Radioactive Deposits 

of Nevada

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLET l]N ^1 0 0 9 - C

A CONTRIBUTION TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA

By T. G. LOVERING

ABSTRACT

Thirty-five occurrences of radioactive rocks had been reported from Nevada 

prior to 1952. Twenty-five of these had been investigated by personnel of the 

U. S. Geological Survey or of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission. Of those 

investigated, uranium minerals were identified at 13 sites; two sites contained a 

thorium mineral (monazite); the source of radioactivity on nine properties was 

not ascertained, and one showed no abnormal radioactivity. Of the other 

reported occurrences, one is said to contain uraniferous hydrocarbons and nine 

are placers containing thorian monazite.

Pitchblende occurs at two localities, the East Walker River area, and the 

Stalin's Present prospect, where it is sparsely disseminated in tabular bodies 

cutting granitic rocks. Other uranium minerals found in the state include: 

carnotite, tyuyamunite, autunite, torbernite, gummite, uranophane, kasolite, 

and an unidentified mineral which may be dumontite. Monazite is the only 

thorium mineral of possible economic importance that has been reported.

From an economic standpoint, only four of the properties examined showed 

reserves of uranium ore in 1952; these are: the Green Monster mine, which shipped 

5 tons of ore to Marysvale, Utah, during 1951; the Majuba Hill mine; the Stalin's 

Present prospect; and the West Willys claim in the Washington district. No 

estimate has been made of thorium reserves and no commercial deposits of 

thorium are known.

INTRODUCTION

Twenty-five reported occurrences of radioactive material in Nevada 

had been investigated by personnel of the United States Geological 

Survey prior to 1952 (fig. 2). (Figure 2 shows only 17 localities, 

because nine properties in the Washington district are shown as one 

locality.) Of these, 13 contained uranium minerals and two contained thorium minerals. The source of radioactivity on nine properties was not ascertained, and one proved to be barren of radioactivity.

The most promising uranium deposits include: (1) the Majuba 

Hill deposit in Pershing County, which has large reserves of low-grade 

torbernite-bearing rock; (2) the Green Monster mine in the Goodsprings district, Clark County, which shipped 5 tons of ore containing kasolite (Pb-U silicate) during 1951; (3) the Stalin's Present

63
pyramid Lake ^P$Cors°n 

Sink

8 Atlanta mine

9 Daisy mine

10 OIO Dad and ura

No. I claims

-index map of Nevada showing location of radioactive deposits,
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 65

property in Pershing County, where a small amount of pitchblende is 

present; and (4) the West Willys claim* in the East Walker River 

area, Lyon County, where both pitchblende and kasolite have been 

found.

Thorium has been reported in monazite from placer gravels near 

Round Mountain in Nye County and from pegmatities on the Old 

Dad prospect, Gold Butte district, Clark County; neither of these 

localities contains sufficient quantities to be of economic interest 

under conditions prevailing in 1952.

SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF REPORT

A brief summary of the available information on uranium deposits 

and uranium mining activities in Nevada through 1951 is presented in 

this report, which is part of a Regional compilation of data on uranium 

deposits in western United States. Most of the 'information was 

obtained during field work by members of the United States Geological Survey and is contained in hitherto unpublished ireports. 

For each locality, the location, ownership, development, geology, 

mode of occurrence, and grade of ore is summarized. The bibliography at the end of the paper lists all references to uranium deposits 

in Nevada known to the author.

All references to township and range refer to the Mount Diablo 

base and principal meridian.

The terms "equivalent uranium" (eU) and "uranium" (U) are used 

frequently throughout this report. Equivalent uranium is a measure 

of the radioactivity of a sample. The percentage of equivalent 

uranium refers to the uranium content of the sample, assuming that 

all radioactivity is a result of uranium in equilibrium with its disintegration products. Uranium content (U) refers to the actual 

amount of the element uranium as determined by chemical analysis.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The source reports are largely the work of M. H. Staatz and H. L. 

Bauer, Jr. 1 D. H. Johnson assisted Staatz at the Atlanta mine. 

D. G. Wyant, 2 R. H. Thurston and A. F. Trites, Jr., 3 prepared the 

reports on the Majuba Hill area. The information on the Green 

Monster mine was taken from an unpublished report by A. L. Brokaw *

' Staatz, M. H., and Bauer, H. L., Jr., 1951, Uranium-bearing lignite beds at the Gamma property, 

Churchill County, Nevada: U. S. Geol. Survey Trace Elements Memo. Kept. 226, 21 p.

' Wyant, D. G., 1948, Preliminary report of special investigations, Majuba Hill, Pershing County, 

Nevada: U. 8. Geol. Survey Trace Elements Prelim. Recon. Kept., 12 p.

1 Thurston, R. H., and Trites, A. F., Jr., __.., The uranium tin and copper deposits at Majuba Hill, 

Pershing County, Nevada: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull, (in preparation).

4 Brokaw, A. L., 1944, Geology and oro deposits of the Green Monster mine, Clark County, Nevada: 

U. S. Geol. Survey unpublished Report, 11 p.
66 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

and from a preliminary reconnaissance report by Staatz.6 Other 

deposits in Clark County were described by A. F. Carper in reports 

of the Union Mines Development Corporation,6 and by D. F. Hewett 

(1933). R. U. King and W. A. Roberts prepared reports on the 

Henebergh tunnel and on the Yerrington mine dump. The Daisy 

fluorspar mine was discussed briefly in a report by C. W. Chesterman 

and F. H. Main. All the unpublished investigations represented in 

this report, except the Union Mines Development Corporation reports, 

were done on behalf of the Division of Raw Materials, U. S. Atomic 

Energy Commission.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF NEVADA

Nevada is almost entirely within the basin-and-range physiographic 

province that is characterized by numerous long, narrow, northwardtrending ranges separated by wide, flat, arid basins. The rivers rise 

in the higher ranges, flow out into the desert basins (locally called 

"sinks") and disappear. A few through-flowing tributaries of the 

Colorado River, such as the Virgin River and the Muddy River, are 

found in the southeastern part of the state. The highest peak, Mt. 

Wheeler, 13,047 feet high, is in the Snake Range near the state's 

eastern border. The lowest elevation, 470 feet above sea level, is on 

the Colorado River a few miles below Davis Dam.

The geology of the state is varied and complex. Many of the 

desert ranges expose great thicknesses of sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age. In some places, these have been invaded by stocks of 

crystalline igneous rocks j in others, the sedimentary cover has been

entirely removed, exposing the ancient pre-Cambrian crystalline and

metamorphic rocks. Many other ranges, particularly those in the 

northern part of the state, are composed of Tertiary volcanic flows

and pyroclastics. Although much complex folding and thrusting has

occurred, most of the ranges owe their present pattern and relief to

differential uplift along a series of normal faults of Tertiary or

Quaternary age.

RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS

The radioactive deposits of Nevada are widely distributed. Quite 

a number of small deposits, containing secondary uranium minerals 

are concentrated in the southern part of Clark County; and another

concentration occurs in the East Walker River area of southern Lyon

I Staatz, M. H., 1951b, Reconnaissance report on the Green Monster mine, Clark County, Nevada:

U. 8. Oeol. Survey Trace Elements Prelim. Recon. Kept., 6 p.

 Carper, A. P., I044a, Report on "SOM" occurrences in the Yellow Pine or Goodsprings district, Clark

County, Nevada: Union Mines Development Corp. Rept., 31 p.

 1944b, Report on the Erie to Arden area, Clark County, Nevada: Union Mines Development 

Corp. Rept., 6 p.
t RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 67

County. The remaining known deposits are widely scattered throughout the state (fig. 2). Careful and systematic exploration, however, 

probably will reveal other regions containing uranium or thorium 

deposits.

LOCALIZATION

Primary uranium minerals had been found at only two localities in 

Nevada prior to 1952. These were the West Willys property in the 

Washington district and the Stalin's Present prospect, where primary 

uranium minerals and their secondary alteration products are erratically distributed through veins or tabular bodies cutting granitic 

rocks. Uranium minerals in the remainder of the known uranium 

deposits in the state are all secondary; the primary sources of these 

minerals are still unknown.

The two localities in the state from which pitchblende has been 

reported the Stalin's Present and the West Willys properties are 

tabular deposits in granitic rocks. On the West Willys, pitchblende 

is closely associated with base-metal sulfides in a quartz vein (fig. 3). 

At the Stalin's Present, pitchblende occurs as scattered grams in a 

thin diopside-rich layer in granitic rocks. This layer has been 

variously interpreted as a metamorphic rock and as an unusual type 

of vein, but whatever its origin, the uranium is closely associated 

with it.

On the Old Dad and Uranium No. 1 prospects, quartz-feldspar 

pegmatites cutting pre-Cambrian granites contain small bodies of 

radioactive magnetite. Chemical analyses of this rock indicate that 

the thorium-uranium ratio is about 10 to 1; although no radioactive 

minerals are visible, it seems probable from the analyses that monazite is finely disseminated in the magnetite.

Most uranium deposits in Nevada consist of secondary uranium 

minerals disseminated irregularly through fracture zones or along 

bedding planes. Deposits of this type include the Singer mine, 

Vanadium Wedge mine, occurrences at Sloan, Goodsprings, and Sutor, 

the Atlanta mine, Henebergh tunnel, Silver Pick mine and Majuba 

Hill. In all of these places, the concentration of radioactive elements 

appears to have been controlled by ground-water circulation along 

permeable zones. The blanket deposits in caliche in the Erie to 

Arden area apparently originated from the evaporation of uraniferous 

ground waters at, or near, the surface and selective absorption of 

uranium by the caliche. The lignites on the Gamma Group of claims 

also appear to have selectively removed uranium from aqueous solution, although the organic matter from which they were formed may 

have contained uranium when it was deposited. Whatever the 

origin, uranium is now somewhat concentrated in these lignites. In 

the Virgin Valley deposits, uranium is largely restricted to the opalized

297132 54 2
68 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 69

layers, and some of it was apparently deposited syngenetically with 

the opal (fig. 4). At the Daisy Fluorspar mine, the fluorite is uraniferous, although insufficient information is available on this deposit to 

indicate whether uranium was deposited contemporaneously with the 

fluorite or whether it was introduced later. The rich uraniferous 

pockets in the Green Monster mine are close to the surface in a porous, 

brecciated, contact zone between a limestone and underlying dolomite 

in the oxidized portion of a lead and zinc sulfide ore body (figs. 5 and 

6); the uranium appears to have been derived from circulating ground 

water.

