO2
Localities: Reported from at least 16 localities in this region.
Quartz var. Amethyst
Formula: SiO2
Quartz var. Rock Crystal
Formula: SiO2
Sphalerite
Formula: ZnS
Stephanite
Formula: Ag5SbS4
Talc
Formula: Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
'Tetrahedrite Subgroup'
Formula: Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
Native Gold
var. Electrum
1.AA.05(Au,Ag)
1.AA.05Au
Native Silver1.AA.05Ag
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
Acanthite2.BA.35Ag2S
Sphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
Chalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
Galena2.CD.10PbS
var. Silver-bearing Galena2.CD.10PbS with Ag
Cinnabar2.CD.15aHgS
Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Proustite2.GA.05Ag3AsS3
Pyrargyrite2.GA.05Ag3SbS3
'Tetrahedrite Subgroup'2.GB.05Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S
Stephanite2.GB.10Ag5SbS4
Group 3 - Halides
Chlorargyrite3.AA.15AgCl
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Hematite4.CB.05Fe2O3
Quartz
var. Amethyst
4.DA.05SiO2
4.DA.05SiO2
var. Rock Crystal4.DA.05SiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
Kalinite7.CC.15KAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O
Group 9 - Silicates
Talc9.EC.05Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
Muscovite
var. Illite
9.EC.15K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
var. Sericite9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Albite9.FA.35Na(AlSi3O8)
Unclassified
'K Feldspar
var. Adularia'
-KAlSi3O8
'Chlorite Group'-
'Limonite'-
'K Feldspar'-

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
H KaliniteKAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O
H MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
H TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
H Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
CCarbon
C CalciteCaCO3
OOxygen
O K Feldspar var. AdulariaKAlSi3O8
O AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
O Quartz var. AmethystSiO2
O CalciteCaCO3
O HematiteFe2O3
O Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
O KaliniteKAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O
O MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
O QuartzSiO2
O TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
O Quartz var. Rock CrystalSiO2
O Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
NaSodium
Na AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
MgMagnesium
Mg TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
AlAluminium
Al K Feldspar var. AdulariaKAlSi3O8
Al AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Al Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
Al KaliniteKAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O
Al MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Al Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
SiSilicon
Si K Feldspar var. AdulariaKAlSi3O8
Si AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Si Quartz var. AmethystSiO2
Si Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
Si MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Si QuartzSiO2
Si TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
Si Quartz var. Rock CrystalSiO2
Si Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
SSulfur
S AcanthiteAg2S
S ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
S CinnabarHgS
S GalenaPbS
S KaliniteKAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O
S ProustiteAg3AsS3
S PyrargyriteAg3SbS3
S PyriteFeS2
S SphaleriteZnS
S StephaniteAg5SbS4
S Tetrahedrite SubgroupCu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S
S Galena var. Silver-bearing GalenaPbS with Ag
ClChlorine
Cl ChlorargyriteAgCl
KPotassium
K K Feldspar var. AdulariaKAlSi3O8
K Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
K KaliniteKAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O
K MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
K Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
CaCalcium
Ca CalciteCaCO3
FeIron
Fe ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Fe HematiteFe2O3
Fe PyriteFeS2
CuCopper
Cu ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Cu Tetrahedrite SubgroupCu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S
ZnZinc
Zn SphaleriteZnS
AsArsenic
As ProustiteAg3AsS3
AgSilver
Ag AcanthiteAg2S
Ag ChlorargyriteAgCl
Ag Native Gold var. Electrum(Au,Ag)
Ag ProustiteAg3AsS3
Ag PyrargyriteAg3SbS3
Ag Native SilverAg
Ag StephaniteAg5SbS4
Ag Galena var. Silver-bearing GalenaPbS with Ag
SbAntimony
Sb PyrargyriteAg3SbS3
Sb StephaniteAg5SbS4
Sb Tetrahedrite SubgroupCu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S
AuGold
Au Native Gold var. Electrum(Au,Ag)
Au Native GoldAu
HgMercury
Hg CinnabarHgS
PbLead
Pb GalenaPbS
Pb Galena var. Silver-bearing GalenaPbS with Ag

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:10310698

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