Opal Queen group, Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, Nevada, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Opal Queen group | - not defined - |
| Virgin Valley | Valley |
| Humboldt County | County |
| Nevada | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
41° 49' 50'' North , 119° 4' 18'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Köppen climate type:
The Opal Queen group is a group of precious opal mining claims and prospects.
The Opal Queen is generally regarded as the first reported discovery of, and first mining location for, precious opal, in the Virgin Valley District. It is reported that Precious Opal was first discovered here about 1905 or 1906 and the first mining location was 1908.
The Opal Queen was originally a group of placer locations; The current mine group consists of six (6) unpatented lode mining claims.
Alteration: Montmorillonite Clay
Deposit: Bentonitic ash bed. Seven claims, of which the opal queen claim, located 1908, may be the earliest claim in virgin valley. The lucky lou, miserable mitch, bell, le-bob, black beauty, and beautiful opal claims were located by the mitchells in 1969 and 1970. Precious opal has been produced from the property for many years. Development is by about 50 pits and trenches, some of which have obscured earlier workings. ; info.src : 2 unpub rept discovery year: 1908, 1969, 1970
Development: Seven claims, of which the opal queen, located in 1908, may be the earliest claim in the district. The other 6 were located by the mitchells in 1969-1970.
Geology: The opal-bearing horizon is greenish, bentonitic and carries wood fragments and pebbles. The horizon is up to 6 ft. Thick. Slumping and rotation of blocks made the opal-bearing horizon difficult to trace.
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Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
2 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
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Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Montmorillonite Formula: (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O References: |
| ⓘ Opal Formula: SiO2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ Opal var. Precious Opal Formula: SiO2 · nH2O References: |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ | var. Precious Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Montmorillonite | 9.EC.40 | (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Montmorillonite | (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Opal var. Precious Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Montmorillonite | (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Opal var. Precious Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Montmorillonite | (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Montmorillonite | (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Montmorillonite | (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Montmorillonite | (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Opal var. Precious Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Montmorillonite | (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10045024 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
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Opal Queen group, Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, Nevada, USA