Spanish Flat Mining District, East Belt, El Dorado County, California, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Spanish Flat Mining District | Mining District |
| East Belt | - not defined - |
| El Dorado County | County |
| California | State |
| USA | Country |
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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
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Location and History: This is a well-known high grade district is in west-central El Dorado County in the vicinity of the old mining town of Spanish Flat. It is about 10 miles north of Placerville and 3 miles northeast of Kelsey. The district was placer-mined soon after the beginning of the gold rush, and there has been intermittent mining ever since. Many of the early-day miners in this area, from South America, Mexico, and Portugal, were at that time collectively known as "Spanish." The Alhambra mine, the largest source of gold in the district with a total output of $1.25 million, was active in the 1930's and 1940's and yielded much high-grade ore. Other mines in this district include the Brust, Shumway, and Timm mines.
Geology: The gold-bearing veins in this district are in a northwest-trending belt or zone about two miles east of the Mother Lode belt (see fig.- 5). The deposits consist of northwest-striking quartz veins with numerous parallel stringers that occur in shear zones with gouge. Country rock is amphibolite, chlorite, and graphite-quartz schist and slate. The ore shoots are not usually too extensive, but some have been extremely rich. A high-grade pocket discovered in the Alhambra mine in 1939 yielded $550,000. This pocket was a mass of native gold in quartz nearly 5 feet wide. The greatest depth of development is about 500 feet.
Geology: The gold-bearing veins in this district are in a northwest-trending belt or zone about two miles east of the Mother Lode belt (see fig.- 5). The deposits consist of northwest-striking quartz veins with numerous parallel stringers that occur in shear zones with gouge. Country rock is amphibolite, chlorite, and graphite-quartz schist and slate. The ore shoots are not usually too extensive, but some have been extremely rich. A high-grade pocket discovered in the Alhambra mine in 1939 yielded $550,000. This pocket was a mass of native gold in quartz nearly 5 feet wide. The greatest depth of development is about 500 feet.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity 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-localities11 valid minerals.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Calaverite Formula: AuTe2 References: |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 Localities: Brust Mine (Gold Hill; Asbestos), Spanish Flat, Spanish Flat Mining District, East Belt, El Dorado County, California, USA Alhambra Gold Mine (Alhambra Mine; Atlantic Mine), Spanish Flat, Spanish Flat Mining District, East Belt, El Dorado County, California, USA Comeback Consolidated Mine (Bear Creek Mine; Summers Mine), Spanish Flat, Spanish Flat Mining District, East Belt, El Dorado County, California, USA |
| ⓘ 'Chlorite Group' Description: Occurs in chlorite-sericite schist. |
| ⓘ Graphite Formula: C Description: Occurs in graphitic-sericitic schist. |
| ⓘ Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 Description: Occurs in chlorite-sericite and graphitic-sericitic schists. |
| ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 Description: Occurs in chlorite-sericite and graphitic-sericitic schists. |
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au Localities: Reported from at least 13 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ Petzite Formula: Ag3AuTe2 References: |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Pyromorphite Formula: Pb5(PO4)3Cl Colour: Yellowish green Description: Occurs as included matter in botryoidal chalcedony and as crystalline coatings. References: |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Localities: Reported from at least 13 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony Formula: SiO2 Description: Botryoidal structures. References: |
| ⓘ Scheelite Formula: Ca(WO4) Description: Occurs in calcite vein(s). |
| ⓘ 'Serpentine Subgroup' Formula: D3[Si2O5](OH)4 |
| ⓘ Talc Formula: Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| ⓘ | Graphite | 1.CB.05a | C |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Petzite | 2.BA.75 | Ag3AuTe2 |
| ⓘ | Calaverite | 2.EA.10 | AuTe2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz var. Chalcedony | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 | |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Scheelite | 7.GA.05 | Ca(WO4) |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| ⓘ | Pyromorphite | 8.BN.05 | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Talc | 9.EC.05 | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | var. Sericite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Serpentine Subgroup' | - | D3[Si2O5](OH)4 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Serpentine Subgroup | D3[Si2O5](OH)4 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Graphite | C |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Pyromorphite | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Scheelite | Ca(WO4) |
| O | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Serpentine Subgroup | D3[Si2O5](OH)4 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Serpentine Subgroup | D3[Si2O5](OH)4 |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Pyromorphite | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Pyromorphite | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Scheelite | Ca(WO4) |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Ag | Silver | |
| Ag | ⓘ Petzite | Ag3AuTe2 |
| Te | Tellurium | |
| Te | ⓘ Calaverite | AuTe2 |
| Te | ⓘ Petzite | Ag3AuTe2 |
| W | Tungsten | |
| W | ⓘ Scheelite | Ca(WO4) |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Calaverite | AuTe2 |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
| Au | ⓘ Petzite | Ag3AuTe2 |
| Pb | Lead | |
| Pb | ⓘ Pyromorphite | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
Localities in this Region
- California
- El Dorado County
- East Belt
- Spanish Flat Mining District
- East Belt
- El Dorado County
- California
- El Dorado County
- East Belt
- Spanish Flat Mining District
- Spanish Flat
- Blue Ledge Mine [1]
- Blue Ledge Mine [2]
- Bon Sorte Mine (Bona Sorte)
- Brust Mine (Gold Hill; Asbestos)
- Comeback Consolidated Mine (Bear Creek Mine; Summers Mine)
- Darling Mine (Chanced Upon)
- Division of Highways Quarry
- Gem placer
- Harrison Mine [2]
- Henry Waldrick claim
- Herrick & Company placer
- Hope Mine [1]
- Montezuma Mine
- Old Judge Mine (Old Judge and the Mary Ann [?])
- Railroad placer
- Shumway Mine
- Warner placer
- Spanish Flat
- Spanish Flat Mining District
- East Belt
- El Dorado County
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Calaveras-Baker DomainDomain
- Sierra Nevada BatholithVolcanic Arc
USA
- Sierra NevadaMountain Range
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References
