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M.A. Chaffee

Publications and source records attributed to M.A. Chaffee.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Weathering and its effect upon geochemical dispersion at the polymetallic Wagga Tank deposit, N.S.W., Australia

The Wagga Tank Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag-Au deposit comprises multiple, steeply dipping and structurally controlled sulfide lodes within Early Devonian turbidites and volcaniclastics. Complete weathering at the prospect extends to 100 m below the current land surface. Detailed geochemical studies of drill-derived regolith material were supplemented by extensive mineralogical investigations and enable the major features of the weathered profile to be delineated. The profile consists of soil with reworked portions of a ferruginous lateritic capping within a largely transported overburden. Below the soil, some residual ferruginous capping (characterized by maghemite) occurs above a kaolinite-rich zone which passes into goethitic saprolite containing alunitejarosite family minerals. This lateritic profile was developed during the Tertiary period prior to the Late Miocene onset of more arid conditions. Within the goethitic saprolite, Pb and some Au have remained in their Miocene positions. However, the distributions of Cu and Zn largely reflect the effect of post-Miocene aridity. Thus, these elements (and some Au) are concentrated as supergene minerals at the current water table, with isolated zones higher in the weathered profile reflecting former levels of the water table.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗

Soil geochemistry of Mother Lode-type gold deposits in the Hodson mining district, central California, U.S.A.

The Hodson mining district is in the westernmost foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California, about 17 km west of the town of Angels Camp. This district is part of the West Gold Belt, which lies about 12-16 km west of, and generally parallel to, the better known Mother Lode Gold Belt in central California. The district produced several million dollars worth of Au between about 1890 and 1940. The geologic setting and mineral deposits in the West Gold Belt are generally similar to those in the Mother Lode Gold Belt. Rocks in the study area are of Jurassic age and consist of a mixture of (1) fine-grained, generally thin-bedded, clastic sedimentary rocks that have been metamorphosed to slates, schists, and phyllites, and (2) massive volcanic flows and welded tuffs that have been metamorphosed to metabasalts and metatuffs. All rocks were intensely faulted and folded during the Late Cretaceous Nevadan orogeny; northnorthwest- and northwest-trending faults dominate. Mining in the area was of low-grade gold-pyrite ores occurring principally in the carbonatized wall rocks adjacent to the major northwest-trending Hodson fault and its splays. Minor amounts of other sulfide minerals (principally chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, and galena) are locally associated with the Au deposits.

California↗

Maps showing distribution of copper, lead, zinc, cadmium, and silver in samples of minus-60-mesh (0.25-MM) stream sediment and nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrate, Walker Lake 1 degree by 2 degrees Quadrangle, California and Nevada

This report is part of a folio of maps of the Walker Lake 1 o x 2 o quadrangle, California and Nevada, prepared under the Conterminous United States Mineral Assessment Program. The folio includes geological, geochemical, and geophysical maps, as well as mineral resources assessment maps, which identify selected known or possible mineral-deposit environments in the quadrangle. The geochemical maps show the distributions of selected individual elements (Chaffee and others, 1988 a, b, c) and the distributions of selected groups of elements (Chaffee, 1988a, b, c). Discussions accompanying the individual element maps are restricted to mineral residences of the individual elements as well as to what types of mineral deposits and environments may be represented by anomalies of a particular element. Discussions accompanying the multielemental maps describe the types of mineral deposits that may be related to each element group and indicate the most favorable localities for these deposits.

California, Nevada↗

Maps showing distribution of iron, cobalt, barium, strontium, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth in samples of minus-60-mesh (0.25-MM) stream sediment and (or) nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrate, Walker Lake 1 degree by 2 degrees Quadrangle, California and Nevada

This report is part of a folio of maps of the Walker Lake 1 o x 2 o quadrangle, California and Nevada, prepared under the Conterminous United States Mineral Assessment Program. The folio includes geological, geochemical, and geophysical maps, as well as mineral resources assessment maps, which identify selected known or possible mineral-deposit environments in the quadrangle. The geochemical maps show the distributions of selected individual elements (Chaffee and others, 1988 a, b, c) and the distributions of selected groups of elements (Chaffee, 1988a, b, c). Discussions accompanying the individual element maps are restricted to mineral residences of the individual elements as well as to what types of mineral deposits and environments may be represented by anomalies of a particular element. Discussions accompanying the multielemental maps describe the types of mineral deposits that may be related to each element group and indicate the most favorable localities for these deposits.

