Mine detail: Mesquite Mine

Previously called 'Big Chief PitGold Bug orebodyLena orebodyCherokee PitRainbow PitVista Pit'

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Location

Lat / long: 33.06057, -114.9952

Resource(M)

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver
Tertiary: Copper, Antimony, Lead, Molybdenum, Arsenic, Tellurium
Ore: Gold, Electrum, Pyrite, Silver, Granite, Gneiss, Quartz, Adularia, Ankerite, Sericite, Limonite
Gangue: Schist
Orebody form: Tabular
Discovery year: 1876

Production

Operation type: Surface
Deposit type: Epithermal vein, Epithermal breccia filling
Development status: Producer

Geology

Host rock:Chuckwalla Complex
Host type:Biotite Gneiss
Associated type:Mica Schist,Gneiss,Granodiorite,Granite,Pegmatite
Structure:Singer Fault, San Andreas Fault, Chocolate Mountains Thrust Fault
Tectonic:Collision transform fault?
Alteration processes:Weak to moderate seritizaton of mafic silicates in wall rock with biotite and plagioclase being altered to sericite and carbonate. Silicification of breccia materials.

References

DEP10310647
Reference{Deposit:: Atwater, T., 1989, Plate tectonic history of the northeast Pacific and western North America., in Winterer, E. L., Hussong, D. M., decker, R. W., editors, The geology of North America: The eastern Pacific Ocean and Hawaii, Geological Society of America, p. 21-72.}{Deposit:: Burchfiel, B.C., Cowan, D.S., and Davis, G.A., 1992, Tectonic overview of the Cordilleran orogen in the western United States: in Burchfiel, B. C., Lipman, P. W., and Zoback, M. L., editors, The Cordilleran Orogen: Conterminous U.S.: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America, The Geology of North America, v. G-3. p. 407-479.}{Deposit:: Clark, W. B., 1970 Gold districts of California: California Divisions of Mines and Geology Bulletin 193, p. 49-50.}{Deposit:: Dillon, J. T., 1975, Geology of the Chocolate and Cargo Muchacho mountains, southeasternmost California: University of California Santa Barbara, Ph.D. thesis, 405 p.}{Deposit:: Dillon, J. T., Haxel G.B., and Tosdal, R.M., 1990, Structural evidence for northeastward movement on the Chocolate Mountains Thrust, southeasternmost California: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 95, p. 19,953-19,971.}{Deposit:: Dillon, J. T., Haxel, G. B., and Tosdal, R.M., 1986, Field guide to the Chocolate Mountains thrust and Orocopia Schist, Gavilan Wash area, southeastern California, in Beatty, B., and Wilkinson, P. A. K., editors, Frontiers in geology and ore deposits of Arizona and the Southwest: Arizona Geological Society Digest, v. 16, p. 282-293.}{Deposit:: Frost, E. G. and others, 1997, Emerging perspectives of the Salton Trough region with an emphasis on extensional faulting and its implications for later San Andreas deformation: in Baldwin, J. and others, editors, Southern San Andreas Fault- Whitewater to Bombay Beach, Salton Trough, California, South Coast Geological Society Field Trip Guidebook N. 25, p. 57-98.}{Deposit:: Grady, L., Holm, R., and Brumit, P., 1990, Short term mine planning and grade control practice at the Mesquite mine, Mining Engineering, v. 42, no. 2, p. 187-190.}{Deposit:: Haldane, T. Q., 1990, Heap leaching and Dump leaching at the Mesquite mine, Mining Engineering, v. 42, no. 12, p. 1321-1322.}{Deposit:: Haxel, G. B., Jacobson, C. E., and Oyarzabal, F. R., 1996, Subduction and exhumation of the Pelona-Orocopia-Rand schists, southern California: Geology, v. 24, p. 547-550.}{Deposit:: Haxel, G. B., Jacobson, C. E., and Oyarzabal, F. R., 1997, Extensional reactivation of the Chocolate Mountains subduction thrust in the Gavilan Hills of southeastern California: Tectonics, v. 16, p. 650-661.