'.

R. I. 4475
UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
J. A. KRUG, SECRETARY
BUREAU OF MINES
JAMES BOYD, DIRECTOR
REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS
JUNE 1949
INVESTIGATION OF TUNGSTEN OCCURRENCES
IN DARWIN DISTRICT, 'NYO COUNTY, CALIF.
BY
D. W. BUTNER
1849 1949
A Centu ry of Conservation


R. 1. 4475 ,
) June 1949.
Fig ,
1.
2 .
3 .
4.
5
6.
7.
8 .
9.
10 .
REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE I NTERT OR - BURFAU OF MINES
INVESTIGATION OF TUNGSTEN OCCURRENCES IN DAmHN DISTRICT
INYO COUNTY,
By -D . W.
CONTENTS
Introduction 'lnCl s ummary . ,.
Ackno',rledgments ,., ........
Hi s t ory ........... e '
Location and physi cal features
....
Work by the Bureau of Mines
Mickey .sor;rrne:cs . , ........ .
Pr omontory .. , .
Hollyvood claj_m ..
St . Charles ...
Cl (;'tr k c\nd .To'nnson tunnel ..
Bernon c la.im . ....
Thompson .tunnel . . ', ....
Lan.e t UILTlel . , .. . .
other pro:perties ...
ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
-2
2
2
3
3
3
4
5

5
5
5
6
6
6
Locat i on map, Darwi11 area .......... I . ' ;..
Si.wtch map showing locations of mines in Dan-rin clistrict ,
Inyo County, , . ' .......
Assa y map of a porti on of Miclmy Somers group .....
Assay map of a portion of Mickey Somers group ..
Assay map , Promontory m:i.ne claJms ..... ' , . , .
Assay map, Hollywood claims . ,., , , , ....... , " .....
Assay map, St. Charles claims ., ....... ,
A.ssay map, new Custer shaft ..........
Assay map, Clark & Johnson lease .........
Assa-:l map, Lane t unne l ....................................
Following
page
2
2
4
4
4

4
4
4
6
'};./ The Bureau of Mjnes ,rill welcomerepririting of this paper, provided the
following footnote acknowledgment is used: ffRepr inted from: Bureau of
Mines Report of Imrestigations 4475 ."
g/ Mining engineer, Reno Branch , Bureau of Mines.
2925
INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
As a part of the Bureau of Mines for the discovery and
development of critical and essential mineral ' depos,it's, 'the Darwin district,
Inyo County, Calif., was ch6sem for investigation as a possible source of,
tunf,sten ore.
Tivo properties were active in the district at the time. One was
llroducing tungsten concentrate and the other was prepariT'..g to produce
tungsten concentrate as a byproduct in the milling of lead-zinc ore.
The objective of the project set up by the Bureau was to investigate
proPlising areas and to sar.lpl e, thoroughly those ,which prelim:i.nary inspection
indicated contained tungsten ore.
i'lork was begun November 17) 1941, and completed January 19, 1942. In
the course of the project, IS localities ,Tere inspected and 9 were sampled.
The following pages brief history, note the location, and outline
the physical features and geology of the district. The work performed by
the Bureau of Mines is described and supplemented with assay maps.
ACKNOifu"':J)GMENTS
The work reported herein was clone under the general supervision of E. D.
and under the direction of the late Chas. F. Jackson, former chief
of the Eining Division The maps 1.rere made by Frank J. vJiebelt of the San
Francisco field office .
. . ,
Cooperation Qytnestaffs qf the Imperial Metals Co. and the Pacific
Tungsten Co. expedited. ' the ,\-Tor}\: of tho project.
HISTORY
Production of lea:a.-silver.frorutheDarwin district dates back to the
1870's. Lead., and silver ores are found in contact-metamorphic
deposits as ,rell as in fissure :veind near the contact of granitic with
, sE,:cUmentary rooks, 'pri:rtcipally liJ'!l8stone .
Tungsten ore has been in the area since 1915, but there was no
mining for tungsten until the spring of 1941, when the Tungsten Co.
acquired claims in the district. Development was begun on the Durham,
Fernando, St. Charles, 8.!1d MickeySonuners groups, and the ore was treated in
a leased gravity-concentrating plant near Keeler, 26 miles distant., For
most economical results, 'the maximum tonnage of mill was f01.llld to bc125 tons
per day. Bismuth in the concentrate impa:Lred the value of the prodllct, but
an economical method for the removal of it had not y:et been found. Since the
termirtation of the War, no production has been reported.
2925 - 2 -
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Independ.
o 50
I A I I
Sea Ie in Miles

Tulare

Figure I. - Location map, Darwin area.
N
o
Z
1>

'. Imperial
Metals
' ..
'( 690 12,00 18,00 24,00 30,00 FEET
SCALE
L-.:::J Clark a Johnson
/