FIOCRE 4.-Qeologio map and sections, west side of Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, Nov.
Contour interval 10 feet 

Datura assumed

PIOURI 5, Geologic and topographic map of trie Green Monster mine, Clark County, Nev. [Geology 

Richards, 1944. Section along A-A' shown on fig. 6.1
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 71

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72 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

MINERALOGY

The uranium deposits in Nevada consist of a variety of uraniumbearing minerals, many of which are similar in appearance. Consequently, field identifications often are tentative and frequently must 

be changed after laboratory analyses.

Minerals that seem to have been derived from previously deposited 

uranium minerals are here called secondary; those that have apparently been deposited directly from hydrothermal solutions are designated as primary. The secondary uranium minerals seldom are sufficiently abundant to be of economic importance; their chief value is 

as potential indicators of associated primary ore.

Seven uranium minerals had been identified from various places in 

Nevada prior to 1952. Table 1 summarizes pertinent information on 

these minerals.

Pitchblende is the only primary uranium mineral that had been 

recognized in the state prior to 1952. At the Stalin's Present prospect 

in Pershing County, pitchblende and gummite are associated with 

smoky quartz, calcite, and pyrite as replacements in a narrow band 

of dark-green metamorphic rock, or vein material, enclosed by rhyolitic rock of probable Koipato age (personal communication, Ralph 

J. Roberts). In the Washington district, Lyon County, pitchblende 

is found in quartz veins with copper, lead, silver sulfides, and pyrite 

in a gangue of quartz, epido.te, and barite; the oxidized portions of 

these veins contain a small amount of torbernite and some kasolite 

as well as limonite and chrysocolla.

Of the remaining six secondary uranium minerals, three (autunite,

tyuyamunite, and uranophane) are each known from one locality

only. Autunite is found as fracture coatings on clay minerals of an

altered rhyolite dike and adjacent granite at the Hennebergh tunnel; 

tyuyamunite occurs as small pellets and flakes disseminated through 

caliche in the Erie to Arden area, south of Las Vegas; and uranophane

Has been tentatively identified, from specimens on tne dump of the

Atlanta mine in Lincoln County, where it is associated with limonite, 

quartz, barite, and opal. Torbernite, at the Silver Pick claim in

the Washington district, is associated with clay gouge surrounding 

nodules containing galena, cnalcocite, and silver sulfides; whereas,

at Majuba Hiii; it coats joints and rugs in rhyolite in association

with such complex secondary copper minerals as olivenite and chalcophyllite. Kasolite, in the West Willys mine in the Washington 

district, is closely associated witU pitchblende ftflCl frfl/Se-fflOliH/l SUl"

fides and their oxidation products; here, this mineral presumably 

results from the oxidation of galena and pitchblende nearby. At the

Green Monster mine, on the other hand, kasolite is associated with
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 73

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74 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

limonite, cerussite, malachite, and . cuprite; no primary uranium 

minerals are known on this property. Carnotite is found (1) with 

calcite and manganese oxides coating fractures in rhyolite a few miles 

south of Sloan; (2) with calcite, manganese oxides, and celestite, 

coating bedding planes and fracture surfaces in sandstones of Permian 

age near Sutor and Goodsprings; (3) in opal bands associated with 

vitric tuff and ash beds in the Virgin Valley, northern Humboldt 

County.

GRADE

With one exception, the known uranium deposits of Nevada are of 

low grade. This exception is the Green Monster mine, in which small 

pockets of ore were found; specimens of this ore assayed as much as 9 

percent uranium. The richest samples from other deposits in the 

State contained less than 0.3 percent uranium. The Virgin Valley 

opal district, the West Willys and Far West Willys groups of claims 

in the Washington district, the Majuba Hill mine and the Stalin's 

Present property in Pershing County, all have uranium deposits, 

samples of which contain from 0.1 to 0.3 percent uranium. All 

other samples that have been analyzed from properties in Nevada 

contain less than 0.1 percent uranium.

ORIGIN

The known uranium deposits of the State may be separated into 

three main groups: those associated with sediments, those occurring

in igneous rocks, and those found in contact-metamorphic zones. 

These may be further subdivided into blanket deposits, vein deposits, 

and disseminated deposits. This classification of Nevada's uranium 

deposits is indicated in table 2.

The primary source of most of the secondary uranium minerals

found in Nevada remains unknown. Only in the Washington district 

and at the Stalin's Present prospect is there a close spatial association

between primary and secondary uranium minerals.

Analysis of Tertiary volcanic rocks from the Raton area of New

Mexico has shown that they contain as much as 0.004 percent uranium,.

probably as a primary constituent. If this material -were leached 

and reconcentrated at a ratio of 25 to 1, it would fall within the lower 

limit of commercial deposits and well within the limits of many of

the secondary deposits discussed in this paper. No such analyses of

the volcanic rocks of Nevada are known to the author; however, the

carnotite-bearing opal in.terbed.ded. with, volcanic tuff in tlie Virgin

Valley deposits and the uranium-bearing lignites of the Gamma

group are permissive of such a source. The concentration and

redeposition at both localities could have been accomplished by 

leaching the volcanics with slightly acid ground waters. If such
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 

TABLE 2. Mode of occurrence of uranium deposits in Nevada

75

Type of deposit

Blanket.. ________

Tabular (vein or

pegmatite). 

Do . 

Do---.......

Disseminated. _ _ _ _

Do 

Do.... ______

Sedimentary 

rocks

Singer mine.______

Vanadium Wedge 

mine. 

Green Monster

mine. 

Daisy mine_______

Goodsprings______

Sutor

Erie to Arden

area.

Country rock

Igneous 

rocks

Virgin Valley. ..__

Washington district. 

Gold Butte district. 

Stalin's Present (?)

Majuba Hill_-___-

Sloan________.___

Henebergh tunnel.

Metamorphic 

rocks

Stalin's Present

(?).

Atlanta mine.

processes of concentration have been effective, the primary uranium 

in these areas is probably diffused through the volcanic rocks instead 

of being concentrated in pitchblende in veins.

The primary source of the remaining secondary deposits in Nevada 

is probably either (1) quartz fissure veins containing pitchblende 

associated with base-metal sulfides, or (2) such minerals as uraninite 

samarskite, and allanite disseminated in minute quantities through 

granitic intrusive rocks. Most of the deposits in the Washington 

district are probably derived from veins carrying pitchblende. Those 

at Majuba Hill, the Atlanta mine, the Hennebergh Tunnel, and in 

Clark County, might be derived from either source. The uraniferous 

fluorspar at the Daisy mine might be a primary deposit from hydrothermal solutions, or the uranium might have been introduced at a 

later date from a distant source by ground waters. The data available on this property are insufficient to support a theory of genesis 

of uranium.

The thorium-bearing magnetite on the Old Dad and Uranium No. 

1 claims in the Gold Butte district appears to be genetically related 

to the quartz-feldspar pegmatites in which it occurs, and thus it may be 

classified as primary.

MINE DESCRIPTIONS 

CHURCHILL COUNTY

Radioactive lignites have been found at the Gamma group (fig. 2) 

on the western side of the Desatoya Range in southeastern Churchill

297132 54 3
76 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

County. Five lignite beds, ranging in thickness from less than 1 

foot to about 4 feet, occur in a series of interbedded, poorly consolidated clays and sandstones of Tertiary age, several hundred feet 

thick, overlain by volcanic rocks. The areal extent of the lignite 

beds was not determined, and no uranium minerals have been 

identified in them.

GAMMA GROUP

By M. H. Staatz and H. L. Bauer, Jr.

The Gamma property consists of two claims the Gamma No. 1 

and the Gamma No. 2 in the Buffalo mining district in T. 16 N., 

R. 30 E., Mt. Diablo principal meridian (No. 4, fig. 2). The claims 

were located November 30, 1948, by Fred F. Erb and Cleo Erb of 

Fallon, Nevada (Staatz and Bauer, 1951).

The property is in a group of low hills, about 300 yards west of the 

Gold Trail mine. This property is reached by traveling east from 

Fallon on U. S. Highway 50 for 63 miles, turning right on a dirt road 

for 5 miles, and turning left on a narrow dirt road for 2.5 miles to the 

Erb residence. The Gamma property is 2 miles from the Erb residence on a small private road.

In 1950, the mine workings consisted of a 30-foot tunnel, inclined 

at 5°, and a trench 10 feet long, 380 feet northwest of the tunnel.

The rocks on the Gamma property consist of gently-dipping, 

poorly indurated, friable sandstones and clays of late Tertiary age 

that contain five thin, clayey lignite beds, the largest of which is 

about 3% feet thick. These rocks are overlain by dark-red volcanic 

rocks, some of which appear to be rhyolite flows. The sedimentary 

strata, on the average, strike east and dip north at angles ranging

from 2° to 21°; at places, laov^ever, some of tb.e beds strike north, and

dip at low angles to the east. Most of the lignite beds are underlain 

by Kgtt to dark clay seams. The sandstones are friable unconsolidated rocks with a bluish-gray cast produced by grains of darkblulsh Volcanic rocks. Tlie lignite beds are composed of Kglxt-krown

to black carbonaceous material, intermediate in character between 

peat and lignite. Most beds are underlain by light- to dark-gray

day. It is soft and porous, shows many imprints of leaves and bark, 

and has greenish-yellow-stained clay along some of the pax-tings.

is common on bedding planes in the lignite, but it is not 

found in the surrounding sediments. The ash content of the lignite

ranges from 59 to 75 percent. Five lignite beds were found in a section of sediments 10 feet thick. The No. l, No. 2, and No. 4 beds 

flf6 I6SS t/Jlflli 0»3 feet thickj clavey; and of little economic interest. 

