Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1875-04-02

\ ~ 80 -
mountain was devoid Of fossils. From
recent discoveries on the southwestern
slope, that opinion is modified. o
sill remains of organized beings are
subjects of geology; so a few observa'
tons as facts upon the geology and
metallurgical classification of the ore
of the south western slope of Prospect
mountain may interest many Of your
readers, or those who may he in pur-
suit of mines. The many who have
taken in hand to write glowing pane
gyrics on the mines of Prospect
mountain; cause vague and
impressions abroad from the fact of be-
ing impracticable are incapable of ex
aiming or inspecting what they write
about; consequently this class is Of
more injury than service to this min
ing district. M
Ruby Hill and Secret Canyon, ex.
treme ends of Prospect mountain. are
upon %occasions) ably represented in
the columns of the SENTINEL, whilst
this grand old mountain, with its great
metallic wealth destined to become the
| SIICtt dIICtIVk III Iu &c Will
lively unknown. a
The elevation Of this mountain above
the seas level cause its mines, during
the Winter months, to he buried in
snow, and may, in a measure, account
FOR the Incredibly and skepticism in
regard to the extent and value of its
metallic bearing lOdss.
Prospect mountain, though a por-
ton of the Diamond range, stands
alone, like many Of the great silver
deposits of the world, confined to iso-
lated and limited localities, rs has been
demonstrated by the explorations OF
centuries in the mines of Europe, Mex
leo and South America. Prospect
mountain, as seen from a distance OF
| six or eight miles east or west, has the
arch or dome shape of the jurassic or
cretaceous period, and by the testi-
mony of a little shell of the sea, char
acteristic OF the c~retaceous period.
| The bivalve, or ancient cookie, found
in the stratified limestone, as well a.
coral and imperfect casts or impress
siOns of those shells, demonstrate The
fact that Prospect mountain has once
been as low as the ocean or that the
ocean has once been as high as Pros
| pect mountain. sJr.ss
So far as has been examined, one or
two of the dolomite ridges are tomb
stones upon which the buried dead
have written their own epitaphs. They
tell us not only who they were and
when aud where they lived, but much
also of the circumstances under which
they lived. The fossil remains of ali
times not only tell US the physical con-
ditiOn of our globe, but also the age OF
rocks. Prospect mountain embraces,
undoubtedly, of the richest min
ing regions OF Eastern Nevada. The
western slope is more precipitOlis than
the eastern, for denudation, atnos-
pheric action and other causes have
dIsintegrated the country rock and
oxidized the surface ores. Deep IA
vines furrow, and bold limestone bluffs
wall up some of the CANYONS. The
country rock is of a dark, BLUSH gray
| colored limestone, united with q dark
er riband like structure, whence the
name OF las, or layers, was probably
del lived.
Near the base is found q belt, or
zone, of quartzite running parallel
with the major axis of the mountain.
| The lodes on this slope have a remark
able tendency soto arrange themselves
| that the line Ot their direction il paral.
lei to the longitudinal axis of the
mountain, which is, by compass, 22I
degrees west of north aud IN degrees
east Of south and dip east. The great
metallic producing lodes Ut the Pacific
Coast are 0ncased in the oldest rocks,
and the greater part Of those found in
the tertiaries have IN eastern dip.
What is the cause OF metallic lOdes
dipping eastf This, like many
other phenomena connected with
our globe, may bs explained
away by cosmical influence. The
hiurnal revolution OF our globe is
the cause of assure veins dipping east.
1t Is the primary aus of tides and
may be The cause of our two fold en-
velop, aeriel and liquid oceans. 1t h
certainly the cause OF ocean and at
mOspheric currents. The cause OF the
recurrence of cyclones, and, perhaps,
the primary cause OF the volcanic re-
action Of the interior of our globe on
its solid crust, and may have more t.
do with other phenomena, such a. the
emapati0ns OF light ut the poles and its
magnetic tension than cOsmical in1u-
ence. The mineral belt on this slope
il seven miles long and about one mile
wide The ores are auriferOus, argen
tiferous, plumbiferous and cuprifer'
Ous; argentiferous and auriferous
lead ores, occurring in stratitied lime
stone near the summit, with a quart.
zose and terrnginous gangue, the met
allurgical classification which results
In defining them as Oxidized carbon
ated and auriferous lead ores, oxidized
chloride. and sulphuretted silver ore
and quartzOse, blue and green carbon
ates OF copper. Many OF these oxi
died ores contain more gold than sill
YER, while those sulphuretted ores o
tain more silver than gold, and the
calculus of probabilities iavors The
idea as depth is attained, that the oxi
died surface ores will be replaced by
sulphuretted ores. In many of thest
surface pres are seen spots and streak'
Of sulphursts, which sufficiently sus'
tains the above Hypothesis. Not only
Is there q variety u Oxidized lead ore,
containing gold and silver, but the exist
ence OF chloride and su1phuret Of sil'
yer in Quartxose matrix will enable thu
mesallurgist to make one a~rgentifer
Gus ore serve as q fax for tho other
With unity O~finterasts among the min