Wallace a
Clark ne Tunnel
"
San Fernanda
fDurham
0 Promontory
Figure 2. _ Sketch map showing locations of mines in Darwin district, Inyo
County, Cal if.
:R.r. 4475
At the time of the project, Imperial Metals, Inc., controlled the more
important lead-silver mines in the vicinity a nd was building a 250-ton mill
Qesigned to produce concentrates of lead, zinc, pyrite, silver, gold, and
tungsten. .
LOCATION AND PHYSICAL FEATURES
i
The Darwin District lies in the Darwin Hills, which rise a thousand feet
above the floor of the valley' between the Coso and Argus Mountain ranges in
Inyo County, Calif. The areas examined and sampled are in or 'ad,jacent to
T. 19 S., R. 40 E.} M.D.B.M., and accessible to motor by a 6-mile
branch oil. -surface road from State Highway 190 rUniling from Lone Pine, j_n
GIven I s Valley, to Death Valley; fi gure 1 shows the geographical location
and figure 2 8hovs district locat:l,.ons.
Typical desert weather prevails the region, and hot are
usual. Winter temperatures are lovered. by winds from the snow-covered High
Sierr:;J.s, miles to the west.
Springs in the Coso Mountains furnish the tovn of Danvin 'N'ith water. A
flow of .,ater along bedrock under the surface of DCt.niin wash was being used
as a supply for Imperial IvIetals mini.ng and milling operations.
GEOLOGY
The geology of the area .TaS the subject of a report by Vincent C. Kelley,
pubHshed in the October 1938 i ssue of the California JOlA.rnal of Mines and
Geology, State Division a:': Mi.nes, San F'rancisco. The U S. C3010gical Survey
has also made a study of the district, and its report will deal with the
sub,ject in detail.
The limestone beds forming the Darwin Hills have been tilted by an
intrusion of quartz diorite. Resultant dips of the stratified rocks range
'l f81v degrees to nearly vertical, averaging 50 degrees ,vestward on the
"lrestern slope of the range and striking 25 degrees west of north. The contact
behreen limes t one and intrusive is :l rregular, and tongues of igneous rock
extend far into the sedimentary beds. A zone of metamorphic products,
lncluri.ing marble, hornfels, and tacti te, ' follOlvs the contact. The are bodies
of the district lie in or near the band of contact alteration. A series of
faults cuts across the beds, roughly at risht angles to the:i. r strike. Closely
para lleling these main faults is a series of cross fractures ranging from
fissures several feet \Vide to tight cracks. These breaks across the bedding
"Ter e e-vidently closely connected with the depositi on of minerals :l.n the
district. .
HORK. BY BUREAU OF MINES
The object of the pro,ject was to find tungsten are, either as extensions
of knmm. 01'8 bodies or nmv deposits. Sampling was carried out "l-there there
.TaS evj.dence of scheeli te, the only cOlT'.mercially important tungsten mjneral
2925
- 3 -
R.J. 4475
in the district. The pr'operty of fluorescence in ultraviolet light) possessed
by scheelite) was of great assistance in searching for the mineral. At each
of the localities mentioned in the report, aprelimtnary ins!,ection was made
with an ultraviolet lamp. Unde:tground openings were looked a t during the
day J and surface areas "Tere examined at. night. Other minerals t.han scheelite
that exhibit fluorescence t'nder the ultraviolet lamp include. powellite, opal,
ch,alcedony, hydrozincite, and some calcite.
A total of 3,106 lineal feet of surface trenchGs was excavateci, a:!ld
567 samples were collected for analysis. Underground sarupl-es were taken by
channeling in the us,\al manner.
fI:: ", k"'y ::3 ommers
The first work by tne Bureau of gines was begun at the Hickey SOIl1.11lers
group of claims. A series of trenches was excavated on the surface of a
hill that had been partly Eixplored by an t The trenches Vere examined
';vith ultraviolet light, and places '\-There scheelite was indicated 'Tere marked.
The s e sections of the trenches were sampled by cutting clw,!'..nels along the
bottom.
Indications were. found on both sides of the ridge that forms ' the crest
of the range) and a trench was cut 3,10ng this to expose any cross fissures.
Sampling in this trench did not ShovT any or.e, and even in the apparently
hj.gh -gcade spots on each side assays of cut samples showed only 0.027 and
percent W03 in a distorted fold of marbelized limestone. Another
place was found that showed gooj, indications with the lamp, but again the
assays, with two exceptions, failed to indicate are, A. fourth location''\o[as
trench8d vrhere an old pot hole showed much scheelite and where 8...11 outcrop-
ping bed to the west of it was mineralized,. Trenching was extended enti;'ely
a round the high--grade spot to determine whether the deposition followed the
bedd5ng planes or the weak cross fissures observed in the pot hole. Results
showed 'that the values persisted for some distance 02' . the strike of the
fracture llnd assayed 0.94 percentHCG 15 feet from i-e but did not con-tinue
t he bedd.ing. In most case::: where higher-grade are appeared, the
tungsten values did not persist in either the bed or the fracture'crossing
the bed. Such QCQ.urrences were virtually always in tactite zones, and
frequently there were indications of copper
. The Mickey Sommer adit was driven on the strike in limestone and hornfels.
Shot crosscuts ';Tere also driven east and west from the adit. ThE) adit and
crossctJ.ts were sampled: No channels we re cut in the back of the drift, as
staging was r equired that could be put in later, if results from side-cut
sampl er; made it desJrable.
The. vork on this group of cl'}5ms composed 2,472 linear feet of trenching,
223 surface samples, and 49 samples from the underground workings (Figs. 3
an,d 4).
2925
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40 80
I I
SCALE IN FEET
Note: Ch i p Samples 0
..
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0" ..
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127 .5
128 ..
129
130
13 I
132
133
134
135
136
137
Tr.
1 3 8 ..
139
148 5 Tr.
149
150 ..
151
152 ..
153
154
155
156
157
158 ..
159 ..
160 ..
16 1 ..
162
163 5
164
165
166 ..
167 ..
168 ..
169
Tr.
140
141
142
14:5
144 ..
145
146
7
'fRENCH
Figure 3. - Assay map of a portion of Mickey Sommers group,
40 a,o 130
SCALE IN FEET

