Occurrence of Nonpegmatite Beryllium in the United States GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 318 This report concerns work done on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and is published with the permission of the Commission Occurrence of Nonpegmatite Beryllium in the United States By LAWRENCE A. WARNER, WILLIAM T. HOLSER, VERL R. WILMARTH and EUGENE N. CAMERON GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 318 This report concerns work done on behalf of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission and is published with the permission of the Commission UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1959 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRED A. SEATON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director The TJ. S. Geological Survey has cataloged this publication as follows: Warner, Lawrence Alien, 1914- Occurrence of nonpegmatite beryllium in the United States, by Lawrence A. Warner [and others] Washington, U. S. Govt. Print. Off. 1959. viii, 198 p. illus., maps, tables. 30 cm. (U. S. Geological Survey. Professional paper 318) Part of illustrative matter in pocket. "This report concerns work done on behalf of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission and Is published with the permission of the Com­ mission." Bibliography: p. 186-195. 1. Beryllium. i. Title. (Series) [QE75.P9 no. 318] ' GS 59-196 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price $2.25 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Pag« Abstract...-----_--_--___-__-_-_-____----_--_- __ 1 Commercial possibilities and suggestions for prospecting.. 59 Introduction. ____..__________________________ 1 Description of localities ____________ 61 Nature and purpose of report___________ _ 1 Nevada and California, by E. N. Cameron and L. A. Recovery, properties, and uses of beryllium. _______ 2 Warner __ _________________ ___. 61 Production of beryllium ore__________________ 2 Nevada ___________ 63 Acknowledgments_______________ __ _ 4 Elko County. - ______ ... _ 63 Field investigations.________________________________ 4 Star mine, Harrison Pass _____ ____ 63 Previous work______________________________ 4 Good Hope barite mine, Tuscarora Present work..______ ________________________ 4 Range _____ _ ._. ________ 63 Scope of investigations_________________ 4 Humboldt County 64 Field methods_________________________ 5 Golconda manganese-tungsten deposit- 64 Determination of beryllium__________________________ 5 North workings __ _____________ 64 Spectrographic analysis_____________ __ 5 South workings.. ______ _________ 64 Gravimetric and volumetric analysis_____________ 6 Occurrence and distribution of Colorimetric and fluorimetric analysis.________ 6 beryllium.. _______ _ ________ 65 Mineralogic methods.__________________________ 7 Lander County__-__--__----__-.___-_-__ 65 Beryl_______________________________ 7 Barite deposits, Battle Mountain area.. 65 Helvite group._________________________ 7 California-Nevada Barite Co. Other minerals-._________________-___-______ 7 65 Radiometric methods_____ _______________________ 8 Barium Products Corp., Ltd., Mineralogy of beryllium____________________________ 8 mine...... --_--______.______ 66 Crystal chemistry of beryllium minerals_________ 8 Lincoln County__-__-----_-----_-----___ 66 Beryllium as an essential constituent in minerals..__ 10 Tern Piute district....... __ ___ ... 66 Beryllium as an accessory constituent in minerals. __ 12 Mineral County____-__- _____________ 66 Sulfides.._____-_-___.____________ 16 Rawhide district ____ .________..__ 66 Oxides_____________________________ ___ 16 Nevada Scheelite mine.. _ ______ 67 Halides_________._______________ 16 Hooper No. 2 mine __ _____ _ _ 68 Carbonates_____________________________ 16 Yankee Girl mine_______________ Phosphates_______________________________ 16 Desert Scheelite and Gunmetal mines, Neosilicates- _______________________________ 16 Pilot Mountains_____________.____ 68 Ring and chain silicates__________________ 18 Desert Scheelite mine..... _______ 68 Sheet silicates.____________________________ 18 Gunmetal mine _ ___________ _ 69 Framework silicates.________________________ 19 Manganese-tungsten deposit at Soda- Beryllium in igneous rocks.,_______________________ 20 ville... __ . _ _. ___ ________ 69 United States localities..______________________ 20 Andalusite deposits near Thorne. _____ 70 Foreign localities____________________________ 20 Green Talc naine________________ 70 Distribution of beryllium in igneous rocks..________ 22 Mine near Green Talc mine. _____ 70 Mode of occurrence_______________________-_-___ 24 Nye County ____ _._-___-________-___ 70 Beryllium in sedimentary rocks.._____________________ 25 Gabbs area __ _____________________ 70 Clastic deposits...