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Kelsey Mining District, El Dorado County, California, USAi
Regional Level Types
Kelsey Mining DistrictMining District
El Dorado CountyCounty
CaliforniaState
USACountry

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PhotosMapsSearchMineralogy
05206140017272298214595.jpg
Native Gold

Irish Creek, Garden Valley, Kelsey Mining District, El Dorado County, California, USA
08700820017477473289116.jpg
Native Gold, etc.

Dalmatia Mine, Kelsey, Kelsey Mining District, El Dorado County, California, USA
05206140017272298214595.jpg
Native Gold

Irish Creek, Garden Valley, Kelsey Mining District, El Dorado County, California, USA
08700820017477473289116.jpg
Native Gold, etc.

Dalmatia Mine, Kelsey, Kelsey Mining District, El Dorado County, California, USA
05206140017272298214595.jpg
Native Gold

Irish Creek, Garden Valley, Kelsey Mining District, El Dorado County, California, USA
08700820017477473289116.jpg
Native Gold, etc.

Dalmatia Mine, Kelsey, Kelsey Mining District, El Dorado County, California, USA
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
38° North , 120° West (est.)
Estimate based on other nearby localities or region boundaries.
Margin of Error:
~58km
GRN:
N26W68
Type:
Mining District
Köppen climate type:
Csa : Hot-summer Mediterranean climate
Mindat Locality ID:
209220
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:209220:4
GUID (UUID V4):
0


Location: The Kelsey district is in northwestern El Dorado County, 5 miles N of Placerville. It is that portion of the Mother Lode gold belt that extends from the vicinity of the town of Kelsey northwest to Garden Valley.

History: This area was placer-mined soon after James Marshall's gold discovery in 1848 at Coloma, a few miles to the west. The camp was first settled by, and named for Benjamin Kelsey. Marshall spent his last days at Kelsey, and a building on his property once housed a pioneer museum. There was much lode mining from the 1860's through the early 1900's and again in the 1930's. Some intermittent work has been done recently at the Black Oak mine.

Geology and Ore Deposits: A northwest-trending two-mile-wide belt of gray to black slate of the Mariposa Formation (Upper Jurassic) is in the central portion of the district, with greenstone, slate, graphite schist, and quartzite to the west. Amphibolite, slate, and schist lie to the east. Serpentine lenses are also present both to the east and west. The ore deposits occur in quartz veins with numerous stringers. The veins range from one to 10 feet in thickness. Nearly half of the known output of some of the mines has been from small but extremely rich ore shoots. None of the mines has been worked to depths of more than 600 feet.

Mines: Big Four, Big Sandy ($100,000+), Black Oak ($1.2 to 5 million), Gopher Hill, Gray Eagle, Hart, Ida Livingston, Kelsey ($100,000+), Lady Emma, St. Clair, Veerkamp, War Eagle, and Yuba.

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

11 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Albite
Formula: Na(AlSi3O8)
ⓘ Ankerite
Formula: Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
ⓘ Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
ⓘ Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
ⓘ 'Feldspar Group'
ⓘ Galena
Formula: PbS
ⓘ Graphite
Formula: C
Description: Occurs as graphitic slate.
ⓘ Native Gold
Formula: Au
Localities: Reported from at least 49 localities in this region.
ⓘ Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
ⓘ Quartz
Formula: SiO2
Localities: Reported from at least 44 localities in this region.
ⓘ 'Serpentine Subgroup'
Formula: D3[Si2O5](OH)4
ⓘ Siderite
Formula: FeCO3
ⓘ Talc
Formula: Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
Description: Occurs as soapstone and in talcose schist.

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
ⓘNative Gold1.AA.05Au
ⓘGraphite1.CB.05aC
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘChalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
ⓘGalena2.CD.10PbS
ⓘPyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘQuartz4.DA.05SiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘCalcite5.AB.05CaCO3
ⓘSiderite5.AB.05FeCO3
ⓘAnkerite5.AB.10Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Group 9 - Silicates
ⓘTalc9.EC.05Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
ⓘAlbite9.FA.35Na(AlSi3O8)
Unclassified
ⓘ'Feldspar Group'-
ⓘ'Serpentine Subgroup'-D3[Si2O5](OH)4

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hⓘ TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
Hⓘ Serpentine SubgroupD3[Si2O5](OH)4
CCarbon
Cⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Cⓘ CalciteCaCO3
Cⓘ GraphiteC
Cⓘ SideriteFeCO3
OOxygen
Oⓘ AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Oⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Oⓘ CalciteCaCO3
Oⓘ QuartzSiO2
Oⓘ SideriteFeCO3
Oⓘ TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
Oⓘ Serpentine SubgroupD3[Si2O5](OH)4
NaSodium
Naⓘ AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
MgMagnesium
Mgⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Mgⓘ TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
AlAluminium
Alⓘ AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
SiSilicon
Siⓘ AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Siⓘ QuartzSiO2
Siⓘ TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
Siⓘ Serpentine SubgroupD3[Si2O5](OH)4
SSulfur
Sⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Sⓘ GalenaPbS
Sⓘ PyriteFeS2
CaCalcium
Caⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Caⓘ CalciteCaCO3
FeIron
Feⓘ AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Feⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Feⓘ PyriteFeS2
Feⓘ SideriteFeCO3
CuCopper
Cuⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
AuGold
Auⓘ Native GoldAu
PbLead
Pbⓘ GalenaPbS

Localities in this Region

USA
USA

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
USA

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

Fairbanks, Harold W. (1890), Geology of the Mother Lode region: California Mining Bureau. (Report 10): 10: 81.
Lindgren, Waldemar & Henry Ward Turner (1894), Description of the gold belt, California; description of the Placerville sheet: USGS Geol. Atlas, Placerville folio (Folio No. 3) 3 pp.; […(abstract): Jour. Geol.: 4: 248-250 (1896)].
Logan, Clarence August (1934), Mother Lode Gold Belt of California: California Division Mines Bulletin 108, 221 pp.: 19-21, 29.
Clark, Wm. B. & D.W. Carlson (1956), Mines and mineral resources of El Dorado County, California: California Journal of Mines and Geology: 52(4): 401-429.
Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 544.
Clark, W.B. (1970) Gold Districts of California. Bulletin 193. California Division of Mines & Geologyp.84
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