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Figure -
Hssay map of a portion of Mickey Sommers 9 rou p.
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279 .,
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286 .,
287 ..
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SCALE IN FEET
Figure 5. - Assay map, Promontor y mine cl a ims .
14600'N
';'i
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L- 3112.5
0'------- 312 5.0
296 ..

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299 2 Tr.
300 5
301
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302
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308 2.5 Tr
3093.2
3104.0 ..
14 200'N

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0.16
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SCALE IN FEET
Tr /
304 .' /
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305 " //
313 ..
3144.5
Figure 6. - Assay map, Hollywood claims.
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- 0
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334 S Tr.
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336 &pat ..
331 S
338
32& -
326 -
327 ..
328 -
329 -
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330 5
331
332 ..
333 -
St. Charles Water Tank
(II')
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I 'i! gyy '1 i
352 3.0
353 3.0
3543.5
3S62.5
3S7 4.0 Tr.
358 5.0 -
3595.0
3605.0 Tr.
361 5.0 0.0 I
o 40 80
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SCALE IN FEET

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0. 19 .
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319 !5
31B
311 -
316
315 -
339
340 ..
341
342
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343 3
344 5
345 -
346
347
348 -
349 -
350 -
351
--



Tr

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606 5 Tr .
607 -
608
609
610
6 II ..
612
613
614 -
615 4 0.49
.;.: =
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362 5
363
364
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0.03
Tr.
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at
581 2.8
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5835.0
5843.8
5852. 7
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S88 3.5
591 3.7
5924.2
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it
Tr.
5945.4 0.7 I
5955.0 Tr.
5966.0
S974.5 0. 17
59B 5. 3 Tr
59925
\ 6004.3
3.8
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6034. 2
Figure 7. - Assay map, St . Charles claims.
.! .A::
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0" .
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5BO 5
579
518
511
576
575
574
513
572
571
570
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Tr.
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Tr.
)1
Sf. Charles
Tunnel Na2
Sf. Charles
Tunnel No. 3
/:
'/ Sf. Charles
Tunnel No. 2
549 5.0
550 ..
551
552 ..
553 ..
554 ..
555 ..
556 4.4
557 5.0
558 .,
559 ..
560 ..
561 4.0
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563 4
566 4
565 5
564
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0