Bed No. 3 averages 0.6 feet in thickness, and the one sample taken 

contained 0.052 percent uranium in the lignite and 0.095 percent in
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 77

the ash. Bed No. 5 averages 3.5 feet in thickness, and the uranium 

Content ranges from 0.006 to 0.059 percent in the lignite and from 

0.008 to 0.100 percent in the ash.

The lignite beds are exposed almost continuously for 1,285 feet. 

Both north and east of the exposed area the lignite is covered by slope 

wash.

CLARK COUNTY

Eight radioactive deposits in Clark County have been investigated. 

At the Green Monster mine (figs. 2 and 5) in western Clark County, 

a vein deposit contains kasolite (lead uranium silicate) and an unidentified yellow uranium mineral associated with cerussite, calamine, 

and the secondary copper minerals malachite, azurite, and cuprite. 

Undetermined minerals give positive tests for uranium at the Singer 

and Vanadium Wedge mines in the same vicinity. Carnotite, associated with calcite and manganese oxide, coating fractures in rhyolite 

is exposed in a railroad cut a few miles south of Sloan. In the Gold 

Butte district, undetermined minerals cause radioactive anomalies in 

pegmatite dikes cutting pre-Cambrian granite. Hewett (1923) 

mentions two occurrences of carnotite coating fractures in sandstones 

and shales of Permian age. One of these is 2 miles west of the 

town of Sutor and the other is 2 miles north of Goodsprings; both are 

in the Goodsprings mining district. Tyuyamunite coats caliche over 

a large area of valley fill south of Las Vegas; this may be a part of the 

same deposit as that reported by Hewett.

GOODSPRTNGS DISTRICT

Most of the known uranium occurrences in Clark County are in 

the Goodsprings district in the southern part of the county (No. 12, 

fig. 2). The geology and ore deposits of this area have been thoroughly described in U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 162 

(Hewett, D. F., 1931).

Stratified rocks, ranging in age from upper Cambrian to Recent, 

are exposed in the Goodsprings area; these rocks have an aggregate 

thickness of approximately 13,000 feet. The lower 8,500 feet consists 

of rocks of Paleozoic age, in which limestones and dolomites predominate. Above is 4,000 feet of Triassic and Jurassic rocks consisting largely of sandstones, shales, and conglomerates, with 600 feet of 

limestone near the base; these rocks are overlain unconformably by 

Tertiary stratified gravels and pyroclastics and by Quaternary valley 

fill. The total thickness of these younger rocks reaches 500 feet in 

some places. Large masses of granite porphyry and a few small 

lamprophyre dikes were intruded near the center of the district in 

late Cretaceous or early Tertiary time. During middle Tertiary 

time a series of pyroclastics and flows of varying composition was
78 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

erupted from several centers in the southern part of the area. At 

some time prior to the granitic intrusion the area was subjected to 

compressive forces which resulted in open folding in the older rocks 

of Paleozoic age, close folding in the younger rocks of Paleozoic age, 

and culminated in a series of thrust faults. This intense deformation 

was followed by the development of northward-trending block 

faults, which occurred at intervals during middle and late Tertiary 

time.

Gold, copper, lead, zinc, and silver were deposited in fractures and 

breccia zones around the intrusives; these deposits show a crude zoning with gold nearest the intrusives, copper is in an intermediate 

position, and the lead-zinc-silver deposits are the most remote. Ah1 

of these deposits are in rocks of pre-Permian age. Three of the uranium occurrences are associated with base-metal sulfides in Mississippian limestones and dolomites, two are associated with manganese 

minerals in sandstones and shales of Permian age, one is a fracture 

coating in Tertiary rhyolite, and one coats caliche capping Quaternary 

valley fill. All appear to be late deposits formed by ground water.

GREEN MONSTER MINE

The Green Monster mine (No. 11, fig. 2), in sec. 1, T. 24 S., R. 56 

E., near the California State line (Staatz, unpublished report), i& 

leased by Fred Smith of Las Vegas.

The mine was the source of considerable tonnage of zinc and lead 

ore, and the mine workings are extensive. The workings explore a 

steeply-dipping, mineralized breccia zone and consist of more than 

2,300 feet of drifts and crosscuts in three main levels, extensive stopes 

on three separate ore shoots, and several shafts, winzes, and raises 

(G. W. Walker, written communication). The deposit has been

worked for lead, zinc, and copper minerals to a d&pth 01 380 f86t. 

The ore deposit is irregular in thickness and is localized by a shear

zone in the Bullion dolomite member of the Monte Cristo limestone of 

Mississippian age. Secondary uranium minerals occur in a zone 1 to 

2 feet thick on the footwall side of the ore body. Kasolite and an Unidentiftea uranium, mineral are associated witk malachite, azurite,

cuprite, cerussite, calamine, and limonite in a yellow, earthy ore as 

replacement deposits in the upper stope. Selected specimens assayed 

as high as 9 percent uranium.

Most of the uranium is in the upper stope, and the grade decreases 

rapidly with depth; 0.057 percent uranium is the highest value obtained 80 feet below the upper stope. Reserves are evidently smaU\ 

and only one shipment of 5 tons, containing 1.00 percent U308 , had

been made by the end of 1951.
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 79 

SINGER AND VANADIUM WEDGE MINES

Two other mines the Singer and the Vanadium Wedge in the 

vicinity exploit base-metal deposits in Mississippian limestones and 

contain some uranium minerals.

The Singer mine (No. 17, fig. 2), in sec. 18, T. 25 S., R. 58 E., Mt. 

Diablo principal meridian, has yielded 1,200 tons of lead-zinc ore. 

It was owned in 1944 by Charles Beck of Las Vegas, Nev. The mine 

workings consist of several short adits, pits, and shafts in a shattered 

block of the Bullion dolomite member of Mississippian age, which has 

been thrust over the Bird Spring formation of Pennsylvanian age. 

Coatings of secondary green and yellow uranium minerals were observed on joint surfaces and bedding planes in the limestone. Samples 

assayed from 0.04 to 0.051 percent uranium (G. W. Walker, oral 

communication).

The Vanadium Wedge mine (No. 16, fig. 2), 7 miles southwest of 

Goodsprings in T. 25 S., R. 57 E., has yielded one carload of copper 

ore, which was reported to have contained 20 percent copper. In 

1944, the mine was owned by Frank Williams of Goodsprings. The 

workings consisted of a short adit and a small side drift in the Monte 

Cristo limestone of Mississippian age. The ore is in an iron-stained 

fault zone and consists largely of malachite and azurite. No uranium 

minerals were visible in the mine workings, but the copper ores gave 

positive fluorescent bead tests for uranium. No assay data are

available.

SIOAN

Carnotite, associated with calcite and manganese oxide, has been 

reported by Hewett (1923) as fracture coatings and in small veinlets 

cutting rhyolite porphyry a few miles south of the town of Sloan 

(No. 14, fig. 2). The exposures of carnotite are in a railroad cut along 

the Southern Pacific right-of-way, and no attempt has been made to 

determine the extent of the occurrence. A sample submitted by E. 

M. Thompson of Rope Hill, Va. to the Atomic Energy Commission, 

contained 0.017 percent equivalent uranium.

SUTOE

Hewett (1923) describes carnotite showings in sees. 29 and 30, T. 

24 S., R. 60 E., west of Sutor (No. 15, fig. 2), and in sec. 14, T. 23 

S., R. 58 E., a few miles north of Goodsprings. The carnotite at both 

localities forms joint and fracture coatings, associated with manganese oxide, calcite, and celestite, in sandstones of Permian age. 

Near Sutor, the carnotite is stratigraphically below a prominent limestone; near Goodsprings, it is stratigraphically above it. At both 

places, several small pits have been excavated, but no production is 

recorded.
80 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

ERIE TO AJtDEN AREA

By A. F. Carper

Low-grade secondary uranium minerals in caliche occur in alluvium 

of Quaternary age between the railroad stations at Erie and Arden 

(No. 13, fig. 2) in the same general region as the carnotite deposits 

discussed above. Alluvium occupies an area roughly 12 miles long 

by 4 miles wide in the valley, and near the surface it is cemented by 

caliche. Pits and railroad cuts in the alluvium expose a layer of caliche, 1 to 5 feet thick, which contains scattered small blebs and patches 

of tyuyamunite. The caliche is estimated to contain approximately 

0.025 percent uranium.

OLD DAD AND URANIUM NO. 1 CLAIMS

The Old Dad and Uranium No. 1 claims, in T. 18 S., R. 70 E., Mt. 

Diablo principal meridian, Gold Butte mining district (No. 10, fig. 2), 

are owned by R. F. Perkins and Fay Perkins of Overton, Nev. The 

discovery pits in pre-Cambrian(?), feldspar-quartz-biotite, pegmatitelike bodies contain monazite(?) associated with magnetite that is 

abnormally radioactive. Samples from the pits contain as much 

as 0.41 percent equivalent uranium, and 0.03 percent uranium (G. W. 

Walker, oral communication).

HUMBOLDT COUNTY

Uraniferous opal, and locally carnotite, occur in the Virgin Valley 

opal district, near the Oregon State line. The uraniferous opal 

constitutes discontinuous layers, as much as 6 feet thick and onehalf mile long, in vitric tuff and ash beds of Tertiary age. The tuff 

and ash contain sparse uranium minerals.

VIRGIN VALLEY OPAL DISTRICT

By IVt. H. Sta.a.t=s and H. !L_ Bauer, Jr.

