Royal Mine [2] (Emma; Royal Mine Extension; Railsplitter; Ant Hill; Goodenough Royal lode; Pine Log; Quartz), Hodson, Hodson Mining District (Madam Felix Mining District; Felix Mining District), West Belt, Calaveras County, California, USAi
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
38° 0' 5'' North , 120° 41' 19'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Copperopolis | 3,671 (2011) | 4.7km |
| Angels Camp | 2,677 (2012) | 15.0km |
| Tuttletown | 668 (2011) | 20.1km |
| Rancho Calaveras | 4,489 (2018) | 20.4km |
| Vallecito | 442 (2011) | 21.3km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Calaveras Gem & Mineral Society | Angels Camp, California | 15km |
| Amador County Gem & Mineral Society | Sutter Creek, California | 45km |
| Mother Lode Mineral Society | Modesto, California | 49km |
A former lode Au-Ag-Pb-Zn mine located in secs. 19, 29 & in the NE¼ (estimated) sec. 30, T2N, R12E, MDM, 0.6 km (0.4 mile) NNW of Hodson (site and 3.8 km (2.4 miles) SE of Felix, about 600 meters W of Underwood Creek (2½ miles NW of Copperopolis). Operated during the period 1895 to 1905 and 1932 to 1942. MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 100 meters.
This was the most productive mine of the West Belt. During the 1932 to 1942 period up to 65 tons of ore were processed in a 24 hour period. The most extensive production was from 1895 to 1905. Yuba Mining Division of Yuba Consolidated was to have conducted diamond drilling on the property tio test the feasibility of open pit mining.
NOTE: USGS MRDS database file #10211668 provides MRDS file #10072392 as a related file. This file apparently pertains to another deposit and has no relation to this locality.
Mineralization is a vein deposit hosted in slate, greenstone and schist. The ore body strikes N50W and dips 30NE at a thickness of 6.1 meters. The 16 foot thick main vein, the Royal vein, is in a zone of parallel, overlying and cross veins. Quartz occurs in a series of large lenses in a dike of diabase. The Royal fissure vein often has seams of calcite running through it. Greenstone and schist is often mineralized, similar to the "gray ores" of Amador County. The mineralized zone is 500 or more feet thick and nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) long. At least 5 quartz veins range from a few feet to 20 feet thick. 60% of the Au is free with the remainder in sulfides. Local alteration includes hydrothermally altered greenstone. Local rocks include Mesozoic volcanic rocks, unit 2 (Western Sierra Foothills and Western Klamath Mountains).
Local geologic structures include the Hodson Fault Zone.
Workings include surface and underground openings with an overall depth of 304.8 meters. The 1,200 foot inclined shaft has levels at 100 foot intervals plus the Good Enough shaft at 125 feet. A 1,000 foot drift was driven from the 700 level. The deposit was worked out between the 700 and 1,200 foot levels by 1905. During the 1955 to 1956 period, the deposit was drilled to 1,000 feet.
A crosscut section of the mine is found in Clark, Wm. B. & P.A. Lydon (1962), page 68.
Production data are found in: Clark, Wm. B. & P.A. Lydon (1962) & in Logan, Clarence August and Franke, H. (1936).
No overall production figures were found.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Ankerite Formula: Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| ⓘ Galena Formula: PbS |
| ⓘ Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Sphalerite Formula: ZnS |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
| ⓘ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Ankerite | 5.AB.10 | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | var. Sericite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Zn | Zinc | |
| Zn | ⓘ Sphalerite | ZnS |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
| Pb | Lead | |
| Pb | ⓘ Galena | PbS |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10102647 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Foothills-Wallowa DomainDomain
- Sierra Nevada BatholithVolcanic Arc
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References
(n.d.) Minerals Availability System (MAS), U.S. Bureau of Mines.file ID #0060090410
Bramel, Hadley R., Heyl, George R., Cox, Manning W., Ransome, Alfred L., Eric, John H., Wyant, Donald G. (1948) Copper in California. Bulletin 144. California State Mining Bureau p.222
