The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-08
new DISTRICT
SAID TO Be RICH
Interesting Description of Gold Butte
in the Southern Nevada
Mineral Belt.
VALUES EXCLUSIVELY GOLD
SURFACE so FAR HAS ONLY
BEEN SCRATCHED.
(special CORRESPONDENT

Especial Correspondence
Gold Butte, Lincoln County, Nevada,
Jan. 1.-The above-named locality will
have brand new sound to those who
are intimately familiar with the names
OF Nevada's gold camps, ereat and
small. But, whether or not the sur
rounding country viii become q. great
and permanent district, one thing is
certain, for time, at least. the min
ing world viii hear more or less of
cold Butte and the practically unpros-
pected country lying northeast of Rio
vile, or that point where the Rio Vir-
gin forms a junction with the Colorado
river.
Topography.
The section Of country to be de-
scribed extends about twenty miles
north from. the Colorado, and twelve
TO fifteen miles easterly from the Vir-
gin. Beginning at the Colorado the
land rises gently some two to three
miles nOrtheTly to the base of the Riv-
er range, which, in places, rises abb
ruptly TO a height Of probably 800
feet to what is locally known as the
breaks Of the Colorado. Some five
miles easterly of the old ScanIon Cnow
Gregg 81 ferry the River range swings
gracefully around towards the north
and continues on that course for a dis
lance Of some ten miles, then swings
around to the west about three miles,
and, as Granite" mountain. diDs
downward into a debris-streWn flat.
From the northerly extension of the
River range, and about midway be-
tween its easterly and westerly crest
and Granite mountain a spur projects
outward towards the west and tern;i-
mates III high detached hills and ridges
that merge into an undulating bench
which descends down to the Virgin
river. Between the crest of. the RI yer
range and the spur, just described, is
depression deep cut by washes, ="
about four miles across in any direc-
ton, and which is locally known as
Jumbo basin. Between the spur and
Granite mountain, some three or four
miles to the north, is Cedar basin
which, during the past year or two,
has occasionally been mentioned in the
Salt Lake papers as a '1ilcely-looking
gOld-bearing locality On the south
and east the drainage is toward the
Colorado, while the Rio Virgin receives
the surplus moisture from the north
and west.
Geology.
If you are a "get-rfch-quick" boomer.
hold your bated breath, and don't pack
your grip for Gold Butte until you
devOur the rest Of this communication.
You will then have a hard think COM
ing your way and will, no doubt, wise
~ conclude to remain at home. At Ieasst
1t is hoped that you will. Fact is, the
writer Of this never yet wrote a boom
article, and has unmeasured contempt
for those newspaper liars who heguile
credulous people into desperate finan-
cial straits by unadulterated lying
about Nevada mining districts
The above is, probably a rude and
irrelevant introduction to the geology
of this region. But geology is a cold
blooded subject that interests thinking
people rather than the tOwnSite specu-
lator and iTepressible mining camp
prevaricator.
Limestone Beds.
In looking southeastward from the
crest of Granite mountain the investi-
gator of geological conditions notes
that the limestone near the mouth of
the Grand canyon, and which is the
westerly termination of the extensive
Colorado plateau, is in bedded condi-
ton, as flat as when laid down on the
floor of the ancient lower carbonifer-
Gus ocean, To the east some fifteen
miles distant the limestone of the
Bunkerville mountain is faulted and
sharply tilted towards nearly an
points of the compass To the north.
and less than a mile distant from
Granite mountain, is a, maze of faulted
and broken limestone mountains hills
and ridges that extend northward to
the Virgin river and onward to the
Mormon range, or plateau-like eIeva-
no 7An,~~ r.,
tween the Rio Virgin and the Clover
valley wash near Caliente. To the
southwest and west of Granite noun
tain the faulted and tilted limestone
hills, intersnixed with sheets and. intru-
siOns Of lava, mark the landscape from
Gold Butte to MOapa, forty miles to
the northwest. Throughout the large
area just described the qualification
planes of the faulted and tilted lime
stone are generally marked by dark
volcanic material deposited by sOlu-
lions that, following lines of easement,
assembled from molten depths to the
surface. In every direction the evil
dences of past seismic and volcanic
activity are significantly present. The
evidences clearly prove that, at one
time the area under discussion formed
a part of the limestone bed now known
as the Colorado plateau. That, sub
sequently. the bed was broken and pro-
foundly fauIted, folded and tilted, the
principal assures being now marked by
those uplifts known as the River range.
| Granite mountain and other character
fstic elevations that were built up by
granite magma, schist, trap and other
eruptives from the earth's intensely
heated depths.
The River Range.
The River range consists principally
of granite material marked here and
there by dykes of trap, belts of high
~ altered shist and other material. The
mineral bearing veins are not grouped,
but occupy positions widely separated,
and carry values ranging from a trace
to $50 per ton in gold which, occasion
ally. is associated with a little lead.
In localities not far distant from the
main body of the mountain, in the re-
gion of probable Overflows, are numer-
Gus small veins, carrying good values,
that bear the Unlhistakable earmarks
of s'gashes"