The Virgin Valley opal district is on the Virgin Valley ranch in 

T. 45 N., R. 26 E., Mt. Diablo principal meridian, in tne Skeldon Game

Refuge (No. 1, fig. 2). The district is 88 miles east of Cedarville,

Calif., and 41 miles West Of iDenio, Nev., which, is 1O2 miles northwest

of Winnemucca (Sfcaatz and Bauer, 1951). Uraniferous opal despoits 

have been found on 19 claims, located by Jack Crane and Toni Crane 

of Oswego, Oregon, during July and August of 1950, along both the 

east and west sides of the Virgin. Valley. Before the discovery of 

Uranium, minerals, about 20 small pits had been dug on the east side 

of the Virgin Valley in prospecting for opal. During the summer of 

1950, a 315-foot bulldozer trench and 12 small pits were dug on the 

east side of the valley.
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 81

Gently-dipping tuff and ash beds, at least 300 feet thick, capped 

by a basalt flow and coarse gravel, crop out in Virgin Valley. Greenishgray, vitric-tuff beds, consisting largely of glass fragments, ranging 

from 0.5 mm to 30 mm in diameter, predominate. On the east side 

of the valley, fine-grained, chalk-white ash beds are composed partly 

of clay minerals interbedded with the tuffs. These beds are probably 

altered feldspathic tuffs.

The uraniferous opal is in discontinuous layers, as much as 6 

feet thick and half a mile long, that are parallel to the bedding of 

the ash and tuff. Four of seven opal layers on the eastern side of 

the valley are abnormally radioactive, and four of 15 opal layers 

on the western side are abnormally radioactive (fig. 4). The opal in 

most places is in tuff beds, but on the east side of Virgin Valley some 

layers, especially the more translucent varieties, are in the ash beds. 

Uranium is the radioactive element in the opal. Powdery yellow 

carnotite commonly occurs as fine coatings on parting planes and 

fractures in the opal, and at one locality it forms thin laminae in the 

opal. Some of the opal that shows abnormal radioactivity contains 

no visible carnotite. Samples of uraniferous opal taken on the 

eastern side of the valley contain from 0.002 to 0.12 percent uranium, 

and samples from the western side contain from 0.002 to 0.047 

percent uranium.

Because of the low grade of these deposits, they were not considered 

to be of economic importance in 1951.

LINCOLN COUNTY

Uranium has been reported from only one locality in Lincoln 

County, the old Atlanta mine, in T. 6 N., R. 68 E., Mt. Diablo 

principal meridian. Areas of abnormal radioactivity occur in a silicified breccia zone between limy dolomite and an intrusive rhyolite 

porphyry. An unidentified, canary-yellow uranium mineral (uranophane?) was noted at one place. The gangue consists largely of 

clay minerals, hematite, limonite, quartz, calcite, opal, and barite. 

Material from the dump contains about 0.2 ounce of gold to the ton.

ATLANTA MINE

By M. H. Staatz and D. H. Johnson

INTRODUCTION

The Atlanta mine is on the west side of a hill, several hundred 

feet high, at the northwestern end of the Wilson Creek Range in 

Lincoln County, Nevada. This mine is in the Silver Park mining 

district in T. 6 N., R. 68 E., Mt. Diablo principal meridian, 52 miles 

by road from Pioche (No. 8, fig. 2).
82 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

The Atlanta property was patented on July 8, 1912, by Elmer Bray. 

It consists of the following 10 claims: Atlanta Home, Atlanta No. 1, 

Atlanta No. 2, Atlanta No. 3, Atlanta Strip, Atlanta Strip No. 1, 

Hillside, Sparrow Hawk, Pactolian Fraction, and Belle. In 1950, it 

was owned by the Richmond Chemical Corporation of 1201 North 

Nevada Street, Carson City, Nev.

The property was visited during the winter of 1949 and 1950 by 

Charles Towle of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, and part of 

the dump was sampled.

The present owners report no production from the mine prior to 

1948. In that year, 1,200 tons of dump material was shipped to the 

Kennecott Copper Company's smelter in McGill, Nevada, to be used 

as siliceous flux. According to L. D. Gordon of the Reconstruction 

Finance Corporation, this material averaged about 0.2 ounce of 

gold per ton. The material was sampled by the Kennecott Copper 

Company and was reported to average about 0.2 percent uranium. 

The Reconstruction Finance Corporation took 192 samples on the 

surface and in the workings down to the 200-foot level. Results of 

radiometric and chemical analyses for uranium of 30 of these samples 

are given in table 3. The dump of shaft No. 2 and the 100- and 200- 

foot levels were sampled by the authors, and radiometric traverses 

were made across the dumps and on the 100-foot level. Mine workings consist of two shafts, a raise, a winze, crosscuts, and drifts. Three 

small levels have been driven from the first shaft above the 100-foot 

level. A vertical shaft (No. 2) is 240 feet northwest of the first shaft. 

Three levels, the 100-, 200-, and 400-foot, take off from the second 

shaft. The 100-foot level has 583 feet of workings. On a crosscut 

80 feet from the shaft, a winze extends downward for about 80 feet, 

and a raise extends from this level to one of the sub-levels driven from 

the old shaft (No. 1). At the far end of the 100-foot level the workings 

on the old shaft were reached by a 16-foot raise. The 200-foot level 

has 1,200 feet of workings. The 400-foot level was not visited. A 

large dump, containing an estimated 10,000 tons of material, surrounds 

the vertical shaft (No. 2), and a small dump of about 2,000 tons 

surrounds the old shaft (No. 1).

6EOLOGY

A zone of silicified breccia, at least 150 feet wide, lies betwe.en a 

limy dolomite on the east and a porphyry on the W6St. ThlS brCCCla 

has been mineralized and contains gold, silver, and uranium. The 

dolOffllte iS a gray lock containing some chert, and effervescence 

Was noted at only a few places after the application of acid. Horn 

corals were noted in one place. To the west of the dolomite, a porphyry (not exposed in the immediate vicinity.of the mine)-appears
83

TABLE 3. Sample data, Atlanta mine, Lincoln County, Nev.

["R. F. C." samples were taken when mine was being considered for a Reconstruction Finance Corporation 

loan. A, channel sample; B, chip sample, C, grab sample]

Type of 

sample

C- .

C _ -._--

CL ....

C .... .

C - 

A__ 

B

B. _-.-_._

B-.- _

B -..-.

B -----

B -----

B-_ _-

B -----

B -_ 

B...._...

A.......

A .....

A... .....

A.-...._

A ... -

A_, ---__-

A.. ------

A -----

A -----

A -.-..

A_------

A -----

A -----

A.. --_.-.

A.-._...

Field No.

SJ-6-50

SJ-7-50

SJ-8-50

SJ-9-50

SJ-10-50

SJ-11-50

SJ-12-50

SJ-13-50

SJ-14-50

SJ-15-50

SJ-16-50

SJ-17-50

SJ-18-50

SJ-19-50

SJ-20-50

SJ-21-50

SJ-22-50

SJ-23-50

SJ-24-50

SJ-25-50

SJ-26-50

SJ-27-50

SJ-28-50

SJ-29-50

SJ-30-50

SJ-31-50

SJ-32-50

SJ-33-50

SJ-34-50

SJ-35-50

SJ-36-50

Material sampled

High-grade, dump_-_____-___-___

Dump... _ ____-___-_-___---_-_-_

Dump __ ___.----_-.___-_-_-_-_

Dump __ _____________________

Dump __ __--_-_--___--__-__.-

100-ft. level, replaced breccia. _____

100-ft. level, replaced breccia....--

200-ft. level, replaced breccia __ _

200-ft. level, replaced breccia _ ___

200-ft. level, replaced breccia _ __.

200-ft. level, replaced breccia _ __-

200-ft. level, replaced breccia __ __

200-ft. level, replaced breccia...---

200-ft. level, replaced breccia. _ _ _

200-ft. level, replaced breccia __ ._

200-ft. level, replaced breccia _ ___

Composite R. F. C., surface. __.

Composite R. F. C., surface __ ___

Composite R. F. C., surface _ ____

Composite R. F. C., surface. ___

Composite R. F. C., 100-ft. level. _

Composite R. F. C., 100-ft. level. _

Composite R. F. C., 100-ft. level. _

Composite R. F. C., 100-ft. level. _

Composite R. F. C., 200-ft. level __

Composite R. F. C., 200-ft. level. _

Composite R. F. C., 200-ft. level. _

Composite R. F. C., 200-ft. level. _

Composite R. F. C., 200-ft. level. _

Composite R. F. C., 200-ft. level..

Composite R. F. C., 22-ft. level. ._

Equivalent uranium 

(percent)

0.054

.004

.007

.008

.003

.010

.012

.013

.008

.002

.004

.007

.010

.007

.003

.005

.001

.001

.001

.001

.001

.002

.003

.005

.002

.005

.007

.002

.003

.001

.001

Uranium 

(percent)

0.041

.004

.004

.007

.003

.010

.011

.010

.005

.002

.004

.008

.006

.003

.003

.003

.002

.002

.002

.002

.002

.003

.006

.002

.004

.006

.003

.004

.002

.001

.001
84 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

at the ends of some of the western crosscuts. This rock is a finegrained, light-gray porphyry with occassional quartz phenocrysts. 

Between these two rocks is a silicified breccia, at least 150 feet thick, 

with a curved north-south trend. From the underground workings, 

it appears to dip in a westerly direction at about 45°. The partly 

silicified fragments indicate that the breccia contains both dolomite 

and porphyry. Charles C. Towle,. Jr., of the Atomic Energy Commission, states that the structure is interpreted as the edge of a Tertiary volcanic vent, piercing sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age. 

The vent represents an explosion pipe, filled with lava, and the zone 

of breccia is a ring-like remnant of explosion breccia lying between a 

dolomite wall of the original pipe and the porphyry which constitutes 

the central lava column of the vent.

ORE DEPOSITS

The ore deposit was formed by replacement of the silicified breccia. 