}{Deposit:: Haxel, G. B., and Tosdal, R. M., 1986, Significance of the Orocopia schist and Chocolate Mountains thrust in the late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the southeastern California-southwestern Arizona region: extended abstract, in Beatty, B., and Wilkinson, P. A. K., editors, Frontiers in geology and ore deposits of Arizona and the Southwest: Arizona Geological Society Digest, v. 16, p. 52-61.}{Deposit:: Higgins, C. T., 1990, Mesquite mine - A modern example of the quest for gold, California Geology, Califonia Division of Mines and Geology, v. 43, no. 3, p 51-67.}{Deposit:: Mann, A. W. 1984, Mobility of gold and silver in lateritic weathering profiles: some observations from western Australia, Economic geology, vol. 79, pp. 38-49.}{Deposit:: Manske, S. L., Matlack, W. F., Springett, M. W., Strakele, A. E., Watowich, S. N., Yeomans, B. Yoemans, E., 1988, Geology of the Mesquite deposit, Imperial County, California, Mining Engineering, v. 40, no. 6, p. 439-444.}{Deposit:: Merrill, F. J., 1916, Imperial County gold: California Mining Bureau Report No. 14, pp. 731-732.}{Deposit:: Morris, R. S., 1986a, Base of the Orocopia Schist as imaged on seismic reflection data in the Chocolate and Cargo Muchacho Mountains region of southeastern California and the Sierra Pelona region near Palmdale, California: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with programs, v. 18, p. 160.}{Deposit:: Morton, P. K., 1977, Geology and mineral resources of Imperial County, California: California Division of Mines and Geology County Report No. 7, p. 46-61.}{Deposit:: Skillings, D. N., 1984, Gold Fields evaluating mesquite gold property in southeastern California, Skillings Mining Review, v. 73, no. 15, p. 4-9.}{Deposit:: Willis, G. F., 1988a, Geology and mineralization of the Mesquite open pit gold mine, in Bulk mineable precious metal deposits of the western U.S., Geological Society of Nevada, p 473-486.}{Deposit:: Willis, G. F., 1988b, geology of the Big Chief orebody, Mesquite district, Imperial County, California: Society of Mining Engineers Preprint 88-16, 6 p.}{Deposit:: Willis, G.F. and Holm, V.T., 1987, Geology and mineralization of the Mesquite open pit gold mine, in Johnson, J.L., Bulk mineable, Guidebook for fieldtrips: Reno, geological Society of Nevada, p. 52-56.}{Deposit:: Willis, G. F., Tosdal, R. M., Manske, S. L., 1989, Structural control on epithermal gold veins and breccias in the Mesquite district, southeastern California, Fifth annual V. E. McKelvey forum on mineral and energy resources, USGS research on mineral resources, 1989 program and abstracts, p. 78-79.}{Deposit:: Willis, G. F. and Tosdal, R. M., 1992, Formation of gold veins and Breccias during dextral stike-slip faulting in the Mesquite mining district, southeastern California, Economic Geology, vol. 87, pp. 2002-2022.}{Deposit:: Ferrell, T., Harris, D., Loucks, D., Lozano, R., Mitts, R. and Ochs, M., 1988, Mesquite Mine, unpublished mine report, 30 p.}{Deposit:: Frost, D. L., 1987, Final report on U/Pb dating studies in the Mesquite pit and adjoining regions: unpublished report for Gold Fields Mining Corp.}{Deposit:: Gasparinni, C., 1983 Study of the gold distribution in 28 samples of core material from Mesquite: unpublished report for Gold Fields Mining Corp.}{Deposit:: Matlack, W. F., and Springett, M. W., 1985, Gold mineralization and trace element geochemistry of the Mesquite district, California: unpublished report for Gold Fields Mining Corp.}{Deposit:: Singer, A., 1969, Mesquite Diggings mining district and Quartz Peak Quadrangle district, unpublished report, 22 p.}{Deposit:: Miscellaneous information on the Mesquite Mine is contained in File Number 322-5647 (CGS Mineral Resources Files, Sacramento).}
ReporterSchruben, Paul G., Fuller, Michael and Downey, Cameron (Higgins, Chris T.)