Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-10-05
Formation Of Chloride Ore.

The following, which we find in the Reese
Rirer Rereize, will perhaps prove interest
ing to those of our miners who like to know
the "why and wherefore:
In the address delivered by Professor B.
Silliman, Jr., short time since, in the
streets of this city, upon the subject of the
Mineral Resources Of Lander County"
among other interesting things touched
upon was show came the ores near the sur
face to be chlorldes, while those at greater
depth were sulphurets ;" The learned Pro-
fessor, in explaining this, presented before
us the Great Basin of Nevada as once vast
sea of intensely salt water, heated and boiled
by volcanic fires, the evidence Of which can
be seen in every part of the Territory. The
action Of this hot salt water had similar
effect upon the silver-bearing veins to the
roasting Of the ores in contact with salt, as is
now done at the reduction works. Salt. as is
well known, is the chloride Of sodium, formed
Of chlorine and soda, where for long time
in contact with silver, or more particularly
with sulphuret of silver, which is silver
chemically combined with sulphur, the
chlorine having a great affinity for silver,
Joins it, displacing the sulphur, and the new
combination is chloride of silver, the ore SO
plentiful throughout this section. The SUBJ
terranean fires that heated the waters have
almost entirely disappeared, and with them
the boiling ocean. This hot water penetrated
the earth with its salt to the depth Of twenty,
forty, or eighty feet, as the rock would
permit, and whenever coming in contact
with a sulphuret ore changed it into
chloride, as we find it. In many lodes the
sLlphuret ore is not at all transformed. In
some the veinstone is very hard and appears
to have protected the sulphur from contact
with the liquid chloride Of sodium, in
others throughout the seams Of rock,
the change has taken place, while in
the central part the black sulphuret in very
pure state still exists. These sulphurets near
the surface, or where associated with chloride
ore, are considerably different from those
taken at greater depth, and appear to have
undergone a chemical change. The question
then is, how was this chemical change pro-
duced, If not by contact with hot solution Of
salt: 1t is by these means alone that the
change can be made artifcially. The pres
ence of salt is required, and salt is abundant
in the country. Heat also is required, and
there is still evidence Of the existence Of vol
canic fires. These have not yet all passed
away. Throughout the Territory, perhaps
more than in any other part Of the world, are
hot springs, still boiling, bubbling and steam
ing away. Some have become cold, others
are but warm, as if the internal fires that
heated them had receded beyond their deep
subterranean channels. The same cause that
has removed the internal heat, has probably
furnished the drain for the surface waters,
and leaves the country in the singular con-
dition of a basin, without an outlet to the sea.
The theory of the formation of chloride
ores, and the former condition of this basin,
is very pretty and quite satisfactory, and will
without doubt be generally accepted as cor.