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Custer Shoft
(New)
40
I I I I I
SCALE IN FEET
Figure 8. - Assay map, new Custer shaft.
80
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400 2 Tr
401
402
403
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382 0 .27
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381 1.92
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380 4 .5 3.36
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3755.0
367 4.0 0 . 17
3744.0
3683.0 1.00
3764.0
369 0 .61
377 3.0
3705.0 0 .97
3784.5
372 3 .2 Tr
3795.0
371 2 .5 0 .34
373 4 .0 0 . 13
616
617
3845. 0 Tr.
618
38530 0 .02
386 0 .29
38750 0 .26
18200'N
{C8J Tunnel
~
~
~
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DO
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404 Tr
405
40 80
, I
5
SCALE IN FEET
0.06
0.03
3 Tr.
0 .02
18000'N Tr.
0. 11
T,
!\
Figure 9. - Assay map, Clark and Johnson lease.
"
)
R.r. 4475
PromontorJ::
Promontory mine bBlonged to the Imperial Metals Co. The dumps and jig
tailings piles did not show any scheelite when examined with violet light,
but promising float WC'.s found on a southeast of the mine. Three
trenches were dug to determine wheth8r a tungsten-bearing formation apexed
on the hill. Result of' the was negative. Several gopher-hole workings
in this hill were examjned ,,,ith the but nothing of interest was found.
A 345 feet of trenching was done, and 39 samples Irere cut (fig. 5).
HollYT,wod Claim
Nuch test-pitting and pot-holing had been done previously on this
property, "l8.S held by the Pacific Tungsten Co. Several hi ISh -grade
spots were found by using the violet light, but none was large enough to
constitute an ore body. Trenching amounting to. 289 feet was done in an effort
to find extensions o.f ore, and 57 'samplGs were taken (fig. 6).
St. Vicinity
This ground, held by the Pacific Tungsten Co. is in a wide zone of '
crushing and contains several parallel fissures up to 6 feet "Tide. St.
Charles No. I one of these veins and contributed ore to feed,
the concentrC'.tor. Sinking proved the lower limit of the ore to be about 3)'"
feet below tunnel level. This tUlmel was not s3.mpled. St. Charles tlL.'1Ilel
No.3 and the upper tunnel were driven on a para llel vein but did not
intersect ore. No.2 tunnel was driven north to crosscut any possible western
extension of the Custer gloryhole ore . Some mineraliza tion was found but no
ore.
Trenching at the top of the St. Charles hill disclosed stringers of
scheelite but not commercial ore (fig. 7).
The old Custer' shaft '\oms inspected with a lamp but not sampled. The
new Custer shaft or gl oryhole "Nas sampled, e. s shown in figure 8. ThE) cla im
wa s lec.sed to one of the OHl.1erS (McLeod), who planned to mine the vein on
a small scale and mill the ore in Darwin Wash.
Clark and Johnson Lease
Clark and Johnson had a lease on three claims in the draw above the
Lane mill. A stroak of ore was exposed in 8. pit 5.n the tacti te zone. A
crosscut tunnel driven into the hill from the west side was not in far enough
to establish the downward extension of the ore, though a drift at the end
showed scheelite sca les in the solid limestone. Several other occurrences
on this ground .Tere investigated, as indic.9. ted by figure 9.
Bernon Claim
There seemed a possibility of ore on the ridge of the Darwin Hills
above Imperial Me t e. ls camp in a large I'l.rea of brecciation. Sampling results
were disappointing.
2925 5 -
R.1. 4475
Thompson TuILl1el
This pro1)erty of Imperial Metals was inspected, and a few samples were
taken \-There the lamp found showings of scheelite. The stapes above the .
tunnel level have some tungsten in spots, but as this ground vlOuld be mined
for lead, and any incidental tU!1fsten presUinably might then be recovered,
they were not sampled. None of the samples takon from here indicated are
that could be mined for tungsten alone. vlhile at the Thompson, the Indepen-
dence, Intermediate tunnel, and the Essex were larnped without results.
Lane Tunnel
Imperial Metals found scheelite in the Lane tunnel and put a raise up
60 fec:tto develop it. The tunnel was sampled for the length indicated by
lamping, and samples were cut in the raise where timbering permitted (fig. 10).
The surface above the tun.'YJ.el was examined without finding more than a trace
of t
1
ingsten mineralization.
other Properties
Inspection. by lamp was also rna.de on the \-Tallace clairns on the western
slope of Darwin Hills and on the strike of a fault along the ridge above the
Durham and Fernand.o mines. Indications did not warrant detailed sampling.
T\m sample s 1vere brought in by the owners of the Stewa::,t-Blaine-IJ!cKinney-
jn the Coso Mountains at a time when they were ini:Lccessiblc due to
snow. vJhen the roads vTere open, preliminary samples vrere taken) and the
highest result Was 0.26 percent W0
3

The Panyo claims, also in the Coso Mountains, were examined 'tTi th the
violet ray, and a lens of ore was indicated. "However, the Pacific Tungsten
Co. vrhich had this property- under lease, intended to take out the available
are later j.n the year) hence no smnpling was done
(
None of the deposits seen in the Coso Mountains .. Tere in veins. All were
lent i cular bodies on or ad,jacent to lime-granite contacts and
13.ppea red t o bo of ye TY limited size. Most of' the Coso are produced a yellow
it probably contains powellite.
!:Iuch of' the altered limestone near the j.ntrus:tve contact carries traces
of tungsten minel'allzation and occasional small spots of enrichment. It is
:poss ible to t;ouge rich samples from these points, but they do not make ore
across a mining vTidth.
2925 - '6 -
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