Angels Mine (Big Mine; Southwell Mine; Fox; Valentine claims: Angels; Beda Blood; Billings; Crystal; Potter; Doctor Hill; Hennessy; McCormick; Minne; Oneida), Angels Camp, Angels Camp Mining District, Calaveras County, California, USAi

Regional Level Types
Angels Mine (Big Mine; Southwell Mine; Fox; Valentine claims: Angels; Beda Blood; Billings; Crystal; Potter; Doctor Hill; Hennessy; McCormick; Minne; Oneida)	Mine
Angels Camp	- not defined -
Angels Camp Mining District	Mining District
Calaveras County	County
California	State
USA	Country

A former major lode Au mine located in the NW¼NE¼ sec. 33, T3N, R13E, MDM, in Angels Camp. Discovered before 1850. The property consisted of a minimum of 6 patented claims in 1915. Operated during the periods 1857 to 1867 and 1900 to 1918. MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 100 meters.

The Angels Mine, which has also been known as the Big Mine and Southwell Mine, is a consolidation of the Angels, Billings, Crystal, Dr. Hill, Minnie Hennesay, McCormick, Oneida, Potter, and Valentine Jr. claims, comprising a total of 101.15 acres.

The Angels claim was first worked in the late 1850s and by 1872 was developed by a 600-foot shaft and equipped with a 30-stamp mill. Prior to their consolidation with the Angels claim in 1886, the Dr. Hill claim had yielded $250,000 (period values) by 1867. In 1882, the Potter claim was being worked through a 100-foot shaft. A $100,000 pocket was reported to have been discovered on the Crystal claim in 1910. The total output of the property is unknown, but public figures show its value exceeds $3.25 million (period values) (Clark and Lydon, 1962). In 1886, the claims were consolidated by the Angels Quartz Mining Company and worked as a unit almost continuously until March 1918 when the mine was idled at a depth of 1,050 feet.

The mine was closed on March 1, 1918 on account of the owner's death. At the time of the closing, the deepest level was 1050 feet, and ore was being mined on the 200, 400, and 500-foot levels (Logan, 1921).

Mineralization is a vein deposit (Mineral occurrence model information: Model code: 273; USGS model code: 36a; Deposit model name: Low-sulfide Au-quartz vein; Mark3 model number: 27), hosted in amphibolite, gabbro, and Mesozoic-Paleozoic amphibole schist of the Calaveras Complex. Several veins are present, which all have similar attitudes. Gold is found in quartz veins, zones of parallel quartz stringers, and bodies of mineralized amphibolite schist. The two principal veins, the "East" vein and the "West" or "Mother Lode" vein, averaged 20 feet wide. The ore body strikes NW and dips 80NE at a thickness of 6.1 meters. It is tabular, pinch and swell in general form. Controls for ore emplacement included ore shoots within mesothermal gold-bearing quartz veins. The ore veins have an average thickness of 20 feet. The footwall is diorite and the hanging wall is talcose slate. Well-developed albite crystals are found in the Winter's vein. Usually the gold was in fine particles, although occasional high-grade pockets containing coarse gold were found. The ore materials are disseminated free gold and auriferous pyrite.
Gangue materials include quartz, calcite, talc, ankerite, and sericite. Local alteration is ankeritic and sericitic alteration of wall rock with disseminated aurtiferous pyrite mineralization. Local rocks include undivided pre-Cenozoic metavolcanic rocks, unit 2 (undivided).

The Angels Mine claims contain a number of quartz veins, but two principal quartz veins were developed, the "East" vein and the "West," or "Mother Lode," vein, both striking northwest - southeast. The East vein dips 80NE, and the West vein dips 65NE. Both veins averaged 20 feet wide. Stope lengths ranged from 100-200 feet. Calcite, talc, ankerite and sericite are commonly present in the ore (Clark, 1970).

Regional geologic structures include the Bear Mountains fault zone and the Melones fault zone. Local structures include the Melones Fault Zone.

Workings at the site include surface and underground openings with an overall depth of 320.04 meters (1,050 feet). Undetrground developments started in 1822 (? - probably 1922) with a 600 foot shaft. Numerous shafts, drifts, winzes and crosscuts were sunk and driven. Stopes vary from 100 to 200 feet in length. The last ore was mined from the 200, 400 & 500 foot levels. TOPES VARY FROM 100 TO 200 FT IN LENGTH. LAST ORE MINED FROM 200 , 400 AND 500 FT LEVELS. The main shaft was the 850 foot deep Angels shaft with the 600 foot Crystal shaft to the SW.

The main working entry of the Angels Mine was the 850-foot, 3-compartment Angels shaft, with levels at 100, 200, 400, 500, 700, and 850 feet. From the 850-foot level, a winze was sunk to the 1,050-foot level, and an 800-foot crosscut was driven east. The 800-foot Crystal shaft was located to the southwest and had levels at 100, 200, 400, 500, and 600 feet. The Crystal shaft was used primarily for lowering timbers (Tucker, 1914).

Ore was hoisted by a double drum electric hoist, and dumped into storage bins in 60-foot gallows frame, passing over a grizzly to a 10" x 20" Blake crusher. Ore was then trammed from the storage bins at the shaft to the mill up a 30 degree incline (Tucker, 1914).

The mill, which treated about 200 tons of ore per day, was equipped with 40 stamps. Battery pulp was concentrated on sixteen 4-foot Frue vanners. An extraction of 90% was obtained in the mill (Clark and Lydon, 1962). Concentrates ran from $38 to $70 per ton, averaging about $50 per ton.

Production data are found in: Clark

Total output for the property is unknown but published figures exceed $3,250,000 (period values). A $100,000 (period values) pocket was reported in 1910. The value of ore during the last years ran from $2 to $10 per ton, when Au was $20 per ounce.

The value of the ore during the last years of the operation ranged form $2 - $10 per ton and the concentrates ranged from $38 to $70 per ton at the old gold price of $20 (Clark and Lydon, 1962).

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:	10029119

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References