Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1904-05-14
LONE MOUNTAIN
MINING DISTRICT
The Ore Deposits Are Very
Rich In This Region.
The Properties Visited by the Writer
Include the PaymaSter, Utopia,
Esperanto and Alpine.

NeOlogyi ana was written
by Professor j. E. Spur, the noted
geologist, who spent several months
last year in this section:
The ore deposits of this region are
situated within a moderate distance
of two masses Of intrusive granite
rock, one of which makes up Lone
Mountain Peak proper, while the
other lies IN the lower mountains to
the south. The properties visited
by the writer include the Paymaster.
Esperanza, Utopia and Alpine, the
Weepah district, and numerous other
mines and prospects. The first three
mentioned all belong in the same
class, being small, nonpersistent
quartz veins in Cambrian limestone
and slate. These veins are generally,
but not always, parallel with The
qualification. They follow crushed
zones or selvages formed by move
ment in the limestones, possibly at.
teudant upon faulting. The ore in
the veins consists of small amounts of
rich silver.copper sulphides, with
some galena, pyrite, and secondary
minerals such as c~hrysocolla, limonite
and probably chloro bromides of
silver.
The Alpine mine is situated near
the contact Of the Lone Mountain
granite with a series Of metamorphic
marbles and some interbedded schists.
IN the marbles are seams of ore par
allel with the qualification. Small
quartz seams containing galena are
low grade silver r These lead
into bodies Of mixed galeua and ar.
gentifeI u lead carbonate, which
widen out into irregular pockets and
constitute the ore that is mined. The
ore bodies follow a certain horizon
around a bill, with lesser seams above
and below. Diorite sheets and cross.
cutting bikes are frequent but are
not in any way associated with the
ore.
The area OF intrusive granite above
noted as lying south Of the Lone
Mountain granite is marked by con
siderable contact metamorphism in
the limestone and shale into which it
IS intrusive. On its eastern side this
contact metamorphism has been &C.
companied by some mineral deposi.
ton. There was here noted, inter.
stratiied with schistose states and
crystalline lim~estones, a metamor.
phosed belt about go feet wide and
traceable for a long distance. This
0 n Is characterized by epidote, gar.
net, chalcopyrite, ~calcite, magnetic,
speeular iron, pyrite, and galena,
with certain secondary minerals
~chrysocolla, limonite, and Others.
Some of the material gives fair as
says for silver, some shows gold, and
SOME il is claimed contains a consid-
cradle quantity Of tin, although this
subject has not yet been investigated
by the writer. Some silver ore from
this zone was milled at Columbus
twenty-five years ago.
Weepah is situated at the contact
OF the granite mass last mentioned,
on It's south side. 1t was discovered
IN the early part Of 1902 by an Indian,
and was located by a rancher named
James Darrough. The find caused
some excitement, and at one time
about 200 people were there. 1t was
bonded to a company for examination,
nut was not further developed. and
was deserted at the time of the
writer's visit, The openings are
very slight, consisting chiefly % "a few
pits showing blush quartz mixed
with limestone. From these were
taken a few tons of ore showing high
values in gold, with some silver, but
the ore bodies could not be followed.
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w. ID. Michigan has the best com.