The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-07
BY E. a. WALL.

The deposit of copper ore in the Ely
monzonite. considering its great length
and breadth. and the uniformity of dis
tributOn Of the valuable metals through
out the mass. is certainly most remarka-
bic. Whilst exploration has not yet pro
ceeded sufficiently to afford anything
like accurate information as to possible
or probable limits. sufficient is known to
warrant The assumption that workable
ores exist throughout a width. in places
at least. of nearly a thousand feet, and
for distance in length of more than five
miles, besides giving reasonable assur-
ance that work of development now in
progress will prove continuity of length
to exceed eight miles. and a width. for
a considerable portion of this distance,
of quite one-half mile.
Thus far. / believe the greatest depth
TO which the valuable ores are known to
eUtend is less than 800 feet, probably less
Than 400 feet, but I am informed that no
indication of depreciation in values has
appeared at the greatest depth yet at
tanned, and. although in view of the ma
ture of the deposition, IL seems certain
that at no great depth values must fade
out or disappear altogether, there are
present strong evidences of continuity of
the ores without material diminution in
the copper contents to depths several hun
dred feet beneath any point heretofore
penetrated, but whatever may be the ulti-
mate limit in depth, length or breadth of
this peculiar ore deposit, no one of the
present generation need worry over the
possible limit Of tons contained within its
confines.
How Like Bingham.
Mr.. Requa, in his very able and instruc-
tive address delivered at the completion
of the Nevada Northern railroad, COM
pares the copper deposits of Ely with
those which occur in the monzonites OF
Bingham as identical in character, and
very generously accords to Bingham the
credit of having only within the last two
years demonstrated the possibility of
profitable practical treatment of ores of
this class.
1t is true that the rock-monzonite-in
which the copper deposit of Bingham Oc
ours is, in so far as can be determined
Ely, and the same is true as to the gen
eral form and character Of the mineral
contents, but the presence of the copper
mineral in this unusual association at
Bingham Is due to quite different causes
TO those which prevailed in the deposit
ton of the same mineral at Ely. In both
instances the rock had been previously,
profoundly crushed. brecciated, thus af-
fording innumerable channels and minute
assures through which ascending or des-
cending Undertaking solutions freely cir
culated, depositing their metal burdens
in the intersticeS OF the broken mass.
per sulphde certain constituents of the
rock which had been first dissolved and
removed by the solvent power of those
Undertaking. waters.
Metals Differently Deposited.
At Bingham the mineral was deposited
in a manner precisely similar to that
which prevailed in the formation of the
veins of Butte. Mont. and of other deep
seated veins throughout the world l. e.
by ascending solutions. The deposit being
in natural form, an original Suiphide
which was later partially altered and
changed. in stu, by descending atmos-
pheric waters TO carbonates at and near
nd 70. oil,