Some areas were completely replaced by soft clayey material high in 

hematite and limonite. Vugs are common in vein material and frequently contain crystals of calcite, quartz, opal, and barite. No 

copper minerals are visible on the dump or in the ore zone of the mine, 

but small amounts of chalcanthite have formed on the walls of the 

200-foot level in some places. Uranium occurs sporadically within 

the mineralized area. In three places on the 100-foot level, readings 

of 20 were obtained on the 0.2 scale of a Geiger counter. One of 

these areas at the bottom of the No. 2 shaft had an exposed length 

of 16 feet. On the 200-foot level, areas adjacent to the shaft are 

uraniferous but the remainder of this level is filled With radon gas, 

and therefore the readings on the Geiger counter were not reliable. 

No uranium minerals were positively identified, but a canary-yellow, 

non-fluorescing, pulverulant mineral associated with calcite has been 

tentatively identified as uranophane. The Iarg6 dump surrounding 

shaft No. 2 showed some abnormal radioactivity. Readings on the

Geiger counter suggest an equivalent uranium content of about 0.05

percent.

LYON COUNTY

In the eastern part of Lyon County, within an area of about 20 

square miles along East Walker River, uranium-bearing quartz fisSUTe VeiJlS are knOWfl On the claims in the Far West Willys group, the 

Northwest Willys group, the West WffljB group, the Silver Pick 

property, and the Boerlin Ranch area; and radioactivity 1$ KUOWn in 

the Grant View hot spring. The uranium-bearing minerals pitchblende, kasolite, and torbernite are associated with copper-silverlead minerals. The radioactivity of the hot springs probably results 

from radon gas. A reported radioactive occurrence near Yerington 

was investigated with negative results.
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 85 

WASHINGTON DISTRICT

By M. H. Staatz and H. L. Bauer, Jr.

The deposits are in Tps. 7 and 8 N., R. 27 E., Mt. Diablo principal 

meridian (No. 7, fig. 2), in a region of rugged topography at altitudes 

of 5,000 to 6,400 feet. They can be reached from Yerington on the 

north by paved State Highway 3 and 30 miles of dirt road (Staatz 

and Bauer, 1953). The area is underlain by a porphyritic granite 

of probable Jurassic age, which is cut by aplite and perthite-quartz 

pegmatite dikes. To the east, the granite is overlain by coal-bearing 

shales and sandstones of Tertiary age.

FAR WEST WILLYS GROUP

The Far West Willys group of claims is about 1 mile west of the 

East Walker River in sees. 5 and 6, T. 7 N., R. 27 E. It was located 

in 1949 and 1950 by Warren Loose, 0. A. Kerlee, J. R. Ford, and 

L. 0. Kerlee. The area was prospected for silver in the 1880's, and 

the old workings include two 40-foot shafts, two adits totaling 200 

feet, and several small trenches. Nine quartz veins more than 

2 inches wide, which strike east, dip steeply, and are surrounded by 

envelopes of silicified and argillized granite, crop out on the claims. 

The ore shoots are thin lenses and aggregates of epidote, chrysocolla, 

tenorite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, galena, and argentite. Uranium 

minerals have not been identified, but samples from a selected ore 

pile contain as much as 0.14 percent uranium. Only four of the 

veins yielded material containing over 0.01 percent uranium.

NORTHWEST WILLYS GROUP

The Northwest Willys group is in sec. 29, T. 8 N., R. 27 E., Mt. 

Diablo principal meridian, and consists of two claims that were 

located in 1950 by Warren Loose, 0. A. Kerlee, J. R. Ford, and L. 0. 

Kerlee. The claims have been developed by two short bulldozer 

cuts and two small prospect pits.

Two quartz veins that trend east-northeast and dip steeply are 

exposed on the property. One of the veins contains a pod of pyrite, 

chalcopyrite, galena, secondary copper minerals, limonite, and quartz 

that is 8 feet long and 0.7 foot wide. This pod shows the highest 

radioactivity on the property. A channel sample across the pod 

contained 0.03 percent uranium.

WEST WILLYS GROUP

The West Willys group consists of seven claims on both sides of a 

tributary canyon about a mile west of the East Walker River, in sees. 

32 and 33, T. 8 N., R. 27 E., Mt. Diablo principal meridian. The 

group is owned by Warren Loose, L. O. and O. A. Kerlee and J. R. 

Ford. Four zones of quartz veins were found in the area covered by
86 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

the West Willys, West Willys No. 2, West Willys No. 4, and the West 

Willys No. 7 claims.

The West Willys claim (fig. 3), on the north side of the canyon, is the 

most promising prospect in the area. Two quartz veins, with an 

average trend of N. 67° W. and steep dips, are exposed for a distance 

of 250 to 300 feet; their thickness ranges from a few inches to 3 feet. 

The veins consist of gray or milky quartz cut by fine veinlets of sericite and contain a few small drusy cavities. Chrysocolla, chalcocite, 

chalcopyrite, galena, and manganese oxides are sporadically distributed along the hanging wall of the veins. The radioactive material consists largely of a few grains of a dull-black mineral, probably 

pitchblende, that occurs with the copper-lead minerals. An orangeyellow alteration product of the pitchblende in the central part of 

the western vein has been' identified as kasolite. Geiger-counter 

readings as high as 6 divisions on the 2.0 scale were obtained on the 

property. Channel samples scattered along the two veins contained 

from 0.001 to 0.087 percent uranium; two select-grab samples from 

the dump contained 0.11 and 0.072 percent uranium, respectively.

The West Willys No. 2 claim is near the top of a ridge 1,500 feet 

north of the main canyon. The old workings consist of a shaft 30 feet 

deep, near the center of the vein, and several small pits. A quartz 

vein, 500 feet long and less than a foot wide, strikes N. 40-65° E. 

across the property, and dips 75° NW. The vein, which is bordered 

by zones of silicified granite, contains a small amount of barite, 

galena, chrysocolla, chalcopyrite, and chalcocite. A channel sample 

across the vein assayed 0.002 percent uranium, and a selected dump

sample contained 0.022 percent uranium.

The West Willys No. 4 claim, on the south side of the canyon, has

been developed by a small shaft, three opencuts, and three small

prospect pits. A 200-foot shear zone on the claim, trending N. 49° E., 

contains a number of quartz veins less than a foot wide. These veins

consist of white quartz, containing ctrysocolla,, ser-icite, chalcocite,

chalcopyrite, and galena, which occur either in thin layers along the 

footwall or as scattered pods. TKe parts of the veins that Contain 

the suifides are the most radioactive. Two channel samples across

the vein assayed 0.003 percent uranium.

The West Willys No. 7, or Old Washington claim, 900 feet north of 

the main canyon, was mined for silver betWMtt 1880 and 1900, and

the old workings include seven adits and three small open cuts. Two 

narrow shear zones, containing gouge and quartz veins, cross the

claim in echelon. One zone strikes N, 77° W, and dips 80° s.; the

other strikes N. 51° E. and dips 73° NW. Several small, east-trending 

silictfied zones also crop out. The individual veins range from less 

than 1 inch to 1% feet in width. Pockets and streaks, consisting largely
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OP NEVADA 87

of epidote, chrysocolla, barite, chalcopyrite, galena, chalcocite, and 

argentite (?), occur sporadically in the veins. Specks of a dull-black 

radioactive mineral, probably pitchblende, were found with the sulfides in one place. Analyses of 17 channel and grab samples contained from 0.002 percent to 0.018 percent uranium; only two of the 

samples contained more than 0.01 percent uranium.

SILVER PICE PROPERTY

The Silver Pick property in sec. 35, T. 8 N., R. 27 E., is owned by 

L. W. Osborne and Art Baseman of Yerington, Nev. The original 

location was made in 1935 for silver. Uranium minerals were not 

discovered until 1950. The workings consist of two shafts (about 

30 feet deep), small adits, and trenches. A northeast-trending shear 

zone contains gouge and scattered blebs of quartz in a granitic country 

rock. Some of the quartz nodules contain galena, chalcocite, and 

silver sulfides. The gouge contains local concentrations of a platy, 

light-green mineral, which has been tentatively identified as torbernite. The most radioactive sample that was analyzed contained 0.013 

percent uranium and came from altered granite adjacent to the shear 

zone.

BOERIIN RANCH AREA

A radioactive fault zone trending -northeast in granite was noted 

2 miles north of the old Boerlin ranch in sec. 18, T. 7 N., R. 27 E. 

The highest radioactivity noted occurs in an area about 1 foot square, 

and a sample taken from this area contains 0.009 percent uranium.

GRANT VIEW HOT SPRING

The Grant View hot spring is in a bend of the East Walker River 

Valley in sec. 8, T. 7 N., R. 27 E., Mt. Diablo principal meridian; 

the spring is covered by the Grant View No. 1 claim belonging to 

Warren Loose, 0. A. Kerlee, J. R. Ford, and L. 0. Kerlee. The water 

near the source was slightly radioactive when collected, but when 

analyzed a few weeks later this water contained only 0.020 ppm of 

uranium. The abnormal radioactivity is probably caused by radon 

gas. A sample of sand from near the spring contained 0.002 percent 

uranium.

YERESTGTON PROPERTY

By R. U. King and W. A. Roberts

The Yerington property, owned by the Anaconda Copper Mining 

Company, is in Mason Valley 1% miles west of Yerington, the county 

seat of Lyon County. The property includes parts of sec. 16, 17, 20 

and 21, T. 13 N., R. 25 E., Mt. Diablo base and meridian (No. 5, 

fig. 2). The Singatse Range, which is composed of volcanic and
88 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

sedimentary rocks of Triassic or Tertiary age, rises abruptly to an 

elevation of about 7,000 feet, 5 miles to the west of the property. 