California, Nevada↗

Maps showing distribution of 12 selected elements in sample of rock, Walker Lake 1 degree by 2 degrees Quadrangle, California and Nevada

This report is part of a folio of maps of the Walker Lake 1 o x 2 o quadrangle, California and Nevada, prepared under the Conterminous United States Mineral Assessment Program. The folio includes geological, geochemical, and geophysical maps, as well as mineral resources assessment maps, which identify selected known or possible mineral-deposit environments in the quadrangle. The geochemical maps show the distributions of selected individual elements (Chaffee and others, 1988 a, b, c) and the distributions of selected groups of elements (Chaffee, 1988a, b, c). Discussions accompanying the individual element maps are restricted to mineral residences of the individual elements as well as to what types of mineral deposits and environments may be represented by anomalies of a particular element. Discussions accompanying the multielemental maps describe the types of mineral deposits that may be related to each element group and indicate the most favorable localities for these deposits.

California, Nevada↗

Maps showing distribution of anomalies based on the use of R-mode factor analysis for selected groupings of elements in samples of minus-60-mesh (0.25-MM) stream sediment and nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrate, Walker Lake 1 degree by 2 degrees Quadrangle, California and Nevada

This report is part of a folio of maps of the Walker Lake 1 o x 2 o quadrangle, California and Nevada, prepared under the Conterminous United States Mineral Assessment Program. The folio includes geological, geochemical, and geophysical maps, as well as mineral resources assessment maps, which identify selected known or possible mineral-deposit environments in the quadrangle. The geochemical maps show the distributions of selected individual elements (Chaffee and others, 1988 a, b, c) and the distributions of selected groups of elements (Chaffee, 1988a, b, c). Discussions accompanying the individual element maps are restricted to mineral residences of the individual elements as well as to what types of mineral deposits and environments may be represented by anomalies of a particular element. Discussions accompanying the multielemental maps describe the types of mineral deposits that may be related to each element group and indicate the most favorable localities for these deposits.

California, Nevada↗

Maps showing distribution of anomalies based on the use of scoresum plots for selected groupings of elements in samples of minus-60-mesh (0.25-MM) stream sediment, Walker Lake 1 degree by 2 degrees Quadrangle, California and Nevada

This report is part of a folio of maps of the Walker Lake 1 o x 2 o quadrangle, California and Nevada, prepared under the Conterminous United States Mineral Assessment Program. The folio includes geological, geochemical, and geophysical maps, as well as mineral resources assessment maps, which identify selected known or possible mineral-deposit environments in the quadrangle. The geochemical maps show the distributions of selected individual elements (Chaffee and others, 1988 a, b, c) and the distributions of selected groups of elements (Chaffee, 1988a, b, c). Discussions accompanying the individual element maps are restricted to mineral residences of the individual elements as well as to what types of mineral deposits and environments may be represented by anomalies of a particular element. Discussions accompanying the multielemental maps describe the types of mineral deposits that may be related to each element group and indicate the most favorable localities for these deposits.

California, Nevada↗

Maps showing distribution of anomalies based on the use of scoresum plots for selected groupings of elements in samples of nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrate, Walker Lake 1 degree by 2 degrees Quadrangle, California and Nevada

This report is part of a folio of maps of the Walker Lake 1 o x 2 o quadrangle, California and Nevada, prepared under the Conterminous United States Mineral Assessment Program. The folio includes geological, geochemical, and geophysical maps, as well as mineral resource assessment maps which identify selected known or possible mineral-deposit environments in the quadrangle. The geochemical maps show the distributioins of selected individual elements (Chaffee and others 1988a, b, c, d) and the distributions of selected groups of elements (Chaffee, 1988a, b). Discussions accompanying the individual element maps are restricted to possible mineral residences of the individual elements as well as to what types of mineral deposits and environments may be represented by anomalies of a particular element. Discussions accompanying the multielement maps describe the types of mineral deposits that may be related to each element group and indicate the most favorable localities for these deposits.

