Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1906-07-21
GEOLOGY OF
MANHATTAN

be read with interest by miners of
the Nevada districts: The geological
features and the ore deposits of Man
haitian are marked by granite uplifts,
occurring three miles easterly and
southeasterly of Manhattan, fitting the
everything sedimentary beds, generally
northwesterly, though there are local
variations in the degrees and direction
of dip, in superficial areas, according
to foldings and faultings of the forma-
ton, according to longitudinal and
lateral pressure; to meteoric influences
and forces eroding and cutting the
country as evidenced in gulches and
deeply scored canyons. Traversing the
country, too, are numerous eruptive
dykes, mostly porphyry, which have
local influence upon the strike and
dip Of the stratifed rocks.
Resting upon the Archaen granite
are extensive beds of Cambrian quartz
ties, blended through conglomerates
into beds Of carboniferous limestones,
and everything the limestones are
schists and shales. All through this
region the strata has been more or less
squeezed open, along the bedded planes,
in many places being c~ontorted, twisted
and partially folded. This is chiefly
the result of intense pressure, just as
the leaves of a book may be c~ontorted
into s~erpentine folds, crsatDg erratic
separations and openings between the
leaves by hand pressure. And into
these spaces, forced open in the strata,
have seeped and flown acid waters,
charged with solutions of silicon, com
ing from silicious rocks, thus filling, by
sedimentation, in liberation and percip-
~itation, forming quartz in deposits and
lenses and veins, various in form and
magnitude. And these silicious inter-
%polations thus become part of the
general formation-of the country
rocks, cropping with the uplifted dip
ping strata, and many such openings,
thus filled with quartz, or altered lime
stones, bear the appearance of assure
veins. Some are of considerable mag
nitude, and with the aqueous solutions
emanated from below, laterally and
above, was also deposited gold.
Through the country rocks acid waters
percolated, dissolving elements that by
precipitation filled the vein-like len.
ticular spaces. These waters acted
strongly upon the limestones, especial
ly following lines of cross-fracture
veins, occur calcites, -four spar anG
silicious auriferous deposits of much
value.
Along the openings and fractures,
also in the schists and shales, usually
conformable to the strata, are lenticu,
lar veins and other veins and. deposits
bearing gold in quartz, limestones anC
gangues made up Of the country rocks
and frequently dispositions of gold Occur
in a of the rocks. The gold-bear
ing rocks Of the schists and shales Il
over 100 feet in depth, are stained will
iron oxides and the rock is somewha'
decomposed.
Very rich gold-bearing rock in thu
|, schists and shales, as well as in tn,
limestones, have been discovered dur
ing the past few months within
mineral belt; in fact, all the importan
gold-bearing rocks revealed to dat,
have been found within the confines o
a mineral belt or zone, defined by tn
( areas Of disclosures. And, although
E similar and like conditions ~geologicall
e exist beyond, with possible auriferou
and other ore deposits. Mining clair
d locations within this belt are now mos
popular, even only as simply minini
S claim locations with but prosperity
y values. Such now comand prices O
t $500 to $4,000 per claim, according t
d locality and conditions, while any mir
( ing claim within this belt, irrespectiv
e of conditions and showings, is consider
e ed for its possibilities of rich ore d.
posits, a very valuable acquisition
notwithstanding the fact that, in az
d cordance with all sense and reason an
judgment, as based upon geologici
features, occurrences and conditions
ore deposits, there are many claim loci
y tons therein that will not bear aur
ferrous rocks, neither will they bel
other ore deposits of economic impor
:: ance. However, there are now sever
good mines, yet, numerous, that wou
b command prices of $25, 900 to $500, 90
lr and many sales have been made. NJ
= merous other good mines will be d
h. veloped.
ID This belt covers an area appro,
Ia mating six miles in length and two
tn three miles in width, yet hundreds
mining claims have been staked ov
a section approximating ten miles