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

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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:
264142
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:264142:6
GUID (UUID V4):
0


Location and History: Rattlesnake Bar is in northwestern El Dorado County and southern Placer County. The placer mines here along the American River were highly productive during the gold rush. The town was established in 1849 and became good sized until 1864, when it was destroyed by fire. The Zantgraff Mine, the principal lode mine in the district with a reported production of $1 million, was active from 1880 to 1901 and again in the 1930's. Dragline dredging was done in the region during the 1930's. Part of the district is covered by the Folsom Reservoir.

Geology: The district is on the eastern flank of a major granodiorite stock that is intrusive into greenstones and amphibolite. A major body of serpentine and a limestone lens crop out in the area. Several extensive deposits of Pleistocene shore gravels along the American River were hydraulicked. The Zantgraff vein contains abundant sulfides, including galena and chalcopyrite, and was mined to a depth of 1,100 feet. This district also has yielded substantial amounts of chromite and limestone and some copper.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List

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

11 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Azurite
Formula: Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Description: Includes good specimens.
ⓘ Bornite
Formula: Cu5FeS4
Description: Occurs in small amounts.
ⓘ Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Description: Occurs as fine stalactites.
ⓘ Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
ⓘ Chromite
Formula: Fe2+Cr3+2O4
ⓘ Galena
Formula: PbS
ⓘ Malachite
Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Description: Included good specimens.
ⓘ Native Gold
Formula: Au
ⓘ Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
ⓘ Pyrite var. Gold-bearing Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
ⓘ Quartz
Formula: SiO2
ⓘ Stromeyerite ?
Formula: AgCuS
Description: Tentatively identified.

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
ⓘStromeyerite ?2.BA.40AgCuS
ⓘChalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
ⓘGalena2.CD.10PbS
ⓘPyrite
var. Gold-bearing Pyrite		2.EB.05aFeS2
ⓘ2.EB.05aFeS2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘChromite4.BB.05Fe2+Cr3+2O4
ⓘQuartz4.DA.05SiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘCalcite5.AB.05CaCO3
ⓘAzurite5.BA.05Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
ⓘMalachite5.BA.10Cu2(CO3)(OH)2

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hⓘ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Hⓘ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
CCarbon
Cⓘ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Cⓘ CalciteCaCO3
Cⓘ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
OOxygen
Oⓘ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Oⓘ CalciteCaCO3
Oⓘ ChromiteFe2+Cr23+O4
Oⓘ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
Oⓘ QuartzSiO2
SiSilicon
Siⓘ QuartzSiO2
SSulfur
Sⓘ Pyrite var. Gold-bearing PyriteFeS2
Sⓘ BorniteCu5FeS4
Sⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Sⓘ GalenaPbS
Sⓘ PyriteFeS2
Sⓘ StromeyeriteAgCuS
CaCalcium
Caⓘ CalciteCaCO3
CrChromium
Crⓘ ChromiteFe2+Cr23+O4
FeIron
Feⓘ Pyrite var. Gold-bearing PyriteFeS2
Feⓘ BorniteCu5FeS4
Feⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Feⓘ ChromiteFe2+Cr23+O4
Feⓘ PyriteFeS2
CuCopper
Cuⓘ AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Cuⓘ BorniteCu5FeS4
Cuⓘ ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Cuⓘ MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
Cuⓘ StromeyeriteAgCuS
AgSilver
Agⓘ StromeyeriteAgCuS
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

Lindgren, Waldemar (1894), Description of the gold belt; description of the Sacramento sheet: USGS Geol. Atlas, Sacramento folio (Folio No. 5), 3 pp.; […(abstract): Jour. Geol.: 4: 250-251 (1896)].
Clark, Wm. B. & D.W. Carlson (1956), Mines and mineral resources of El Dorado County, California: California Journal of Mines and Geology: 52(4): 429 (Zantgraff Mine).
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