______________________________ 25 Victory tungsten deposits _ _____ 71 Chemical and residual deposits.__________________ 26 Brucite and magnesite deposits. __ 71 Coal deposits...________________________________ 28 Pershing County __ 71 Beryllium in metamorphic rocks......________________ 29 Rocks in the West Humboldt Range ..~ 71 Beryllium in pyrometasomatic and related deposits____ 29 Limerick Canyon area... ________ 71 Previous and present investigations _______________ 29 Panther Canyon area __ __ ___ 72 Characteristics of beryllium-bearing deposits.______ 33 Rocky Canyon-Wrights Canyon Related occurrences........___________________ 34 area. _ _____________________ 74 Beryllium in vein deposits________________________ 35 Results of sampling____ _________ 76 Quartz-tungsten veins......._____________________ 35 Tungsten area, Mill City district ___ 76 Quartz-gold veins.._____________________________ 35 Sutton beds of local usage _______ 76 Manganese-lead-zinc veins___________________ 38 George beds of local usage _______ 77 Other veins.___________________________________ 39 Other rocks sampled _______ __ 77 Beryllium in hot-spring deposits._____________ 39 Rose Creek mine.__-_______________ 79 Association of beryllium with other elements.__________ 40 Ragged Top area. ___________ _ __ _ 81 Genesis of beryllium deposits........^...___________ 58 Champion dumortierite mine__ _______ 82 m IV CONTENTS Page Page Description of localities Continued Description of localities Continued Nevada and California Continued New Mexico Continued Nevada Continued Dona Ana County. ________________ 113 White Pine County.._________________ 83 Organ district-_____________________ 113 Cherry Creek district______________ 83 Grant County _________________ 114 Happy claims__________________ 83 Burro Mountains district-_______________ 114 Cherry Creek mine___________ 83 Carpenter district__________________ 114 Snake Range_____________________ 84 Grandview mine___________.__..___-_ 116 Sacramento Pass mine_________ 84 Other mines________________ 116 Dirty Shirt mine_____________ 84 Central district (including Fierro, Hanover, San Pedro mine._______________ 85 and Santa Rita districts)______________ 116 Minerva district___________________. 85 Pinos Altos district-__________--_-____ 118 California_______________________________ 85 Hidalgo County.-__________________ 118 Inyo County_________________________ 85 Apache No. 2 district_-_--__-_----_--__- 118 Tungsten Hills district______________ 85 Hachita district (including Eurekr and Deep Canyon area______________ 86 Sylvanite districts)_________ _____ 119 Little Sister mine___________ 86 Lordsburg district._____________________ 120 Aeroplane (Moonlight) mine. 87 San Simon district______---____---_--__- 120 Round Valley area___________ 87 Lincoln County___________. _________ 121 Results of sampling.__________ 91 Capitan district_____-__-_______-__-_-__ 121 Pine Creek district____________ 91 Gallinas district._______________________ 121 Pine Creek tungsten mine______ 91 Luna County_____________________________ 121 Tailings from mill of Tungstar Tres Hermanas district._________________ 121 mine__________________ 92 Victorio district____--___--__-_---___--- 122 Yaney tungsten prospect, Bishop dis­ Geology. ________.____-.-______-. 122 trict_________________ 92 Tungsten and beryllium deposits_ _ 122 San Bernardino and Kern Counties.______ 92 Quartz veins__________--------_ 123 Atolia district______________________ 92 Pyrometasomatic deposits _______ 123 Union mine..._____________ 93 Otero County-_____-______--____-__-__-_- 125 Flatiron-Spanish vein system___ 93 San Miguel County ______________________ 125 Arizona, by W. T. Holser______________________ 93 Rociada district______-_---_------___-_- 125 Cochise County____-______-________________ 93 Willow Creek district__-_.__--________ 125 Dragoon Mountains___________________ 93 Sandoval County_________-_-_---_______---_ 125 Courtland-Gleeson district___________ 96 Cochiti district.________-___-__-__-__-__ 125 Gordon mine__________________ 96 Santa Fe County.._______________________ 125 Abril mine_________________________ 97 New Placers district__________________ 125 Little Dragoon Mountains_______________ 97 Old Placers district.____________________ 127 Tungsten King mine._______________ 98 Sierra County-_____________________________ 128 Bluebird mine______________________ 98 Apache No. 1 district.____--___-_____._- 128 Johnson Camp area_________________ 101 Cuchillo Negro district._________________ 128 Tombstone district____________________ 101 Iron Mountain district._________________ 129 Socorro County____________--____--____--_ 129 Mohave County _________________________ 101 Jones Camp district_____-___-__-___-_-_- 129 Boriana district______________________ 101 Taos County..___________---_.__-_-__--_-