Mining activity in the area dates from about 1865, when, attempts 

were made to mine copper and precious metals from rocks of Tertiary 

age on the eastern slopes of the range. The geology and ore deposits 

of the Yerington district have been described in detail in Professional 

Paper 114 (Knopf, Adolf, 1918). No production is recorded on the 

Yerington property because development has not proceeded beyond 

the exploratory stage. Exploratory development consists of numerous 

churn- and diamond-drill holes (placed on a 200-foot grid), a 400-foot 

shaft, and an estimated 5,000 feet of drifts and raises. Sixteen thousand tons of low-grade copper ore is estimated to be present on the 

dumps of this property. Because of flooding, access to the mine 

workings was not possible at the time of examination.

The purpose of this examination was to investigate the deposit that 

had shown a 0.03 percent U3O8 content for a sample collected from 

a dump. The examination was made during the period from October 

15, to October 19, 1948. At about 75 stations on the dump, Geiger 

counts ranged from background to about 4 times background with 

an average slightly over background. The sample of rock exhibiting 

the greatest radioactivity assayed only 0.005 percent U. A reconnaissance with car-borne radiometric equipment was made of the 

Yerington mining district in conjunction with examination of the 

property, and it included approximately 15 square miles on the eastern 

flank of the range. Two samples of rhyolite of Tertiary age were 

taken where increases in radioactivity were noted. The results are 

shown in table 4.

The Anaconda Copper Company has developed a iow-grado disseminated copper deposit withvn. a quartz monzonite porphyry stock. 

Over the entire dump there is little variation in the character of this

porpnyry, except in the degree of mineralization and oxidation. Most 

of the dump is appreciably oxidized, but a few smaii portions show

very little oxidation of the primary copper minerals which consist

chiefly of disseminated chalcopyrite. Where oxidation has been intense, the alteration of the copper minerals produces stains and coatings of malachite and azurite, and, in rare instances, it produces a

darlv reddlSll-brOWn copper oxicle on ri-aotux-o sxurfa,cos and joint pln.n.es.

No radioactive minerals were identified, but the highest radioactivity

was associated with heavy coatings of azurite on slightly mineralized

porphyry at one spot on the dump. Selected specimens of this rock

assayed 12.42 percent copper arid O.OO6 percent TJ3O8 - A. grab sample

km the same area assayed 11.64 percent copper and 0,001 percent

U3 08 .
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 89

TABLE 4. Sample data, Yerington property, Lyon County, Nev,

.Sample No.

RUK-8-48-.--

RUK-9-48-.--

RUK-10-48...

RUK-11-48---

RUK-12-48...

RUK-13-48.--

RUK-14-48...

RUK-15-48...

Description

Weakly mineralized quartz monzonite

porphyry, highly iron stained. Dump

No. 3.

Weakly mineralized quartz monzonite

porphyry, little oxidation, relatively

fresh gray rock. Dump No. 4.

Quartz monzonite porphyry with heavy

coatings of malachite and azurite.

Dump No. 8.

Selected pieces showing highest radioactivity, otherwise same as RUK10-48.

Copper and iron-stained quartz monzonite porphyry. Dump No. 12.

Copper and iron-stained quartz monzonite porphyry. Dump No. 14.

Miscellaneous station 7,500 ft. west of

Yerington property. Unmineralized

Tertiary rhyolite.

Miscellaneous station 2% miles SSW.

of Yerington property. Unmineralized Tertiary rhyolite.

Cu 

(percent)

0. 60

2. 25

11. 64

12.42

1.39

5.90

. 11

.04

U3 08 

(percent)

!

0. 005

.001

i

.004

.006

.004

.004

.004

.001

NYE COUNTY

HENEBERGH TUNNEL, AREA

By R. U. King and W. A. Roberts

A reconnaissance examination was made of the property of the 

Henebergh Brothers, at Round Mountain, Nye County (No. 6, 

fig. 2), by the authors during the period from October 19 to October 23, 

1948 for the purpose of verifying the presence of uranium ore in the 

Henebergh tunnel, as reported in the Mining Press, Reno, Nevada, 

July 1948. Radiometric traverses were made of the tunnel and surrounding areas, including abandoned mines on Round Mountain, 

the Green Top claim, the Four Aces claim, and other prospects east 

of Round Mountain. The geology and ore deposits of Round Mountain have been described in some detail by Ferguson (Ferguson, 

H. G., 1922). Seven chip samples and three grab samples were 

taken from radioactive rock in the Henebergh tunnel. One grab 

sample was collected adjacent to the portal of the tunnel, and one 

grab sample was taken from radioactive material on the dump of a 

shallow shaft on the Green Top claim. The Henebergh tunnel was 

mapped in detail (fig. 7), and reconnaissance examinations were made
90 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

Fault, showing dip; dashed 

where approximately located

FIOTOE 7. Detafled geology of Henebergh tunnel, Nye County, Nev.

of prospects in the surrounding areas. The tunnel is in sees. 31 and 

32, T. 10 N., R. 44 E., Mt. Diablo base and meridian. At the time

of the examination, the property waa owned by John A. and Perry A.

Henebergh of Round Mountain and was under lease and option to 

the Nevada Uranium Production Company of Tonopah. The property consists of seven contiguous lode claims named the Rainbow

Nos. 1 to 7. Development on the property consists of a 320-foot 

adit running approximately S. 55° W. into a low ridge. Six shallow

cuts are strung out on a line extending N. 55° E. from the portal of

the adit following a rhyolite dike for a total distance of 1,500 feet. 

No production has been recorded from this property.

Granite of Ad!esozoic age makes up> tlxe country rock in tJh.© ~vioini6y

of the Henebergh claims. Locally, this rock varies slightly in composition and texture and may be classed as quartz monzonite or 

granodiorite. It is a light-gray to pink, medium-grained rock,

composed chiefly of quartz, orthoclase, and subordinate biotite* 

Scattered thin dikes of aplite and small masses of pegmatite cut the 

granite but show no apparent structural control. A highly altered

rhyolite dike crops out in the area. It is almost completely altered 

to a soft, friable, clay-like material with a chalky or creamy-white
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 91

color. The Henebergh tunnel was driven along this dike for 320 feet 

and exposes fault contacts on both sides of it. The dike has an 

average strike of N. 55° E. and dips vertically or steeply SE. It 

ranges in width from 5 to 6 feet at places where both walls are exposed 

in the tunnel. On the surface, the dike is traceable only by scattered pits and trenches for approximately 2,000 feet, and it probably 

pinches out to the northeast and southwest of the tunnel. Megascop ically visible uranium minerals are confined to coatings of fracture 

and fault surfaces. Small flakes, 1 to 2 mm in diameter, and aggregates of yellowish-green, tabular, fluorescent secondary uranium 

minerals are tentatively identified as autunite. Considerable iron 

staining was noted in these fractures and fault surfaces in the rhyolite and along its contacts with the granite.

About 1 mile southwest of the Henebergh tunnel, a copper-bearing 

quartz vein is exposed in a shallow shaft on the Green Top claim. 

This vein is 1 to 2 feet wide, strikes N. 50° E. and dips 50° SE. It 

consists chiefly of banded and vuggy quartz and some quartz crystals. 

Green copper stains are common, and a few dull yellow stains are 

present. The quartz vein material on the dump is abnormally 

radioactive.

The association of small amounts of secondary uranium minerals 

with highly altered rhyolite on the Henebergh property gives little 

promise of a commercial deposit. The lack of alteration of wall 

rocks and the absence of replacement of the dike by uranium minerals indicates a very weak source of mineralization. The secondary 

uranium mineral present is confined to coatings on joint and fracture 

surfaces. Assays of samples from the Henebergh tunnel are given 

in table 5.

DAISY FLUORSPAR MINE

By C. W. Chesterman and F. H. Main

The Daisy fluorspar mine is in sec. 7, T. 12 S., R. 47 E., about 

5 miles east of Beatty (No. 9, fig. 2). The ore mineral, an earthy 

purple fluorspar, occurs in veins and pipe-like bodies that have been 

mined to a vertical depth of 400 feet. The country rock is a silicified 

dolomitic limestone. Samples of fluorspar (table 6) contained from 

0.002 to 0.015 percent equivalent uranium. Figure 8 shows the 

workings and geology of the mine. A more recent report by Thurston 

(Thurston, R. H., 1949) describes the fluorspar deposits of the Daisy 

mine in detail.

PEBSHINQ COUNTY

A brecciated stock of rhyolite porphyry has intruded slates and 

phyllites of probable Triassic age at Majuba Hill in the Antelope 

district. Both the stock, and the rocks that it intrudes, have been
92 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

TABLE 5. Sample data, Henebergh tunnel area, Round Mountain district, Nye

County, Nev.

Sample No.

RUK-16-48__-_

RUK-17-48 _

RUK-18-48 _

RUK-19-48 .

RUK-20-48..--

RUK-21-48.--

RUK-22-48 .

RUK-23-48--

RUK-24-48 .

RUK-25-48 _

R UK-26-48.--

RUK-27-48 __

Description

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 100 ft. Chip sample

15 ft up east rib and across back of tunnel. Altered rhyolite.

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 100 ft. Five-foot

vertical chip sample, west rib, granite.

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 225 ft. Six-foot

vertical chip sample, east rib, granite.

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 225 ft. Six-foot

chip sample across back, rhyolite.

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 225 ft. Four-foot

vertical chip sample, west rib, granite.

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 150 ft. Grab sample

of broken rhyolite showing maximum concentration of fluorescent mineral and highest radioactivity, east rib at floor.

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 300 ft. Three-foot

vertical chip sample, east rib, rhyolite.

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 300 ft. Six-foot

horizontal chip sample along east rib, rhyolite.

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 315 ft. Grab sample

from west rib near floor. Mostly granite.

Henebergh tunnel, portal plus 119 ft. Grab sample

at floor, east rib.

Henebergh tunnel, grab sample of gravel from open

cut 70 ft outside of portal.

Grab sample of vein quartz from dump of discovery

shaft on Green Top claim. Silver assay 87 oz

per ton. Copper assay 0.66 percent.

