◆ WIKIESTER
California · Placer County
Past Producer

Michigan Bluff District

Placer County, California, United States
Gold Platinum Silver Lead Iron Zinc Copper Indium
USGS source ↗

Land & claims · BLM · live

Loading land status…
Surface manager + active mining claims at this point, live from BLM. The "open to location" notes are a general 1872-Mining-Law guide, not BLM output — decision-support only; verify with BLM MLRS and on the ground before staking or entry.

Commodities

PrimaryGold
SecondaryPlatinum, Silver
TertiaryLead, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Indium
Commodity typeMetallic

Deposit

Deposit typeStream placer; hydrothermal vein
Model119: Placer Au-PGE273: Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein
Orebody formIrregular; Tabular, lens
Ore controlMechanical accumulation on irregular natural bedrock riffles and within river and stream channel lag gravels, bars, and point bar deposits. Deposits are often enriched downstream of eroded gold quartz veins in the bedrock channels. ? Ore shoots within mesothermal gold-bearing quartz veins.

Materials

Ore mineralsGold, Gravel, Quartz

Geology

Host rockSand and Gravel,Tuff,Rhyolite,Slate,Serpentinite · Calaveras Complex
StructureVolcano Canyon Fault, Melones Fault Zone.
Tectonic settingMagmatic arc; narrow ocean basin
AlterationNone?Negligible - none described

Economic & production

Development statusPast Producer
Discovery year1850

Community notes

No community notes yet. Be the first to add field knowledge, history, or access tips.

Contribute

Submissions are reviewed before they appear. Be accurate and respectful.

References

Averill, C. V., 1946, Placer mining for gold in California: California Division of Mines Bulletin 135, p. 377.Beard, J. S. and Day, H. W., 1987, The Smartville intrusive complex, Sierra Nevada, California: The core of a rifted volcanic arc: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 99, no. 6, p. 779-791.Brooks, E. R., 2000, Geology of a late Paleozoic island arc in the northern Sierra terrane, in Brooks, E. R. and Dida, L.T., editors, Field guide to the geology and tectonics of the northern Sierra Nevada, California Division of Mines and Geology Special Publication 122, p. 53-110.Browne, R. E., 1890, Ancient river beds of the Forest Hill Divide: California State Mining Bureau 10th Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, p. 435-465.Chandra, D. K., 1961, Geology and mineral deposits of the Colfax and Foresthill quadrangles, California: California Division of Mines Special Report 67, 50 p.Clark, L. D., 1960, Foothills fault system, western Sierra Nevada, California: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 71, p. 483-496.Clark, W. B., 1966, Gold, in Mineral resources of California: California Division of Mines and Geology Bulletin 191, p. 179-185.Clark, W. B., 1970 Gold districts of California: California Division of Mines and Geology Bulletin 193, p. 49-50.Day, H.W. and others, 1988, Metamorphism and tectonics of the northern Sierra Nevada, in Ernst, W. G., editor, Metamorphism and crustal evolution of the western United States (Rubey Volume VII): Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey , p. 738-759.Dunn, R. L., 1888, Drift mining in California: California State Mining Bureau 8th Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, p. 736-770.Gilbert, G. K., 1917, Hydraulic mining debris in the Sierra Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 105, 155 p.Hamilton, F., 1920, Placer County: California State Mining Bureau 17th Report of the State Mineralogist, p. 442-451.Hammond, J. H., 1889, The auriferous gravels of California: California State Mining Bureau 9th Report of the State Mineralogist, p. 105-138.Harwood, D.S., 1988, Tectonism and metamorphism in the northern Sierra terrane, northern California, in Ernst, W. G., editor, Metamorphism and crustal evolution of the western United States (Rubey Volume VII): Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, p. 764-788.Lindgren, W., 1900, Colfax folio, California: U. S. Geological Survey Atlas of the U. S., Folio 66, 10 p.Lindgren, W., 1911, The Tertiary gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California, U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 73, 226 pp.Logan, C. A., 1927, Placer County: California Division of Mines 23rd Report of the State Mineralogist, p. 235-279.Logan. C. A., 1936, Gold mines of Placer County: California Division of Mines 32nd Report of the State Mineralogist, p. 7-96.Logan, C. A., 1948, History of mining and milling methods in California, in Jenkins, O.P. and others, editors, Geologic guidebook along highway 49 - Sierran gold belt - The Mother Lode Country: California Division of Mines Bulletin 141, p. 31-34.Merwin, R. W., 1968, Gold resources in the Tertiary gravels of California: U.S. Bureau of Mines Technical Progress Report 3, 14 p.Saucedo, G. J. and Wagner, D. L., 1992, Geologic map of the Chico Quadrangle: California Division of Mines and Geology Regional Map Series Map No. 7A, scale 1:250,000.Waring, C. A., 1917, Placer County: California State Mining Bureau 15th Report of the State Mineralogist, p. 309-399.Yeend, W. E., 1974, Gold-bearing gravel of the ancestral Yuba River, Sierra Nevada, California: U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 772, 44 p.

Identification

Deposit ID10310649
Alternate namesAdams, Anna Sue, Argonaut & Sunset, Baker Ranch, Baker Divide, Beehive, Big Gun, Bogus Thunder, Boston, Bowen, Bower, Britt, Buckeye, Burnham, Burns, Burroughs, De Maria, Drummond, Eastman, Eldorado Hill, Franklin, Georgia Consolidated, Golden Chief, Golden Gate, Golden Gem Placer, Golden Sheaf, Gorman, Hazard, Hermit, Hoffman, Horseshoe Bar Placer, Wills, Rainbow Land, Red Hill, Russell, Sage Hill, South Dakota, Swift Shore, Thompson & Powell, Turkey Hill Consolidated, Washburn, Washington, Weeks, Weske, Imperial, Lightfoot, Manhattan, Marian, Mary Anna, Mountain Chief, Muir Tunnel Consolidated, North American, Oro, Pleasant Bar, Volcano, American Bar Quartz, Bunker & Nihill Quartz, Champion Quartz, Daniel Webster Quartz, Golden Sheaf Quartz, Van Emon
RegionNA
Data scoreA
Coordinates39.04183, -120.73681
Base: USGS MRDS (public domain, frozen 2011). Community notes © their authors, CC-BY. Land data live from BLM.