Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Bournonite vs. Vesuvianite
Cogwheels of bournonite are up against colourful vesuvianite.
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Cathey Mining District (Cathay Mining District), West Belt, Mariposa County, California, USAi
Regional Level Types
Cathey Mining District (Cathay Mining District)Mining District
West Belt- not defined -
Mariposa CountyCounty
CaliforniaState
USACountry

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearchMineralogy
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 26' 13'' North , 120° 5' 36'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Mindat Locality ID:
249015
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:249015:4
GUID (UUID V4):
0


The Cathey or Cathay district is in southwestern Mariposa County about 10 miles southwest of Mariposa and near the town of Catheys Valley.

The area was first placer-mined during the gold rush, and lode mining began in the 1850s. The principal mines were the Francis, Moore Hill, and Rich mines, which were last worked in the 1930s. A number of north-trending quartz veins up to 9 feet thick, in granodiorite and schist, contain native gold and sulfides. The sulfides, which include pyrite, arsenopyrite, and galena, sometimes are extremely abundant.

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

13 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

Arsenopyrite
Formula: FeAsS
Azurite
Formula: Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Bornite
Formula: Cu5FeS4
Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
Chrysocolla
Formula: Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Cuprite
Formula: Cu2O
Galena
Formula: PbS
Malachite
Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Description: Occurs as fine drusy coatings and excellent crystallized material.
Muscovite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Description: Occurs in a muscovite-quartz schist.
Native Gold
Formula: Au
Localities: Reported from at least 21 localities in this region.
Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
Localities: Reported from at least 6 localities in this region.
Quartz
Formula: SiO2
Localities: Reported from at least 11 localities in this region.
Tenorite
Formula: CuO
Description: Large mass mined.

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
Native Gold1.AA.05Au
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
Bornite2.BA.15Cu5FeS4
Chalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
Galena2.CD.10PbS
Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Arsenopyrite2.EB.20FeAsS
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Cuprite4.AA.10Cu2O
Tenorite4.AB.10CuO
Quartz4.DA.05SiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Azurite5.BA.05Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Malachite5.BA.10Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Group 9 - Silicates
Muscovite9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Chrysocolla9.ED.20Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
H ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
H MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
H MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
CCarbon
C AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
C MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
OOxygen
O AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
O ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
O CupriteCu2O
O MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
O MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
O QuartzSiO2
O TenoriteCuO
AlAluminium
Al ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Al MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
SiSilicon
Si ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Si MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Si QuartzSiO2
SSulfur
S ArsenopyriteFeAsS
S BorniteCu5FeS4
S ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
S GalenaPbS
S PyriteFeS2
KPotassium
K MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
FeIron
Fe ArsenopyriteFeAsS
Fe BorniteCu5FeS4
Fe ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Fe PyriteFeS2
CuCopper
Cu AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Cu BorniteCu5FeS4
Cu ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Cu ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Cu CupriteCu2O
Cu MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
Cu TenoriteCuO
AsArsenic
As ArsenopyriteFeAsS
AuGold
Au Native GoldAu
PbLead
Pb GalenaPbS

Localities in this Region

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality


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

 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 4, 2026 14:43:36 Page updated: July 26, 2026 06:14:47
Go to top of page