Altoona Mine (Castella Corp. Mine; Rare Metals Corp. of America; Universal Silvers; Trinity claim; Blockade claim), Ramshorn Summit, Altoona Mining District, Trinity Mountains, Klamath Mountains, Trinity County, California, USAi
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
41° 8' 10'' North , 122° 32' 44'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee Creek | 217 (2011) | 14.6km |
| Trinity Center | 267 (2011) | 21.3km |
| Dunsmuir | 1,582 (2017) | 24.3km |
| Mount Shasta | 3,296 (2017) | 27.5km |
| Lakehead | 461 (2011) | 29.2km |
A former Hg-Cu-Cr-Mn mine located in secs. 22, 26 & 28, T38N, R6W, MDM, 4.5 km (2.8 miles) E of Ramshorn Summit, along the East Fork of the Trinity River, on National Forest land. Discovered in 1871. First produced before 1875. Operated 1875-1880, 1894-1901, and 1929-1945 (intermittent). Owned by the Castella Corp. and operated by Sonoma Mines, Inc. (1972). MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 250 meters.
NOTE: The relevent MRDS file contains information for this mine; however, it strays into data pertaining to the entire "district," which seemingly includes the New Almaden District, several counties away from the Altoona District. The questioned data were not included in this file.
Mineralization is a polymetallic set of deposits (Deposit model code 179 USGS model code 27c ; silica-carbonate Hg), which occur along a faulted contact of serpentinite and diorite, both of which have been replaced by quartz and ankerite through hydrothermal action. The ore body is comprised of steeply dipping tabular lenses which strike NE and dip 65NW at a thickness of 1.52 meters, a width of 60.96 meters and a length 0f 60.96 meters. Cu is in a single gossan. Chromite occursin small lenses in serpentinite. Mn occurs in Franciscan chert. Alteration is local (argillic). Local rocks include ultramafic rocks, chiefly Mesozoic, unit 1 (Trinity Ophiolite).
Local structures include 3 major shear zones.
Workings include surface and underground openings with a total length of 3,048 meters and overall depth of 182.88 meters.
Analytical data results: Assays ranged from 6.1 to 69.4 pounds/ton.
Year 1962: period to 1962: Hg: ^10-20 lbs/ton.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Ankerite Formula: Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 Description: Occurs as a secondary replacement product. |
| ⓘ Baryte Formula: BaSO4 |
| ⓘ Cinnabar Formula: HgS Description: Occurs as very large crystals in quartz and ankerite. References: |
| ⓘ 'Clay minerals' |
| ⓘ Native Mercury Formula: Hg References: |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Stibnite Formula: Sb2S3 References: |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Mercury | 1.AD.05 | Hg |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Cinnabar | 2.CD.15a | HgS |
| ⓘ | Stibnite | 2.DB.05 | Sb2S3 |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Ankerite | 5.AB.10 | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Baryte | 7.AD.35 | BaSO4 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Clay minerals' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| C | Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| C | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| O | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| S | ⓘ Cinnabar | HgS |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Stibnite | Sb2S3 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Ankerite | Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Sb | Antimony | |
| Sb | ⓘ Stibnite | Sb2S3 |
| Ba | Barium | |
| Ba | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| Hg | Mercury | |
| Hg | ⓘ Cinnabar | HgS |
| Hg | ⓘ Native Mercury | Hg |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10040731 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
- Coast MountainsMountain Range
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Klamouth RangeVolcanic Arc
- Shoofly-Olds Ferry DomainDomain
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Altoona Mine, Ramshorn Summit, Altoona Mining District, Trinity Mountains, Klamath Mountains, Trinity County, California, USA