Black Rock Mine (Black Rock Tungsten deposit), Black Rock Canyon, Banner Ridge, Chidago Mining District, Benton Range, Mono County, California, USAi
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 40' 60'' North , 118° 31' 0'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Benton | 280 (2011) | 15.5km |
| Sunny Slopes | 182 (2017) | 18.9km |
| Swall Meadows | 220 (2017) | 22.6km |
| Mesa | 251 (2011) | 29.5km |
| Round Valley | 435 (2011) | 30.0km |
A former W-Cu-Mo mine located in secs. 14 & 23, T3S, R31E, MDM, in Black Rock Canyon, 5.5 km (3.4 miles) ESE of Banner Ridge (coordinates of record) and about 7½ miles S of Benton, on National Forest land. Discovered in 1917 by A.E. Beauregard. First produced in 1928. Owned by the Union Carbide Nuclear Corp. Operated by Wah Chang Mining Corp. MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 10 meters.
Mineralization is Late Cretaceous in age and hosted in marble and hornfels. Scheelite-bearing tactite occurs over an extensive area in the crest and gently-dipping West limb of an anticlinal sequence of calcareous rocks overlain by sericite hornfels. The ores of this mine also carry some Mo. The ore body is irregular in shape, strikes N and dips W with a depth-to-bottom of 182.88 meters, a width of 365.76 meters and a length of 731.52 meters. Controls for ore emplacement included an asymmetrical anticline that plunges N; contact with pluton. Local alteration involved the formation of tactite and bleaching. Rhyolite is an associated rock. Local rocks include Paleozoic marine rocks, undivided, unit 3 (Eastern Sierra Nevada) and/or Plio-Pleistocene and Pliocene loosely consolidated deposits.
Tectonic structures include the Sierra Nevada Batholith.
Workings include surface and underground openings comprised of 5 open pits and more than a mile of level workings, raises, winzes, and stopes. several open cuts, the largest of which was planned to be 450 feet by 300 feet.
Production information: 272,591 tons total production from 1928 to 1954 averaged a grade of approximately 0.5% WO3.
Reserve resource information: There are large, unexplored areas. Exploration through facility of DMEA 1951-1954 discovered substantial tonnage of ore.
Must use high-cost underground mining methods. Low grade deposit.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| ⓘ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ Diopside Formula: CaMgSi2O6 |
| ⓘ Epidote Formula: (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) References: |
| ⓘ 'Garnet Group' Formula: X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| ⓘ Grossular Formula: Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 |
| ⓘ Hematite Formula: Fe2O3 |
| ⓘ Molybdenite Formula: MoS2 |
| ⓘ Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 Description: Occurs in sericite-hornfels. |
| ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 Description: Occurs in sericite-hornfels. |
| ⓘ Nontronite ? Formula: Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O Description: Tentatively identified from the scheelite ore bodies. |
| ⓘ Powellite Formula: Ca(MoO4) References: |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Pyrrhotite Formula: Fe1-xS |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Scheelite Formula: Ca(WO4) Description: Occurs in a garnet-amphibolite-diopside-calcite-epidote-quartz tactite as crystals up to 1.25 cm (most are microscopic). References: |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrrhotite | 2.CC.10 | Fe1-xS |
| ⓘ | Molybdenite | 2.EA.30 | MoS2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Hematite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2O3 |
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Powellite | 7.GA.05 | Ca(MoO4) |
| ⓘ | Scheelite | 7.GA.05 | Ca(WO4) |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Grossular | 9.AD.25 | Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 |
| ⓘ | Epidote | 9.BG.05a | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| ⓘ | Diopside | 9.DA.15 | CaMgSi2O6 |
| ⓘ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | var. Sericite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Nontronite ? | 9.EC.40 | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Garnet Group' | - | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Diopside | CaMgSi2O6 |
| O | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| O | ⓘ Grossular | Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 |
| O | ⓘ Hematite | Fe2O3 |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Powellite | Ca(MoO4) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Scheelite | Ca(WO4) |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Garnet Group | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Diopside | CaMgSi2O6 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Al | ⓘ Grossular | Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Diopside | CaMgSi2O6 |
| Si | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Si | ⓘ Grossular | Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Garnet Group | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Molybdenite | MoS2 |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Pyrrhotite | Fe1-xS |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Diopside | CaMgSi2O6 |
| Ca | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Ca | ⓘ Grossular | Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Powellite | Ca(MoO4) |
| Ca | ⓘ Scheelite | Ca(WO4) |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Fe | ⓘ Hematite | Fe2O3 |
| Fe | ⓘ Nontronite | Na0.3Fe2((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrrhotite | Fe1-xS |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Mo | Molybdenum | |
| Mo | ⓘ Molybdenite | MoS2 |
| Mo | ⓘ Powellite | Ca(MoO4) |
| W | Tungsten | |
| W | ⓘ Scheelite | Ca(WO4) |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10008717 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Mojave DomainDomain
- Northern Basin and RangeWide Rift
USA
- Sierra NevadaMountain Range
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.
