Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
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Darwin Mines (Darwin group; Defiance; Driver; Independence; Lane; Liberty; Lucky Jim; Southwest and Thompson; Bernon; Rip Van Winkle; Mexicanus Colorado Inc.), Darwin, Darwin Mining District, Darwin Hills, Inyo County, California, USAi
Regional Level Types
Darwin Mines (Darwin group; Defiance; Driver; Independence; Lane; Liberty; Lucky Jim; Southwest and Thompson; Bernon; Rip Van Winkle; Mexicanus Colorado Inc.)Group of Mines
DarwinUnincorporated Community
Darwin Mining DistrictMining District
Darwin HillsGroup of Hills
Inyo CountyCounty
CaliforniaState
USACountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
36° 16' 49'' North , 117° 35' 59'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Group of Mines
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Olancha192 (2015)36.6km
Lone Pine2,035 (2015)55.1km
Mindat Locality ID:
78712
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:78712:0
GUID (UUID V4):
0


A group of former Pb-Zn-Ag-W-Cu-Au mines.

NOTE: This group of mines was leased by the firm Mexicanus Colorado Inc. during the early 1970's. The name is mis-spelled in the MRDS database and appears as "Mexicanus Colovgdo Inc A" under MRDS file #10188132, referencing the USGS Minerals Yearbook 1972: 26, 30.

The Company „Project Darwin LLC“ acquired the Darwin Mines and 58 patented mining claims in 1996. They have prepared a good description of these mines and their history and put it on a webpage (see under Links).

Mineralization is a polymetallic replacement deposit (Deposit Model: 72: Polymetallic replacement) hosted in rocks of the Portachuelo Formation (limestone, granodiorite).

Local structures include a thrust fault, igneous intrusions, faults, and folds.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


14 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Detailed Mineral List:

Andradite
Formula: Ca3Fe3+2(SiO4)3
Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Cerussite
Formula: PbCO3
Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
Chrysocolla
Formula: Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
'Clay minerals'
Fluorite
Formula: CaF2
Franckeite
Formula: Fe2+(Pb,Sn2+)6Sn4+2Sb2S14
Galena
Formula: PbS
Guanajuatite
Formula: Bi2Se3
Gypsum
Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O
Jarosite
Formula: KFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6
Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
Quartz
Formula: SiO2
Sphalerite
Formula: ZnS
'Tetrahedrite Subgroup'
Formula: Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
Sphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
Chalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
Galena2.CD.10PbS
Guanajuatite2.DB.05Bi2Se3
Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
'Tetrahedrite Subgroup'2.GB.05Cu6(Cu4C2+2)Sb4S12S
Franckeite2.HF.25bFe2+(Pb,Sn2+)6Sn4+2Sb2S14
Group 3 - Halides
Fluorite3.AB.25CaF2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Quartz4.DA.05SiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Cerussite5.AB.15PbCO3
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
Jarosite7.BC.10KFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6
Gypsum7.CD.40CaSO4 · 2H2O
Group 9 - Silicates
Andradite9.AD.25Ca3Fe3+2(SiO4)3
Chrysocolla9.ED.20Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Unclassified
'Clay minerals'-

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
H GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
H JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
CCarbon
C CalciteCaCO3
C CerussitePbCO3
OOxygen
O AndraditeCa3Fe23+(SiO4)3
O CalciteCaCO3
O CerussitePbCO3
O ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
O GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
O JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
O QuartzSiO2
FFluorine
F FluoriteCaF2
AlAluminium
Al ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
SiSilicon
Si AndraditeCa3Fe23+(SiO4)3
Si ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Si QuartzSiO2
SSulfur
S ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
S FranckeiteFe2+(Pb,Sn2+)6Sn24+Sb2S14
S GalenaPbS
S GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
S JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
S PyriteFeS2
S SphaleriteZnS
S Tetrahedrite SubgroupCu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S
KPotassium
K JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
CaCalcium
Ca AndraditeCa3Fe23+(SiO4)3
Ca CalciteCaCO3
Ca FluoriteCaF2
Ca GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
FeIron
Fe AndraditeCa3Fe23+(SiO4)3
Fe ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Fe FranckeiteFe2+(Pb,Sn2+)6Sn24+Sb2S14
Fe JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
Fe PyriteFeS2
CuCopper
Cu ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Cu ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
Cu Tetrahedrite SubgroupCu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S
ZnZinc
Zn SphaleriteZnS
SeSelenium
Se GuanajuatiteBi2Se3
SnTin
Sn FranckeiteFe2+(Pb,Sn2+)6Sn24+Sb2S14
SbAntimony
Sb FranckeiteFe2+(Pb,Sn2+)6Sn24+Sb2S14
Sb Tetrahedrite SubgroupCu6(Cu4C22+)Sb4S12S
PbLead
Pb CerussitePbCO3
Pb FranckeiteFe2+(Pb,Sn2+)6Sn24+Sb2S14
Pb GalenaPbS
BiBismuth
Bi GuanajuatiteBi2Se3

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:10188132

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.

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