U3 08 

(percent)

0.002

.001

.015

.005

.002

.050

.021

.008

.014

.011

.001

. 014

TABLE 6. Sample data, Daisy fluorspar mine, Nye County, Nev.

Sample No.

C-32-122-__--

C-32-123.....

C-32-124___._

C-32-125----

C-32-126----.

C-32-127......

C-32-128 

Thickness (in

feet)

5. 5

6,0

4. 0

4.0

4.0

6.0

Description of sample

Fluorspar, earthy, purple, soft. .......

clayey gouge in seams. 

Fluorspar, earthy, purple, sof t. ...____ _

Fluorspar, earthy, purple, wft....- -

Fluorspar, mill concentrate, 80 percent CaF2,

Equivalent 

uranium

(percent)

0. 007

,007

ftl *}

. 015

.011

.008

.002
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 93

Test-outcrop station, radiometric readings shown in 

counts per minute

Base from U. S. Bureau of Mines Geology by C. W. Chesterman and F. H. Main. 1945 

FIGURE 8. Map of part of workings of Daisy mine, Nye County, Nev.
94 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

extensively tourmalinized. Cassiterite and secondary copper minerals 

are scattered in web-like masses throughout the rhyolite. The hydrous uranium phosphates, torbernite and metatorbernite, occur 

erratically along fractures and vugs within the rhyolite and occur on 

bedding and fracture surfaces in slates and phyllites.

The Stalin's Present prospect is in Rocky Canyon in the Humboldt 

Range, about 11 miles northeast of the railroad town of Oreana. The 

uraniferous deposit is in a thin layer of a dark-green metamorphic 

rock, or vein material, enclosed in granite. The layer has been partly 

replaced by smoky quartz, calcite, pyrite, pitchblende, and gummite.

MAJUBA HTLT, MINE

By R. H. Thurston and A. F. Trites, Jr.

The Majuba Hill mine (No. 2, fig. 2), 20 miles by graded dirt road 

west of Imlay in sec. 2, T. 18 N., R. 31 E., Mt. Diablo principal 

meridian, is owned by Mr. E. J. Myler of Imlay and is under option 

to Getchell Mines, Inc. The mine was originally worked for copper 

about 1907, and between 1916 and 1918 it yielded about 4,000 tons 

of ore that averaged 12 percent copper. The mine remained idle 

from 1918 until 1941, when it was re-opened by the Freeport Copper 

Company and was worked for both copper and tin. The tin deposits 

are described in U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 931-C (Smith, 

W. C., Gianella, V. P., 1942). In 1942, the present owner, E. J. 

Myler, acquired the property and mined it for copper. Sometime 

between 1942 and 1945 the principal uranium deposit was discovered, 

but there has been no uranium shipped from the mine (1951). The

mine workings are extensive and include three adit levels and more

than 5,000 feet of interconnecting workings. A report on the Majuba

Hill mine is being prepared for publication (Thurston and Trites,

in preparation); accordingly, only a brief summary of the geology and

uranium deposits is given here.

Majuba Hill is a complex rhyolite plug of Tertiary age. Five types 

of intrusion breccias and several fault breccias are associated with

the plug. The igneous complex intrudes, and has slightly metamorphosed, the surrounding argillites, quartzites, and impure limestones of Triassic( ?) age. Both, the igneous and metamorphic rocks

near the plug have been partly sericitized, silicified, and tourmalinized.

The uranium deposits at Majuba Hill mine occur in a copper- and

tin-bearing vein, in the rhyolite and quartz porphyry adjacent to the 

uraniferous vein, in fault gouge, in tourmalinized intrusion breccia, 

and in rhyolite and quartz porphyry adjacent to uraniferous breccia.

Except for the uraniferous vein, a 3-foot vein that contains an average 

of almost 0.30 percent uranium, the deposits are low in grade. 

Zeunerite, torbernite, and metatorbernite are the most abundant
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 95

uranium-bearing minerals; autunite and gummite also have been 

reported. Primary uranium minerals have not been found. The 

secondary uranium-bearing minerals are associated with sooty 

chalcocite, pyrite, and arsenopyrite in the uraniferous vein in the 

Copper stope; with chalcocite, malachite, and pyrite in the rhyolite 

and quartz porphyry adjacent to the uraniferous vein; with copper 

minerals in the intrusion breccia; and with iron oxides in the fault 

gouge.

Radon, which may indicate buried uraniferous deposits, was found 

locally in the mine.

STALJN'S PRESENT URANIUM PROSPECT

By M. H. Staatz

The Stalin's Present uranium prospect (No. 3, fig. 2), is 11 miles 

northeast of the railroad town of Oreana and about 5 miles above the 

mouth of Rocky Canyon in the Humboldt Range. It was located in 

sec. 6, T. 29 N., R. 34 E., by E. J. Bottomley and A. V. Smith of 

Lovelock, Nev., in December 1948. The prospect is owned (1951) 

by E. J. Bottomley and Felix Turillas of Lovelock. In 1951, the 

workings consisted of a small pit and 25-foot trench connected with 

a 63-foot adit. A detailed description of the geology of the prospect 

is given by Staatz (195la). 7

The Stalin's Present uranium prospect is underlain by a light-gray 

granite near the contact with metasedimentary rocks.

The uranium at the Stalin's Present prospect is in a layer, less than 

1 foot thick, of a dark-green metamorphic rock composed of diopside, 

epidote, and chlorite that has been partly replaced by stringers of 

.smoky calcite and quartz. This layer trends northward and dips 

steeply eastward in a light-gray granitic country rock. At places, 

the granite adjacent to the diopside rock is radioactive.

R. F. Johnson and G. W. Walker of the U. S. Geological Survey, 

who visited this property in connection with the Defense Minerals 

Administration program, interpret the geology somewhat differently 

from Staatz. They say: . . . "Rocks exposed in the vicinity of the 

workings are metasediments intruded by a dike or tongue of quartz 

porphyry. The metasediments, which according to Jenney (1935) are 

probably Triassic in age, consist of silicified grit beds and shales. 

Alteration along north-striking shear zones locally has caused the 

development of white mica in both the metasediments and the quartz 

porphyry. The quartz porphyry dike is about 75 feet wide, and 

strikes nearly north. It was not mapped north or south of the workings so it may be related either to a granite porphyry mass to the

r Staatz, M. H., 1951a, Stalin's Present uranium prospect, Pershing County, Nevada: U. 8. Qeol. 

Survey Trace Elements Memo. Kept. 223,15 p .
96 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

southeast or to a granitic intrusive exposed about 600 feet southwest 

of the workings and reported by Jenney to intrude both the metasediments and the granitic porphyry.

Narrow, discontinuous, north-trending veins of diopside-rich rock 

transgress the quartz porphyry. The owner (Mr. Bottomley) believes 

there are 3 such veins on the property, but exposures are not good 

enough to rule out the possibility of some repetition by faulting."

Samples analyzed by the U. S. Geological Survey contained pitchblende and gummite. The pitchblende occurs as scattered grains in 

the diopside rock, and the gummite forms thin coatings on fracture 

surfaces in the adjoining granite. Three channel samples taken 

across the layer of diopside rock contained from 0.042 to 0.060 percent 

uranium. One chip sample contained 0.18 percent uranium.

OTHER REPORTED OCCURRENCES

The following reported occurrences of uranium and thorium in 

Nevada have not yet been investigated by personnel of the U. S. 

Geological Survey: (1) the Pinon Range, 15 miles south of Palisade 

in Eureka County, where a uranium-vanadium-bearing asphaltite 

has been reported (Gianella, 1945); (2) monazite-bearing placer 

gravels in the Genou, Alder Gulch, Gold Basin, and Mountain City 

districts of Clark County, the Tule Canyon district of Esmeralda 

County, the Birch Creek district of Lander County, the Carson City 

district of Ormsby County, and the Manhattan and Round Mountain 

districts of Nye County (A. F. Carper 8). Following is a list of analyses of samples submitted by citizens of Nevada to the U. S. Geological 

Survey (table 7).

8 Carper, A. F., 1945e, Reconnaissance of placer and opalite deposits in Nevada: Union Mines Development Corp. Rept., 35 p.
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 97

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CONCLUSIONS

Commercial exploitation has not yet been made of the uranium on 

any prospects in Nevada (table 8), with the exception of the Green 

Monster mine, which shipped a few tons of ore to Marysvale, Utah, 

in 1951. Adverse factors affecting exploitation include: low-grade 

ore and small reserves, complex nature of the ore, and great distance 

to markets. If a commercial plant for milling and concentrating the 

secondary uranium phosphates were established in the region, the 

torbernite at Majuba Hill might constitute a valuable by-product 

from the mining of the copper and tin ore.

It should be emphasized that only a relatively small part of Nevada 

has been adequately prospected for uranium. The wide distribution 

of known occurrences within the state encourages the hope that further, and more detailed, exploration will reveal uranium deposits of 

economic value under current market conditions.
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 101

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TABLE 8. Uranium deposits in Nevada arranged alphabetically by 

Location

Township

Range Section

Reference 

No. 

(flg. 2)

Character of deposits

Type Country rock Min

Httmboldt County 

Virgin Valley Opal district.45 N. 26 E. 1 Deposited in 

opal.

Opalized tuff and 

ash.

Carnotite, o

Lincoln County 

Silver Park district

6N. 68 E. _._.. 8 Breccia zone__ Silicifled dolomite 

and porphyry.

Uranophan

nite, cal

barite, op

I,yon County 

WifwAhtfton district 

Northwest Willy)

group (2clahns).

claims). 

Sflver Pick claim _ _....

Grant View hot spring..

Boerltn Ranch... .....

Yerlngton Anaconda

Copper property.

8N.

8N.

8N.

7N.

7N.

13 N.

27 E.

27 E.

27 E.

27 E.

27 E.

25 E.

29

32-33

35

8

18

7

7

7

7

7

5

Veins. ____ ..

