The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-04-21

Oliin vi hiuu aIu WatVi &c iiu1
trated in Yellowstone Park, Wyo., and
other hot spring regions. The general
formation is that of a series OF andesite
and rhyolite flows of which the latest
phases are exhibited today in the es-
carpments south and west of the town
Goldfield in what are called the "mala-
pi" cliffs, which by the way are not en-
tirely ''malapi" or basalt, but are made
of two successive flows of rhyolite brec-
cia and tuff, one of which is so largely
used as the grayish purple foundation
stone in the town. Allow me here to-
correct another error. The word "mala-
pi" so commonly used here is a corrup-
ton of the Spanish "malpais" meaning
"bad land" or worthless country" and
is applied by the Mexicans to those
black or dark brown basaltic lavas which
cover such enormous areas both in New
and Old Mexico, and in parts of all the
western prairie and mountain states.
At some period a great fault occurred
which is now marked by the escarp-
ments west of town. This fault has a
general northwest course and down
throw to the east, and is traceable across
the saddle or low divide two miles south
OF town where the wagon road to Ida,
Bullfrog, etc, passes.
There are other. faults in the district
which will be accurately located after
more development work has been done.
1t is uncertain vet whether this faulting
took place before or after the general
naturalization of the district; if before,
then the faults are likely to carry paya-
BILE veins in the ore zones; if the lat
ter, her certain OF the veins will end
abruptly where they meet a fault.
Another fault noticed is the southeast
spur of Columbia mountain, where the
, effect seems to have been to throw the
course of the Jumbo vein system almost
northerly instead of nOrthwesterly, SO
: that its northern extension runs along
the eastern slope of Columbia mountain,
the ridge of which courses almost due
north.
This change in course is observed in
> the Combination Florence system, which
2 on its northern extension form the
|, Sandstorm-kendall veins.
After the faulting or perhaps contem-
| poraneously, the assuring of the region
/ occurred in a general northwest-south-
e east course, parallel with the main
! Sierra Nevada and the other mountain
2 ranges lying between Goldfeld and that
e great central uplift through the length
= of California. Probably the same forces
, which created these northwest-southeast
mountain ranges are responsible also
, for the Goldfeld and many other assure
: systems. Those forces which Gp'ifted
/ the north-south ranges OF Southern Ne
vada must have met those responsible
, for the Sierra Nevada system in numer-
$ Gus places at which points extensive fis-
, surfing occurred. Goldfield is n OF
: these points, and the junction OF these
: forces is probably the origin of all fissur-
: ing in the mining districts in the great
mineralized zone extending from Oregon
southeasterly along the boundary OF CAL
I ~ifornia and Nevada across the Colorado
) river into and across Arizona and well
. into the state of chihuahua, Mexico.
In the Goldtield district certain local
, uplifts took place of which Columbia,
!, Vindicator, Banner, Preble Cor Knicker-
+ booker mountains and Black Butte are
the main evidence today, and thus
modified the general course of the tissur-
, ing in places so that there are long tis-
ures to lee found having an east-west
course as we'll as northwest-southeast
OF these the Great Bend and Highland
mines and the cross assures in the jan
nary and Florence may be cited as ex-
amples. The Black Butte maybe termed
a ~stellate uplift, that is one in the form
of a starfish with long dykes extending
therefrom as a center to various points
OF the compass. As examples may be
mentioned the dykes on the Daisy, Yer
nal, Daisy fraction, Bull Dog, Detroit,
etc, to the northward, and those in
Mammoth, Red Rock, Ajax, etc, east
ward, and the Black Butte extension,
\ Tognoni, Monte Nideo, Red Hill, Ban
ner, ETC., to the southwark, in all of
which properties the dykes are found
trending toward Black Butte as the CEN
ter.
The concentration of assuring in the
! Black Butte center is evidently the locus
of the great and rich body in the Quart
ute mine.
Erosion has removed much of the
original surface and the ordinary eli
matte forces of heat, cold and rain has
d~isintegrated the surface in places to
considerable depth and created the
greater portion of the so-called wash,
which in many places is not material
carried down from distant points, but is
only the shattered and disintegrated rock
in place. The assures were eventually