Keynot Mine (Key Not Mine; Golden Princess; Mountain View; War Eagle; Keynot; Keynote Mine; Mallard Duck), Keynot Peak, Inyo Mts (Inyo Range), Inyo County, California, USAi

Regional Level Types
Keynot Mine (Key Not Mine; Golden Princess; Mountain View; War Eagle; Keynot; Keynote Mine; Mallard Duck)	Mine
Keynot Peak	Peak
Inyo Mts (Inyo Range)	Mountain Range
Inyo County	County
California	State
USA	Country

A former Cu-Au-Ag mine located in sec. 15, T14S, R37E, MDM, 2.9 km (1.8 miles) ENE of Keynot Peak (coordinates of record), on Bureau of Land Management wilderness land (Inyo Mountains Wilderness) (located claim - private lease). Owned & operated by the Far West Exploration (100%) (1983); Douglas D. McFarland, Bishop, California (1984). The property consisted of 7 claims. MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 10 meters.

Mineralization is a vein deposit hosted in granite. The ore bodies strike N20W & N55W, and dip 40SW & 35SW, at a thickness of 1.22 meters, and a length of 1,245 meters. The ore body is a fissure vein with a tabular form. The primary mode of origin was hydrothermal. Primary ore control was faulting. The secondary mode was fracturing. Wallrock alteration is moderate, sericitic and intermediate argillic. Local rocks include Mesozoic granitic rocks, unit 3 (Sierra Nevada, Death Valley area, Northern Mojave Desert and Transverse Ranges).

There are 4 veins. The War Eagle vein is an average of 4 feet thick with at least 2 ore shoots, each 60 feet long. The Keynot vein is 2 to 4 feet thick. The veins are 600 feet apart.

The Keynot vein system occurs as fissure fillings in the Jurassic-Triassic Pat Keys pluton of the Hunter ountain quartz monzonite. The Keynot vein system is composed of 4 major veins which astrike 40-70W and dip 25-55SW. The Keynot vein has a surface length of 1,980 meters and an average vein thickness of 0.6 meters. The War Eagle vein is exposed for 1,500 meters, averaging 1 meter thick. The East vein is 500 meters long and 0.6 meters thick, and the West vein is 1,000 meters long and 0.5 meters thick.

The ore from the Keynot veins consists primarily of fine-grained free gold intimately associated with chalacopyrite and pyrite. When visible, the gold typically occurs as "nuggets," usually less than 3 mm diameter, bordering, and as inclusions within, chalcopyrite and pyrite crystals. In one location underground, crystalline gold was observed following fractures in the quartz. Accessory ore minerals consist of silver, probably associated with galena, and minor sphalerite, malachite and azurite. Gangue minreals consist of quartz, sericite, kaolinite, pyrite and arsenopyrite. Sulfide mineralization is localized, separated by zones of barren, or nearly barren, "bull" quartz.

Workings include underground openings with a total length of 931 meters and an overall depth 113 meters.

The principal development work has been on the Keynot vein, which has been developed by 7 tunnels at different elevations. The main workings are from tunnels No. 7 and No. 9. No. 5 tunnel is 150 feet long, No. 6 tunnel is 300 feet long, No. 7 tunnel is 750 feet long, No. 8 tunnel is 300 feet long, No. 9 tunnel is 600 feet long, No. 10 tunnel is 225 feet long and No. 14 tunnel is 205 feet long. There are 5 tunnels on the Keynot vein and 3 on the War Eagle vein. No. 6 tunnel on the Keynot vein is 300 feet long, driven NW. There is a 150 foot long stope from this tunnel level, and stoped to the No. 5 tunnel level, a distance of 50 feet on the inclination of the vein. The No. 7 tunnel level is driven NW 750 feet. At 50 feet from the portal, on the first ore shoot was stoped for a length of 250 feet with an average width of 4 feet to the No. 6 tunnel level a distance of approximately 100 feet.The upper tunnel on the War Eagle vein was driven N20W for 240 feet. The intermediate tunnel is 100 feet long and the lower tunnel is 120 feet long.

Production statistics: Year: up to 1938: total Au ore produced was $500,000 of ore (period values). No other production record found.

Ore was reported to have an average value of $20/ton (period values), from the War Eagle vein. It was also reported that the mine yielded more than $10,000 per month (period values) through 1883.

Estimated tonnage of ore dump material below No. 9 tunnel level was approximately 20,000 tons, reported to have had average assay values of $8/ton (period values).

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:	10036135

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References