Wells Cargo Mine (Carp Mine), Viola Mining District, Lincoln County, Nevada, USAi

Regional Level Types
Wells Cargo Mine (Carp Mine)	Mine
Viola Mining District	Mining District
Lincoln County	County
Nevada	State
USA	Country

Sec 32 T8S R69E
Commodities: Fluorine-Fluorite


Structure: Nw-Striking, High Angle Faults

Alteration: Some Hydrothermal Alteration Of Dolomitic Rocks Adjacent To Fluorspar Bodies, Some Along Bedding Planes

Commodity: Most fluorspar is lt grey to white, stained in places by Fe oxides to pale orange or lt. Brown.

Deposit: Workings occur in a poorly-defined zone striking n W and suggesting an overall structural control which was not identified. Ore bodies were progressively smaller to the nw. Observed contacts between most rocks and fluorite range from gradational and poorly defined to very sharp, and these contacts are both concordant and cross cutting. Mined ore bodies were nearly concordant with bedding. Fluorite appears to have selectively replaced portions of some dolomitic beds, and the localization and form of the bodies were due in part to structural control by high-angle faults. All known mineralization occurs near the surface. Extensive drilling did not encounter ore-grade material below a depth of 30 ft. Ore ranges from compact and firm to slightly friable. Fluorite occurs As aggregates of crystals less than a millimeter across and, to a lesser extent, As small irregular masses and veinlets of very fine-grained material some of which is banded, vuggy or botryoidal. Most ore is nondescript in appearance; only rarely does the fluorite have a pale-purple color. Barite occurs rarely in the fluorspar, but is present in several relatively unexplored replacement bodies in the SE half of the area mapped by papke. It occurs principally As white, coarse-grained crystals which commonly enclose moderate-brown fine-grained barite-rich material. Other introduced minerals are calcite, minor-fluorite locally, and a trace of quartz. Some manganese occurs near 2 isolated open pits 900 ft nne of the area mapped by papke. The Mn is present in a vertical zone 10 ft wide that strikes n-s and is separated by faults from the adjacent dolomitic rocks. The Mn was explored by a large-diameter vertical shaft of unknown depth. There is no apparent association between the Mn and the fluorspar. The first of the present claims were located, reportedly for barite, in 1955 by jesse and john e. Whipple. These claims were purchased by western mining and development co., and the 22 claims that make up the group are still owned by that company, (1979) ; info.src : 1 pub lit; 2 unpub rept; 3 field observ

Development: From 1958 to 1968, western mining and dev. Co. Operated intermittently to fill g.s.a. And kaiser steel contracts. The mining, crushing, screening and hauling were done by wells cargo, inc. Leading to the frequently used but erroneous name "wells cargo mine". From mid-1968 to 1972, the mine was operated by several groups of lessees, and in the early 1970's, extensive exploration was done on the property by allied chemical co. Area restaked on feb 16, 1984 by wells cargo inc.

Ore(s): Nw-Trending Faults; Some Brecciation

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:	10046393

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References