California, Nevada↗

Summary geochemical maps for samples of rock, stream sediment, and nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrates, Carson-Iceberg and Leavitt Lake Roadless Areas, Alpine, Mono, and Tuolumne counties, California

The Carson-Iceberg and Leavitt Lake Roadless Areas (the study area) lie near the crest of the Sierra Nevada in central California. The study area encompasses approximately 219,630 acres in the Stanislaus and Toiyabe National Forests in Alpine, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties. The area is dominated by rugged topography typical of the high Sierra Nevada. Elevations range from about 4,920 feet at Donnells Reservoir, at the southwestern corner of the study area, to 11,570 feet at Leavitt Peak, along the southwest boundary of the Leavitt Lake Roadless Area.

California↗

Summary geochemical maps for samples of rock, stream sediment, and nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrate, Cypress Roadless Area, Kern County, California

The Cypress Roadless Area comprises approximately 3 square miles (1,949 acres) of Sequoia National Forest, Kern County, California. The area is at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada, approximately 30 miles east-northeast of Bakersfield, and 2.5 miles and 3.5 miles south-southeast of the communities of Bodfish and Lake Isabella, respectively (index map). Geochemical sampling was conducted during 1980 and 1981. This report summarizes the results of that investigation and provides details of the geochemical evaluation used in the final mineral resource assessment of the study area (Kennedy and others, 1983). Map A shows the locations of all sites sampled for this report and the distributions of anomalous concentrations of 4 elements in 33 samples of rock, 5 elements in 34 samples of minus-60-mesh stream sediment, and 11 elements in 33 samples of nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrate derived from stream sediment. Map B shows outlines of those drainage basins containing samples of stream sediment and concentrate with anomalous concentrations and also shows weighted values for each outlined basin based on the number of elements with anomalous concentrations in each stream-sediment and concentrate sample and on the degree to which these concentrations are anomalous in each sample.

California↗

Summary geochemical maps for samples of rock, stream sediment, and nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrate, Pyramid Roadless Area, El Dorado County, California

The Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577, September 3, 1964) and related acts require the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines to survey certain areas on Federal lands to determine their mineral resource potential. Results must be made available to the public and be submitted to the President and the Congress. This report presents the results of a geochemical survey of the Pyramid Roadless Area (5203) in the Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, El Dorado County, California. This roadless area was classified as a further planning area during the Second Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE II) by the U.S. Forest Service, January 1979. The Pyramid Roadless Area lies near the crest of the Sierra Nevada about 75 miles east of Sacramento, California. the area, which is adjacent to and almost encircles the Desolation Wilderness, encompasses approximately 31,400 acres in Eldorado National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in El Dorado County, California. The area is dominated by deep rugged canyons that run eastward from the Sierra Nevada crest to Lake Tahoe basin and westward toward the Sacramento Valley. Elevations range from about 5,500 feet along Big Silver Creek on the west side of the study area to 8,895 feet at Echo Peak along the southeastern side of the roadless area. Geochemical sampling was conducted during 1982. This report summarizes the results of that investigation and provides details of the geochemical evaluation used in producing the final mineral resource assessment of the study area (Armstrong and others, 1983).

California↗

Summary geochemical map for samples of rock, stream sediment, and nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrate, Freel and Dardanelles Roadless Areas, Alpine and El Dorado Counties, California

The Freel and Dardanelles Roadless Areas lie near the crest of the central Sierra Nevada south of Lake Tahoe in California. The roadless areas (the study area) encompass approximately 51 sq mi in Eldorado and Toiyabe National Forests and in the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, in Alpine and El Dorado Counties, California. The study area is dominated by rugged topography; elevations range from about 6,000 ft along the extreme western boundary of the Dardanelles Roadless Area to 10,881 ft at Freel Peak in the northern part of the Freel Roadless Area. Geochemical sampling was conducted during 1978 and 1979. This report summarizes the reults of that investigation and provides details of the geochemical evaluation used in producing the final mineral resource assessment of the study area (John, Armin, Plouff, Chaffee, Peters, and others, 1983).

California↗