.....do ____ ..

Hot spring ...

Veins..

Porphyritic granite.

.. _ do...... .....

.....do..............

Porphyritic granite .

Galena, py

pyrite, 

quartz.

lite, galen

Cu oxide

chalcocit
RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS OF NEVADA 103

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104 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOLOGY OF URANIUM

LITERATUBE CITED

Ball, S. H., 1907, A geologic reconnaissance in southwestern Nevada and eastern

California: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 308, 218 p. 

Dake, H. E., 1941, History of Virgin Valley, Nev., largest opal field: Am.

Mineralogist, v. 9, no. 1, p. 7-8, 22-24. 

Ferguson, H. G., 1922, The Round Mountain district, Nevada: in Contributions

to economic geology, U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 725, p. 383-406. 

Frondell, J. W., and Fleischer, Michael, 1952, A glossary of uranium and thoriumbearing minerals, 2d ed.: U. S. Geol. Survey Circ. 194, 25 p. 

Gianella, V. P., 1945, Bibliography of geologic literature of Nevada: Nev.

Univ. Bull., 205 p. 

Gordon, C. P., 1928, The Virgin Valley, Nev., opal deposits: Mining Review,

v. 30, p. 7-8. 

Hewett, D. F., 1923, Carnotite in southern Nevada: Eng. and Min. Jour.-Press,

v. 115, p. 234-236. 

 1931, Geology and ore deposits of the Goodsprings quadrangle, Nevada:

U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 162, 172 p.

(1954, in preparation), Geology and mineral resources of the Ivanpah

quadrangle, Nevada-California: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper . 

Hill, J. M., 1916, Notes on mining districts in eastern Nevada: U. S. Geol.

Survey Bull. 648, p. 114-120. 

Jenney, C. P., 1935, Geology of the central Humboldt Range, Nev.: Nev. Univ.

Bull., v. 29, no. 6, p. 17-18. 

Knopf, Adolph, 1918, Geology and ore deposits of the Yerington district, Nevada:

U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 114, 68 p. 

Lincoln, F. C., 1923, Mining districts and mineral resources of Nevada p. 157.:

Reno, Nevada, Newsletter Publishing Co., 

Matson, E. J., 1948, Investigation of Majuba Hill copper-tin mine, Pershing

County, Nev.: U. S. Bur. Mines Kept. Inv. 4378, 10 p. 

Smith, O. C., 1946, Identification and qualitative chemical analysis of minerals:

D. Van Nostrand Co., 351 p.

Smith, W. C., and Gianella, V. P., 1942, Tin deposits at Majuba Hill, Pershing

County, Nev,; U, S, Geol, Survey Bull. 931-C, 55 p.

Spurr, j. E., iocs, Descriptive geology of Nevada south of the 40th parallel and 

adjacent parts of California: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 203, 229 p.

Staatz, M. H., and Bauer, H. L, Jr., 1951, Virgin Valley opal district, Humboldt

COUnty, Nev.: U. S. Qeol. Survey Giro. 14S, 7 P.

 1953, Uranium in the East Walker River area, Lyon County, Nev.:

U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 988-C.

Thurston, R. H., 1949, The Daisy Fluorspar deposit near Beatty, Nye County,

Nev.: U. S. Geol. Survey Strategic Min. Inv. Prel. Rept. 3-209, 10 p. 

Vanderberg, W. 0., 1936, Reconnaissance of mining districts in Pershing County,

Nev.: U. S. Bur. Mines Inf. Circ. 6002, 57 p.

 1937, Reconnaissance of mining districts in Clark County, jsrev.. .-

U. S. Bur. Mines. Inf. Circ. 6964, 81 p.

 1938, Reconnaissance of mining distriota in Humboldt County, Nev.:

U. S. Bur. Mines. Inf. Circ. 6995, 54 p.

1939, Reconnaissance of mining districts in Cnurenill Counts

U. S. Bur. Mines Inf. Circ. 7093, 57 p.
INDEX

Page

Acknowledgments.______________ 65-66

Anaconda Copper Mining Co________ 87-88

Atlanta mine___________ 64,75,81-84, fig. 2

geology.................... 82-84, tables 2 and 3

history of mining_____________ 81 

secondary uranium minerals.._____ 67 

uranophane......................... 72, table 1

Autunlte.________.______ 72, table 1

Boerlln Ranch area, geology_________ 87

Carnotlte............................ 74, 77, table 1

Churchill County, mine descriptions...._. 75-77,

tables 7 and 8 

Clark County, mine descriptions..._____ 77-80,

tables 7 and 8 

Conclusions__________________ 100

Daisy fluorspar mine. ___. ___ 64, 66, 91, fig. 2 

geology......._....... 91, flg. 8, tables 2 and 6

uranium_. _______________ 69, 75

Desatoya Range______.________ 75-76

"Equivalent uranium" (ell), term_____ 65

Erie to Arden area___________ 64 80, flg. 2

geology ___ .....__ 80, table 2

tyuyamunlte........ _. ..... 72, table 1

uranium.______...._,___.. 67

Far West Willys group, 

geology.............

grade of ore.. .. .

history of mining...

Gamma group...________. _ 64, 76-77, flg. 2 

geology.__.______.___ 76-77, table 2 

history of mining______. _____ 76 

lignites......................... 67, 74, 75, 76, 77

Geography.._.__.___...____..... 66

Gold Butte district, uranium....__ 77, 80, table 2

Goodsprlngs district..... 77-79, tables 7 and 8, flg. 2

caraotlte..._____._______ 74, table 1 

geology............ ................... 77-78

secondary uranium minerals..._____ 67

Grant View hot spring...________.__ 87

geology...._......... .............. 87

Green Monster mine........__ 63, 64, 65, 78, fig. 2

geology..._______ 78, table 2, figs. 5 and 6 

grade of ore________________ 74 

history of mining..---.-.-.-..-...._ 78

kasollte........................... 72,77,table 1

uranium.............._..........._.. 69

Henebergh tunnel area........ 64,66,75,89-91, flg. 2

autuntte..________,_____ 72, table 1 

geology.......___ 89-91, tables 2 and 5, flg. 7

history of mining . _________.. __ 89-91 

secondary uranium minerals____... 67

Humbolt County mine, descriptions.____ 80-81,

tables 7 and 8

Faga

Introduction.:.......... ................... 63-66

Kasollte.. . 72, table 1

Lincoln County, mine descriptions. ___ 81-84,

tables 7 and 8

Lyon County, mine descriptions...___... 84-89,

tables 7 and 8

Majuba Hill mine....... 63,64,65,67,75,94-95, flg. 2

geology...... - -_ 94-95, table 2

history of mining.__ __..._.... 94

torbernite______________ 72, table I

Mine descriptions, other occurrences 96, table 7

Mineralogy.___._________ 72-74, table 1

Mines. See under name of mine

Nevada, general description.---..... ... 66

Northwest Willys group.... ______.. 85

geology.... -- - 85

history of mining.__ __._...... 85

Nye County, mine descriptions............. 89-91,

tables 7 and 8

Old Dad and Uranium No. 1 claims___... 64,

65,75,80, flg. 2

geology________ ..________ 80" 

history of mining___ ________ 80 

radioactive magnetite _ . 67,75

Pershlng County...._.... 91-96, tables 7and 8' 

Pitchblende... . 67,72, table 1

Radioactive deposits... ....... . 66-75

grade of ore . . 74 

localities. . . - 67 

mineralogy. . . 72 

origin...... ... 74-75, table 2

primary minerals___. . ... 67 

secondary minerals... ...... 66,67

Sliver Pick property.......-.-...... -.- 87

geology ----------- . ......... 87

history of mining__. ..... . 87

secondary uranium minerals ..____ 67 

torbernite...--..---------- 72, table 1

Slngatse Range ................... ..... 87,88

Singer mine_................. ........79, flg. 2

geology - 79, table 2

history of mining.__ . 79 

secondary uranium minerals _._.... 67

uranium____.___ ___.... 64

Sloan mine______._-__ 64,79, table 2, flg. 2 

caraotite _ .-. ... 74,table! 

secondary uranium minerals _ _ 67

Stalin's Present prospect... .63,64,65,74,95-fl6, flg. 2

geology...__......._____.. 95-96, table 2

gummite._._____-__-_ 72, table 1 

history of mining..__ _.. 95 

pitchblende 67, 72, table 1

105
106 INDEX

Page

Sutor mine___.-.._._______ 64, 79, fig. 2 

carnotite____.____-...-..-. 74, 79, table 1 

geology.___ - - ...-__-._--__- 79, table 2 

secondary uranium minerals..... __.. 67

Torbernlte.____..---_.___.___ 72, table 1 

Tyuyamunlte ---------------- 72, 77, 80, table 1

Union Mines Development Corp..-.--..___ 66 

Uranium analyses, samples by county and 

district........... 97-99, table 7

Uranium deposits, by county and district. 101 -103,

table 8 

"Uranium" (U), term..__________ 65

Uranophane___________ 72,81,84, table 1

Vanadium Wedge mine..........._....- 79, fig. 2

geology.__.________-..___79, table 2 

history of mining......................... 79

secondary uranium minerals_______ 67 

uranium._____.________ 64

Faga

Virgin Valley opal district.......... 64, 80-81, fig. 2

carnotite.._____________- 74, table 1 

geology.__________ 80-81, table 2, fig. 4 

grade of ore..___ _____ 74 

history of mining.......__.__.. 80-81

Washington district........ 64, 85-87, table 2, fig. 2

pitchblende-______ ___ 72, 75, table 1

West Willys group.................. 65, 85-87, fig. 3

geology............. . 85-87, fig. 3

grade of ore_____________ 74 

history of mining... 85 

kasolite.......... ............... 72, table 1

pitchblende.... . . 67

Yerlngton property.........__ 64, 66, 87-89, fig. 2

geology...._........__.___ 87-89, table 4

history of mining... . ............... 88

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