Silver Reef Mine, Darwin, Darwin Mining District, Darwin Hills, Inyo County, California, USAi

Regional Level Types
Silver Reef Mine	Mine
Darwin	Unincorporated Community
Darwin Mining District	Mining District
Darwin Hills	Group of Hills
Inyo County	County
California	State
USA	Country

A former W mine located in secs. 25 & 36, T19S, R40E, and in secs. 30 & 31, T19S, R41E, MDM, 2.7 km (1.68 mi) SSE of Darwin, on private land. The occurrence was located in 1937 by Mickey Sommers and in 1941 Pacific Tungsten Co developed the workings and mined some Tungsten ore. The mine consists of 3 claims, Silver Reef No. 1, 2 and 3. MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 1,000 meters. Updated description and position of the entrance to the Mickey Sommers adit at N36.24951 W117.56719 by Richard Muster, using an Ashtech MM6 device in 2007. The second adit is located at N36.24838 W117.57386; a 15-foot pit and trench at N36.24793 W117.57591.

In 1941 the U. S. Bureau of Mines under D. W. Butner (1949, p. 2), project engineer, trenched and sampled at the Silver Reef Mine, now owned by Wallace Campbell and Mickey Sommers. No viable orebodies were discovered.

In 1955 the Manor Mining Co. leased the mine. Also in 1955 the Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA) turned down an application from the Manor Mining Co. for exploratory drilling to find more tungsten ore in scheelite-bearing hornfels and tactite in limestone.

Local rocks include Carboniferous marine rocks, unit 2 (SE California Carbonate Assemblage) and/or Quaternary alluvium and marine deposits.

The workings include surface and underground openings comprised of the Mickey Sommers adit, 248 feet (ca. 76 m) long, with crosscuts, and 3 short adits and numerous shallow open cuts and trenches. A small crushing and sorting plant and 3 ore bins were constructed on the site. Remains of them were still there in 2007.

Production data: A total of about 2,800 tons of ore with 0.40 to 0.82% of WO3 were mined, most of it by the Manor Mining Co.

It has been told that Mickey Sommers lived before 1950 in a dug-out apartment in Darwin. In 1870 these were used as powder-houses, when not needed any more, penniless miners moved in. They found the caverns cool in summer, warm in winter.

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:	10212206

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References